Highlights
- Fans await the Dexter prequel series “Dexter: Original Sin” with a possible 2025 release date.
- Key character Chief Tom Matthews’ absence from casting causes concern.
- Prequel series set in 1991, and will explore Dexter’s early career in the Miami Metro forensics department.
Fans are eagerly anticipating the release of the Dexter prequel series, with filming underway, with a likely release date sometime in 2025. Patrick Gibson has been cast as a younger version of Dexter Morgan, alongside Christian Slater as Harry Morgan and Molly Brown as Debra Morgan. Patrick Dempsey and Sarah Michelle Gellar have also joined the cast of Dexter: Original Sin as brand-new characters, but there is one key character from the original series who has yet to be cast, causing concern about the direction of the prequel series.
Chief Tom Matthews was a recurring character in Dexter, appearing in 43 episodes between 2006-2013, and he was played by journeyman actor, Geoff Pierson. Despite the casting announcements of other characters from the original Dexter series, Showtime have yet to announce who, if anyone, will be playing Tom Matthews in the prequel series.
Why hasn’t Tom Matthews been re-cast in Dexter: Original Sin?
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Dexter: Original Sin |
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Starring |
Patrick Gibson, Christian Slater, Molly Brown, James Martinez, Christina Milian, Alex Shimizu, Reno Wilson, Patrick Dempsey and Sarah Michelle Gellar |
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Created by |
Clyde Phillips |
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Directed By |
Michael Lehmann |
Despite only making recurring appearances in Dexter, Chief Tom Matthews was an important character in the series, and had significant links to Dexter’s past, as a key confidant to his adoptive father, Harry Morgan, in the Miami Metro Police Department. This is why it’s incredibly strange that no cast announcements have been made about who is set to play him in Dexter: Original Sin.
For a long time, Matthews was one of the few people who knew about Dexter’s origins as the son of the murder victim, Laura Moser, who was the confidential informant of Harry Morgan, and also his secret lover. He also knew that Dexter’s brother, Brian Moser, turned out to be the Ice Truck Killer in Dexter season 1. His character is significant to the timeline which will feature in the Dexter prequel series.
Dexter: Original Sin takes place in 1991, and will see Dexter Morgan join the Miami Metro forensics department as an intern. He will work alongside Vince Masuka (played by Alex Shimizu) and will also be joined by Maria LaGuerta (Christina Milian) and Angel Batista (James Martinez). James Doakes and Joey Quinn are the only two season regulars from the original series who haven’t been recast, but their characters were likely not around during the timeline of Dexter: Original Sin. However, Tom Matthews was in the Miami Metro Police Department during this time, and should definitely feature in the prequel series.
There is a chance that the creative team behind Dexter: Original Sin are saving the announcement of the actor set to play Tom Matthews until closer to the show airing, but if they have decided to leave the character out of the show completely, it would be a massive ret-con of Dexter’s origin story. Reno Wilson was cast as Harry Morgan’s partner, Bobby Watt in Dexter; Original Sin, and he is supposedly his confidant, but according to the original series, it was Matthews who was Harry’s closest ally in the Miami Metro Police Department.
What happened to Tom Matthews in Dexter?
In Dexter season 1, Tom Matthews is the Captain of Miami Metro Homicide in the Police Department. He is the supervisor for Lieutenant Maria LaGuerta, who is usually in control of dealings at press conferences, unless Matthews decides to muscle in on her patch, which he does frequently. After the Bay Harbor Butcher Case is closed, Matthews is promoted to Deputy Chief and his job entails dealing with public relations.
Matthews and LaGuerta frequently locked horns throughout the series, with both characters being very ambitious in their careers. Matthews briefly replaced LaGuerta as Lieutenant during the Ice Truck killer case, but she ultimately got her job back, as Matthews conceded that she was the best person for the job. Matthews was responsible for promoting Debra Morgan to detective, and insisted her father, Harry Morgan, would be very proud of her.
Things became complicated for Matthews after the death of his wife, when he begins seeing call girls. Debra discovers this after one particular call-girl involved with Matthews was found dead of an overdose. Debra chose to keep Matthews’ involvement to herself, but LaGuerta was less forgiving when she found out, and used the information to blackmail him into giving her the job of Captain, while he was forced to retire.
In season 7, Matthews is spending his retirement drinking scotch on his boat, when LaGuerta pays him a visit, and asks her old rival for help with her re-investigation into the Bay Harbor Butcher case. He agrees to help her despite his misgivings about her theories, but only if LAGuerta gets him his job back, plus his 40-year pension.
Matthew invites Dexter to his boat to discuss LaGuerta’s theory that he is the Bay Harbor Butcher, but he reports back to LaGuerta that he doesn’t think the forensics expert has anything to do with it. LaGuerta continues digging, and eventually ends up being killed by Debra in order to protect Dexter from prosecution. In the final season, Matthews has his job back at Miami Metro and leads the tributes to LaGuerta at her memorial.
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