‘Dexter’: Fans Really Want a Doakes Spinoff

So many characters came and went on Dexter, but anyone who’s seen the Showtime series will probably never forget James Doakes.

A Sergeant in the Miami Metro Police Department’s homicide unit, Doakes was a rough and tough officer who’d always had a hunch about Dexter Morgan. After a few episodes, Doakes grew to become a fan-favorite and standout member on the show. But as viewers know, his time on Dexter was short-lived.

Still, fans have continued to talk about him and have even expressed interest in seeing him on a show of his own.

James Doakes was a main cast member on ‘Dexter’

Viewers were introduced to Doakes (Erik King) in season 1. Doakes was suspicious of Dexter (Michael C. Hall) from the jump, telling him early on that he creeped him out. But he could never figure out why. Over time, he started to feel that Dexter knew more about a series of murders in Miami than he let on, but he still struggled to find any hard evidence.

By season 2, his concern had grown to full-on obsession — to the point where Doakes started raising suspicions that he might actually be the Bay Harbor Butcher. Eventually, Doakes got the proof he needed and confronted Dexter about his double life. However, he wound up getting captured, killed, and, ultimately, named as Miami’s killer.

Fans would love to see James Doakes in a spinoff

In the years since the show wrapped, fans have been vocal about a Doakes spinoff. One popular idea on Reddit is a prequel focusing on Doakes’s life during his time in the military, including his black ops missions and their effects. One commenter mentioned María LaGuerta’s comment about how Doakes “used to laugh” and expressed interest in seeing how life changed him.

Agreeing, another Redditor said, “Totally! I wish we had learned more about him before he was killed off. Could have been super interesting.” A second fan added, “I’d see plenty of room to explore his character as well as fun crossovers such as cameos from Dexter’s foes. They could play devious ‘victims’, informants, or suspects.”

But at the same time, many wondered how a Doakes spinoff would fare on a larger scale. “Your idea would be pretty interesting but I don’t see how they can make it into a long running series, mostly because we know how it ends,” read one comment. “I think it’s kind of a novelty idea; something that would gather pretty high interest at first but since the ending (Doakes’ death) is already known, interest is lost rather fast.”

There seemingly haven’t been any serious talks about a Doakes spinoff, but there is more ‘Dexter’ on the way

Deadline revealed in October that Dexter will return for a 10-episode revival. The details are still pretty limited, but it will reportedly air sometime in 2021. In the meantime, read more of our Dexter coverage below.