What happened to Quinn in Dexter and will we see him in Original Sin? Explored 

It has definitely been a good year for Dexter fans, with its spin-offs debuting and providing a detailed look into this popular character. Following 2021's New Blood, another sequel, Resurrection, was announced in July 2023, and Original Sin also debuted in December 2024 as an official prequel to the parent show.

While fans were excited to see many characters return in this prequel, Desmond Harrington was not confirmed as a cast member for Original Sin. He played the character of Detective Joseph Quinn, who first surfaced in Dexter in Season 3.

In the show, Quinn eventually starts a relationship with Debra, but when she rejects his marriage proposal, he starts drinking heavily. The two eventually get together, but Debra is shot by Oliver Saxon in Season 9. After her brother takes her off life support, she is declared brain-dead, and Quinn is devastated.

His main aim after Debra's death is to avenge her by killing Saxon, but Morgan kills him first. Season 9 ends with Quinn coming to terms with Debra's death and believing that Morgan killed Saxon in self-defense.

However, since Quinn was not a part of the Miami Department during 1991, when Original Sin was set, it is unlikely that we will see his character on the show.

More about Quinn's character in Dexter in our story.

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Who was Quinn in Dexter? Exploring the homicide detective's character on the show

Joseph Quinn joined the Miami Metro Police Department in Dexter Season 3, following the exit of Sergeant James Doakes. Since then, Harrington became a series regular and worked alongside Morgan and his sister Debra.

Much like Debra, Quinn also seems to have a calling for solving murders, and he is good at his job. He had an outgoing personality, was famous among the ladies, and had many flings on the show.

He was also not the by-the-book detective we see in other police procedurals because he believed in solving cases by hook or by crook and was often found tampering with evidence to solve cases if he had a hunch.

In Season 5, he begins to have a relationship with Debra after they both sleep in Morgan's house, right where Rita was brutally murdered in the bathtub. While she does not want to pursue a relationship with him, he seems to be adamant.

This was also the time when Quinn started his suspicions about Morgan and believed that he killed his wife Rita and was framing the Trinity Killer because he knew his ways very well.

While he almost reaches close and discovers his 'Kyle Butler' identity, he drops his suspicions when Morgans pulls a favor for him when Quinn tampers with evidence.

Quinn goes into a downward spiral in the show's later seasons as Debra rejects his marriage proposal, but realizing that he still loves her and keeps her ring on his desk, the two get back together.

But things do not end well for the couple, as she is injected with M99 by her brother and is eventually declared brain-dead, leaving a devastated Quinn in the season finale.

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Can Harrington's Detective Quinn make an appearance in Dexter: Original Sin?

Since young Dexter has started working with the forensics department with Harry in Original Sin, fans have been wondering whether they will see Harrington or a young actor playing the role of Detective Quinn in the prequel series.

While it was reported that many characters from the parent show could make an appearance with young actors cast in the show, especially those important in Harry's back story, Harrington's Quinn will most likely not make an appearance on the show as he joins the Miami Department in Season 3.

Before joining the department, he was a narcotics cop who was often alleged to have taken bribes from cartels and brotherhoods. While Quinn denied all these allegations, it is quite possible, looking at his lavish lifestyle.

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Dexter: Original Sin can be caught on Paramount+ with Showtime.