Story order
There are four Dexter series, and in story order they run like this. Dexter: Original Sin comes first, set in Miami in 1991: a young Dexter Morgan, played by Patrick Gibson, joins the Miami Metro forensics lab as an intern while his father Harry, played by Christian Slater, teaches him the Code. Michael C. Hall narrates as the older Dexter. Then Dexter itself, eight seasons from 2006 with Hall as the blood-spatter analyst who kills killers.
After Miami
Dexter: New Blood picks up ten years later in the snowbound town of Iron Lake, New York, where Dexter lives under another name until his son finds him. Dexter: Resurrection moves the story to New York City, with Uma Thurman and Peter Dinklage among the new faces.
Release order or story order?
New viewers usually start with the original Dexter and come back to Original Sin later, because the prequel's pleasures depend on knowing who Dexter becomes. Returning fans can go straight to New Blood and Resurrection. The Dexter shelf holds all four in story order, every episode dated.
How long it takes
The original series is ninety-six episodes, about eighty-four hours; New Blood and Resurrection are ten episodes each, and Original Sin's single season is ten more. A full run is a winter project.
