“Dexter” didn’t exactly end on a positive note. If anything, viewers were underwhelmed by its lack of closure. But that’s not the writers’ fault. According to producer John Goldwyn, Showtime network didn’t want them to kill the beloved serial killer.

The show ended in September after an eight-season run. But while the finale was a ratings hit, it failed to deliver positive reviews, with many viewers getting disappointed with its “lame” ending.

Spoilers alert! For those who haven’t watched the finale yet, don’t read any further.

In the controversial ending, the titular anti-hero took his sister Deb’s life support after she suffered from a severe stroke in which she would never recover. And thinking that his loved ones would be safe if he’s not with them, he faked his own death and lived alone as a lumberjack.

Many fans thought that a fitting ending would have been one where Dexter has died or has been exposed as a serial killer. Neither one happened, and instead, viewers were left with one that failed to give complete resolution.

Don’t blame the writers for the ending, though. Goldwyn told Vulture that the writers had a different vision for the character’s finale, but cable network Showtime refused to let Dexter die.

“They won’t let us kill him,” he revealed. “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 fan base for Breaking Bad. But it has a very core loyal following.”

That would explain why former showrunner Clyde Phillips’ vision of Dexter’s demise wasn’t realised.

Phillips, who left the show in 2009, told eonline.com that he would have pitched a different ending for the series.

“In the very last scene of the series, Dexter wakes up. And everybody is going to think, ‘Oh, it was a dream.’ And then the camera pulls back and back and back and then we realise, ‘No, it’s not a dream,’” he told the entertainment Web site.

“Dexter’s opening his eyes and he’s on the execution table at the Florida Penitentiary. They’re just starting to administer the drugs and he looks out through the window to the observation gallery. And in the gallery are all the people that Dexter killed.”

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Dexter Ending That Should Have Been, According To Ex-Showrunner [READ]

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