WARNING: THIS ARTICLE CONTAINS SPOILERS FOR DEXTER FINALE. READ AT YOUR OWN RISK.

It turns out that while many fans have been immensely disappointed with Dexter season finale, the writers may not have been entirely to blame.

Vulture has recently reported that Jeff Goldwyn dropped a major bombshell at the NYFF premiere of The Secret Life of Walter Mitty. According to Goldwyn, Showtime would not let the writers kill off the title character in the Dexter season finale.

“Showtime was very clear about that. When we told them the arc for the last season, they just said, ‘Just to be clear, he’s going to live.’ There were a lot of endings discussed because it was a very interesting problem to solve, to bring it to a close. People have a relationship with ‘Dexter,’ even if it doesn’t have the size and the ferocity of the fanbase for Breaking Bad. But it has a very core loyal following.”

While Goldwyn doesn’t exactly sound pleased with the resulting Dexter season finale judging from this quote, it turns out that some of the other staff members are. Dexter‘s executive producer Sara Colleton told TV Line that killing Dexter was never a possibility because they believed it would have been “a fitting enough punishment for him.” She went on to explain how the staff believed that Dexter’s self-imposed exile is the most fitting punishment since he developed into a more human character over time.

I have to admit it surprises me that Showtime said that Dexter couldn’t die in the Dexter season finale. The only legitimate reason that they could have for him to stay alive is for him to come back in a few years for some kind of stand-alone film. There’s more money in him being alive. However, as far as I’m aware, Michael C. Hall is pretty much done with the character, and not exactly interested in reprising the role for the future. Now on the subject, of Dexter’s punishment, I really think that a good writing team could have come up with a better ending than, “And Dexter became a lumberjack.”

What do you think about this revelation from Showtime? Do you disagree and believe that Dexter should have been allowed to die? Why don’t you just tell us what you think in the comments below?

Source: Vulture