Paramount’s 95% RT Crime Thriller Just Made a Stellar Addition to Its Season 2 Cast

The original Dexter series, which aired on Showtime from 2006 to 2013, worked because the person who would be the villain in any other series, the titular character (Michael C. Hall), who kills people in his free time because he sets his sights on the worst of the worst, is the one viewers are meant to root for. Still, the lead in a show like Dexter can only go so far without a compelling antagonist to dance with.

That compelling dichotomy is one of the reasons why Dexter‘s fourth season, featuring John Lithgow as the terrifying Trinity Killer, is viewed as the series’ best by many fans. After that, Dexter lost its way, limping to the series’ much-maligned original finale. Even the Dexter: New Blood reboot didn’t offer much more in terms of satisfying closure. Thankfully, last year’s Dexter: Resurrection finally got things back on track for the franchise in the best way possible, and Season 2 is set up to be even better with the addition of star Brian Cox. When the New York Ripper emerges from the darkness, Dexter will meet his greatest foe yet.

The New York Ripper Is Never Seen Onscreen in ‘Dexter: Resurrection’ Season 1

Dexter, Dexter: New Blood, and even the short-lived prequel series, Dexter: Original Sin, have followed a similar formula. Whether Dexter is in Miami or northern New York targeting other killers, there is always another big bad out there lurking, either already revealed to the audience or a greater mystery left to be solved. Whoever it is typically serves as the primary villain for the season, which culminates in a bigger face-off with Dexter himself.

Dexter: Resurrection has adopted a different approach to its narrative. In Season 1, the series wisely moved to bustling New York City, which offered a wider range of evil characters as well as more depth for its titular antihero. Instead of being an emotionless man who pretends to be normal so he can blend in, Dexter has his son, Harrison (Jack Alcott), to look out for, which opens up dormant feelings so intense that Dexter begins to care about others, too.

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The other brilliant change in Dexter: Resurrection is its shift away from the traditional big bad formula. The series shakes things up with Dexter’s discovery of a serial killer club run by the mysterious billionaire, Leon Prater (Peter Dinklage). Prater, himself, is not a killer, but Dexter spends his days eliminating his colleagues. Eventually, Prater ends up on the table too, but an even bigger threat persists by the end of Season 1.

Dexter: Resurrection‘s first season makes the point to frequently reference an inactive serial killer known as the New York Ripper. Prater keeps the Ripper’s weapon of choice in his personal collection, while Homicide detective Claudette Wallace (Kadia Saraf) is obsessed with the Ripper and can’t let go of the idea of catching him. She even teaches classes about the Ripper to prospective students, playing taunting voicemails he has left for his victims’ families. The New York Ripper may no longer be killing, but apparently, he hasn’t gone away for good now that Cox has been cast.

Brian Cox Is the Perfect Actor to Play ‘Dexter: Resurrection’s New York Ripper

The New York Ripper is a phantom in Season 1 of Dexter: Resurrection, and like Chekhov’s gun, because he is mentioned, it makes sense for him to appear. In the season finale, after killing Prater, Dexter goes through the billionaire’s serial killer files, taking some with him so he can track these evildoers down. Among them is the New York Ripper, his real identity revealed as Don Framt. That name means nothing to the audience in the moment, but the series, in this one quick scene, confirms where Season 2 is headed.

The New York Ripper has been in hiding on Dexter: Resurrection, but it makes more sense for Season 2 to bring him out of the shadows — the whole reason to cast someone of Cox’s talent is to show him off. Cox commands the screen, most recently on HBO’s Succession, for which he was nominated for several Emmys. For many, his most terrifying role was in Michael Mann‘s 1986 film Manhunter. Before Anthony Hopkins made Hannibal Lecter an all-time horror icon, Cox played the role, adding his own distinct take on the part.

In a March 2026 interview with Woman’s World, Cox reminisced about Manhunter, saying, “It’s so easy to play people as bogeymen–‘scary guys’–but the thing that’s scary about someone is how acceptable they are. That’s what’s really scary, because we can act with that and that makes a character frightening.” If anyone can create a new iconic Dexter villain who blends in with everyone else, someone who could even potentially rival the Trinity Killer, it’s Cox, and his casting is just one more reason to be excited for Dexter: Resurrection‘s return.