Early investment, fan-first thinking, and real-time strategy turned a sequel into a streaming standout
When Dexter: Resurrection premiered in 2025, it wasn’t just a revival. It was a reinvention, designed to reconnect longtime fans while onboarding a new generation of viewers in a completely different digital landscape.
The stakes were high. Dexter’s original run helped define prestige cable drama in the early 2000s, and its polarizing series finale left fans with strong, lasting opinions. The latest sequel, a follow up to Dexter: New Blood in November 2021 and adjacent to origin series Dexter: Original Sin premiering last December, had to do more than tell a good story. It had to earn back trust while cultivating curiosity in an audience that hadn’t grown up with the show. Streaming saturation, short-form competition, and fragmented fandoms added even more complexity to the challenge.
And yet, the franchise didn’t rely on nostalgia alone. Over two years, the team built an expansive cross-platform strategy that blended UGC, franchise storytelling, and performance optimization. With 195.2M views, 5.8M engagements, and +473K new followers in just two weeks, Resurrection proved that legacy IP could thrive when matched with modern execution.
We caught up with the team behind the socials for Dexter: Resurrection and Landman to find out how they did it and what other social teams can do to copy their success.
I. Context & Goals: Building a Sequel for Two Generations
Dexter: Resurrection was more than a high-profile sequel. It was a test of how to bridge a fan base that spans nearly two decades. The team aimed to balance nostalgia for longtime fans with fresh appeal for a new, younger audience. This required a multi-platform approach to reignite an existing fandom while introducing the franchise to new viewers.
The strategy hinged on reactivating dormant fan communities and pairing them with dedicated content streams for emerging platforms. The goal wasn’t just to make both Original Sin and Resurrection trends; it was to make Dexter feel culturally present again.
Because the Dexter fan community never entirely disappeared, the show benefited from a unique asset: an established ecosystem of Reddit moderators, legacy blogs like Dexter Daily, and longtime meme accounts. This organic infrastructure gave Resurrection a head start that newer IPs couldn’t replicate.
And there was history worth building on. Dexter originally aired from 2006 to 2013, spanning eight seasons and earning a Peabody Award, multiple Emmy nominations, and a reputation for walking the line between antihero thriller and dark comedy. Even its controversial finale became a cultural touchpoint, ranking among TV’s most debated endings. That cultural memory helped generate not only curiosity—but urgency—around Resurrection and both new previous Dexter universe series.
II. Launch Strategy: Starting the Clock Early
The groundwork began nearly two years in advance:
- Reactivated dormant Dexter accounts on Facebook, Instagram, and X
- Created new TikTok and YouTube accounts to meet younger audiences where they spend time
- Committed to an always-on publishing cadence before any official marketing push
This early groundwork allowed the franchise to maintain momentum without relying on traditional tentpole moments. Audiences were being primed long before trailers dropped.
A major boost came in June 2024, when Netflix added the original Dexter catalog, landing it in the US Top 10. This re-release sparked renewed fan edits, memes, and creator engagement. It fueled awareness right as Original Sin and Resurrection updates began to roll out.
As Tyler Hissey, the SVP of Social Showtime/MTV Entertainment Studios, explained, the Netflix catalog drop in June 2024 “aligned perfectly with our strategic ramp-up.” The resulting wave of renewed fan activity helped fuel momentum just as our official campaign content for Original Sin and eventually Resurrection began to hit. “A multi-year Dexter franchise movement on social media couldn’t be stopped.”
III. Audience Re-Engagement: Nostalgia + New Eyes
The legacy cast, especially Michael C. Hall, played a central role in the Resurrection campaign, with his return generating thousands of organic social mentions and overwhelmingly positive sentiment.
Michael C. Hall’s return became a cornerstone of the Resurrection campaign strategy. “Michael is such a draw… he really is the franchise,” said Tyler Hissey.
Meanwhile, memes from the original series, especially Erik King’s Doakes and the now-iconic “Surprise, mfer” line, were reenergized across TikTok. These legacy references acted as cultural handshakes: instantly recognizable to veteran fans, instantly intriguing to new ones.
The return of Doakes in Resurrection sparked a second life for one of the internet’s longest-running crime-drama memes. It became a narrative device and an engagement driver all in one. The campaign blended fandom history with platform fluency.
IV. Content Approach: What Actually Worked
Content strategy leaned into formats that outperformed more standard promotional materials:
- Scene lifts and vertical clips drove the highest engagement
- Weekly after-show Final Cut delivered consistent appointment viewing (scheduled Saturdays at noon, following Friday 3 a.m. episode drops on Fridays—an intentional echo of The Pit Stop from RuPaul’s Drag Race)
- Prater’s Vault, a digital museum inspired by an in-show moment, deepened immersion
Supplementing traditional trailers and teasers, the team focused on platform-native content that gave fans a reason to stop scrolling. Real-time adaptation was also key.
This responsiveness was supported by daily insights. “We use ListenFirst to track UGC trends and emerging themes,” said Tyler Hissey. “That helped us quickly respond with high-performing content within 24 hours.”
