| "Cold Snap" | |
|---|---|
| Dexter: New Blood episode | |
| Episode no. | Episode 1 |
| Directed by | Marcos Siega |
| Story by | Clyde Phillips & Adam Rapp |
| Teleplay by | Clyde Phillips |
| Featured music | Pat Irwin |
| Cinematography by | Hillary Fyfe Spera |
| Editing by | Perri Frank |
| Original air date | November 7, 2021 |
| Running time | 57 minutes |
| Guest appearances | |
| |
"Cold Snap" is the first episode of the American television miniseries Dexter: New Blood, a continuation of the series Dexter. The episode was written by series developer Clyde Phillips from a story by Phillips and Adam Rapp and directed by executive producer Marcos Siega. It originally aired on Showtime on November 7, 2021, being also available on its streaming service at midnight on the same day.
The series follows Dexter Morgan after having faked his death on the original series finale. Dexter now lives in the fictional small town of Iron Lake, New York, hiding his identity under the name of Jim Lindsay, a local shopkeeper and having suppressed his killing urges. He is now in a relationship with Angela Bishop, the town's chief of police, and is beloved and respected in the town. A local troublemaker and the arrival of a mysterious person cause friction in his new life, as the past comes back to haunt him.
Development on the series started following the negative reception to the original series finale on 2013. Showtime president David Nevins said that a potential follow-up to the series was ongoing in 2014 but no further updates were mentioned. Showtime contacted Clyde Phillips, the showrunner for the first four seasons, in 2019 to start working on a potential revival of the series. The series was announced in October 2020, with Phillips and Hall confirming their return. Despite being a follow-up to the eighth season, Phillips did not consider the series as a ninth season since there was a major discontinuity in the serialization of the story.
According to Nielsen Media Research, the episode was seen by an estimated 0.678 million household viewers and gained a 0.2 ratings share among adults aged 18–49. It was, however, watched by 2.2 million viewers across linear and streaming platforms, becoming the most-watched Showtime title ever on OTT. Critical reception to the episode was mixed. Critics praised Michael C. Hall's performance and deemed the episode a return to form following a disappointing finale. Others criticized the episode's writing, with many finding it predictable and lacking surprises, and many deemed that the series felt "pointless".