Dexter: Original Sin seems like it’s off to a killer start.
The series premiere racked up 2.1M global viewers across Paramount+ and Showtime in the first three days of availability, according to Paramount Global.
The company also says it Showtime’s most-streamed premiere ever, although it didn’t specify how much of that audience came from streaming.
Dexter: Original Sin debuted on Friday, December 13 with one episode on Paramount+ before its cable premiere on Sunday evening. Episode rollout will continue that way with two new episodes streaming this Friday. This data encompasses viewership from Friday through Sunday.
Paramount certainly seems happy with this number, which is really all that matters, but it’s difficult to say whether this is an outright win, as the company shares data pretty sparingly.
It certainly seems promising for Showtime, specifically. Consider that the Season 2 premiere of Yellowjackets, which had the same streaming-to-linear rollout strategy, neared 2M cross-platform viewers in its premiere weekend. However, it’s not exactly the highest performer overall on Paramount+, which is why the company is making a specific distinction regarding Showtime’s streamed titles.
More context will come to light next month, when Nielsen releases reports for this interval. Although Paramount Global is still locked in a contract dispute with Nielsen, the latter company does still include Paramount+ titles in its weekly streaming lists.
From Clyde Phillips, the 10-episode original drama series is set in 1991 Miami and follows Dexter (Patrick Gibson), as he transitions from student to avenging serial killer. When his bloodthirsty urges can’t be ignored any longer, Dexter must learn to channel his inner darkness. With the guidance of his father, Harry (Christian Slater), he adopts a Code designed to help him find and kill people who deserve to be eliminated from society without getting on law enforcement’s radar. This is a particular challenge for young Dexter as he begins a forensics internship at the Miami Metro Police Department.
Dexter: Original Sin also stars Dempsey as Captain Aaron Spencer, Molly Brown as Debra Morgan, James Martinez as Angel Batista, Christina Milian as Maria LaGuerta, Alex Shimizu as Vince Masuka, Reno Wilson as Bobby Watt and special guest star Sarah Michelle Gellar as Tanya Martin. Amanda Brooks will recur as Captain Aaron Spencer’s ex-wife who shares custody of their son, Nicky.
The series is executive produced by Clyde Phillips and produced by Showtime Studios and Counterpart Studios. Executive producers also include Scott Reynolds, Michael C. Hall, Mary Leah Sutton, Tony Hernandez and Lilly Burns, with the series produced by Robert Lloyd Lewis. Michael Lehmann serves as directing executive producer. The series is distributed by Paramount Global Content Distribution outside of Paramount+ markets.
