Det. Angel Batista has questions for ‘Dexter,' plus what to stream this week

Los Angeles Times

11-07-2025

Welcome to Screen Gab, the newsletter for everyone who can't stop watching their favorite fictional serial killer.
The 'Dexter' universe expands this week with the arrival of another spinoff. And it brings Dexter Morgan, the titular antihero played by Michael C. Hall, back from the dead. 'Dexter: Resurrection' picks up after the events of 'Dexter: New Blood' — we promise, we're not trying to start a drinking game here — where the serial killer vigilante was seemingly killed. In anticipation of the show's Friday premiere, Greg Braxton, our certified 'Dexter' expert, spoke with Hall about reviving the killer role — check it out here. And this week's Guest Spot features David Zayas, Hall's co-star who plays Angel Batista, discussing his return.
Also in this week's Screen Gab, our streaming suggestions include a cozy crime comedy featuring an antiques expert heroine and another home improvement series from the Chip and Joanna Gaines factory.
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Recommendations from the film and TV experts at The Times
'The Madame Blanc Mysteries' (Acorn TV)
Back for a fourth season, this series set among British expatriates in the south of France (played by the island of Malta) is nominally a detective show — there's always a crime to solve — but at heart it's a small-town comedy more interested in the lives of its quirky repeating characters than in whodunit. Series co-creator Sally Lindsay stars as Jean White, an antiques expert regularly called upon by Police Chief André Caron (Alex Gaumond) to analyze some clue or give the history of vintage stolen goods. Completing her world are alliterative, spritely rich oldsters Judith and Jeremy (Sue Holderness and Robin Askwith); garage owner Gloria (Sue Vincent); taxi driver Dom (Steve Edge), whose long-simmering passion for Jean has at last come to a boil; and, excitingly, Tony Robinson, who was Baldrick on 'Blackadder,' as Dom's formerly larcenous Uncle Patrick, now running the local bar where all the characters inevitably wind up. As is the case with many such shows, it gets sillier as it goes on; but if you want serious, there are plenty of dark serials happy to take your time. This place is sunny. — Robert Lloyd
'Mini Reni' (HBO Max, Discovery+)
As someone who can spend an alarming amount of time watching Sunday-reset cleaning videos on TikTok as a way to convince myself it has motivating powers, I am always on the lookout for home improvement shows that have the same effect. In the series, shiplap queen Joanna Gaines ditches hubby Chip to tackle 'quick' home makeovers. With each episode, she has about a week to transform three rooms — 'There's no demo day. We're just using things like paint, trim, tile and furniture' to change a space, she assures us. It's still an ambitious undertaking for the average person — I have towel hooks that I've needed to hang for months, so the thought of having secret doorways installed anywhere in my space is just not happening — but it feels just as good to believe you're getting ideas for a project down the line. — Yvonne Villarreal
A weekly chat with actors, writers, directors and more about what they're working on — and what they're watching
'Dexter: Resurrection,' the latest addition to the ever-expanding 'Dexter' universe, makes good on its title. After being shot in the chest — by his son, no less — and pronounced dead in the 2021 series 'Dexter: New Blood,' Dexter Morgan (Michael C. Hall), the forensics specialist who moonlighted as a serial killer vigilante, is now very much alive and well enough to deliver some more narrative intrigue in the series for Paramount+ with Showtime. While there are newcomers added to the mix, returning characters include Angel Batista (David Zayas), Dexter's friend who is now a captain at the Miami Metro Police Department where they once worked together — and he's on a mission to fill in questions about Dexter's past. Zayas stopped by Guest Spot to talk about what to expect in the new sequel series and how his own experiences in law enforcement inform his onscreen roles. — Yvonne Villarreal
Fans had hoped for the long-teased face-off between Batista and Dexter in 'Dexter: New Blood,' but it didn't happen. 'Dexter: Resurrection' provides that anticipated reunion. What can you tease about the dynamic that plays out between these characters?
The dynamic between Batista and Dexter is now a cautious cat-and-mouse game. Batista is also still in shock about the revelation that Dexter been alive all these years.
One would imagine that your own experiences in law enforcement have loosely inspired or informed at least one scenario in the police or detective roles you've played in your career. What's interesting to you about getting to explore that other career dramatically and/or cinematically?
I always explore the human element and the circumstances of the scene regardless of the position the character holds. Having been a real police officer, it helps me break down certain characters that I have encountered in my previous career.
You're back in the new season of 'The Bear,' as the supportive husband of Tina, who is played by your real-life wife, Liza Colón-Zayas. Describe what one of the show's intense workplace scenes would look like if it were set in the Zayas kitchen.
I think a scene in our kitchen would become intense. Liza would just kick me out. She calls the shots in the kitchen.
What have you watched recently that you're recommending to everyone you know?
Season 4 of 'The Bear' [Hulu]. The characters are so real and unapologetically flawed. It makes every moment of the show important and captivating.
What's your go-to 'comfort watch,' the film or TV show you return to again and again?
'The West Wing' [HBO Max]. It always gives me hope of how our political system should work for the people of this country.