The success of Prater’s Vault was not accidental. It was the result of close collaboration with creative agency AnalogFolk, which worked with Paramount+ to build an immersive digital extension of the Dexter world. The experience featured narrated walkthroughs from both Michael C. Hall and Peter Dinklage, layered with interactive hotspots that deepened fans’ understanding of Leon Prater’s character.
Campaign Live, Mediashotz, and Dexter Daily praised the activation as a standout example of storytelling-meets-tech. As Dexter Daily noted, “It’s not just a promotional site. It’s an experience worthy of the show’s legacy.”
Top content of 2025
V. Data & Metrics: Performance by the Numbers
From October 2023 to July 2025, the franchise delivered:
- 1.1B total views
- 46.3M Engagements
- +2.2M cross-platform followers
Platform growth highlights:
- TikTok: 1.7M followers
- YouTube: 1M+ subscribers
- Facebook: 11M+ followers
Resurrection first two weeks:
- 195.2M views, 5.8M engagements, +473K followers
Prater’s Vault microsite performance exceeded expectations and proved the franchise’s power to sustain immersive storytelling beyond the screen. In total, the site saw:
- 384,619 page views
- 255,731 unique visitors
- Strongest performance in the U.S., followed by the U.K., Canada, Germany, and Saudi Arabia
- Most visits came via direct traffic, Google, YouTube, and Facebook
Notably, a push notification sent to Dexter: Resurrection on-platform viewers also correlated with a major traffic spike to the microsite. Plus, a custom promotional card was affixed to the episode across owned and partner streaming platforms.
The earlier performance snapshot from July 24–27 (186,938 page views and 122,133 unique visitors) represented just the initial spike. Audience interest continued well into August, cementing the activation’s longevity and reach.
ListenFirst played a tactical role in helping the team refine their overall publishing approach. LF surfaced actionable data around the best times to post, which words and emoji combinations resonated most, and how Dexter was performing relative to other scripted drama series. “It helps us gather information about UGC posts and corresponding themes, informing our publishing strategies,” said Tyler Hissey. “It’s also helpful to know how we’re pacing against other series in the genre.”
VI. UGC & Community: Fans as Co-Creators
User-generated content became a consistent signal for what to produce next. The team tracked daily trends using ListenFirst and responded quickly with official posts of fan-loved moments and curated select edits from partner creators.
This was more than reactive. It was collaborative. By positioning fans as co-creators, the campaign was able to build a real-time feedback loop that shaped creative strategy week to week.
- The Doakes meme returned as a dominant trend nearly 20 years later
- The Netflix drop brought in new creators and younger viewers
- Curated fan edits ranked among top-performing posts
The team also monitored and amplified viral owned posts across platforms, including these examples:
Dexter Youtube channel passed 1m subscribers
VII. Cross-Promotion & Worldbuilding
The Dexter franchise approach mirrored models like the Yellowstone universe, focusing on:
- Coordination between Original Sin and Resurrection
- Consistent tone, voice, and branding across all channels
- Interactive layers like Prater’s Vault and Final Cut to extend the story beyond the episode
Final Cut on Youtube
This ecosystem approach wasn’t just about driving tune-in. It was about creating a sustained narrative across timelines and formats.
Whether fans entered the franchise via the original series, Netflix reruns, TikTok memes, or YouTube Shorts, the strategy ensured that they were welcomed into a cohesive universe with room to explore.
VIII. Key Takeaways for Marketers
- Start early: Years of activation paid off with a built-in audience
- Create dedicated handles: Focused communities for specific IP yield better engagement
- Use UGC as strategy: Track what fans love and build on it
- Scene lifts beat trailers: In-episode moments win attention
- Legacy content still wins: Memes have staying power
- Repurpose smartly: Cross-post Reels and Shorts where they work
- Optimize constantly: Tools like ListenFirst surface the best times, formats, and creative angles
- Go immersive: Experiences like Prater’s Vault add cultural depth and generate buzz beyond the episode window
Photo Credit: Zach Dilgard/Paramount+ with SHOWTIME.
Final Thought
Dexter: Resurrection succeeded by respecting the past and building for the present. It showed how franchises can grow their footprint through a fan-first strategy, smart content choices, and a long runway.
In a content-saturated landscape, standing out takes more than strong IP. It takes planning, humility, and the ability to treat your audience as creative collaborators. With cultural relevance, consistent execution, and real-time insight, the Dexter team didn’t just launch a sequel. They sparked a movement.
In your next campaign, are you building a show or building a universe?
Dexter: Resurrection social metrics
Jan. 1st 2025 to August 18th 2025
| Metric | Total Combined | % Change |
|---|---|---|
| Total Followers / Subscribers | 15.14M | +8% (weighted avg) |
| Follower Growth / New Subscribers | 1.426M | +46% (blended) |
| Fan Growth Rate | 7.47% | +57% (FB/IG/Twitter/TikTok only) |
| New Posts | 924 | +65% (blended) |
| Engagements / Likes | 24.02M | +89% (blended) |
| Comments | 34.4K | – |
| Video Views | 31.9M | – |
| Response Rate | 0.72% | -16% (FB/IG/Twitter/TikTok only) |
