Since the crime drama TV series Dexter first premiered in 2006, it has made its way with thrilling mystery, crime and psychological horror to people all over the country. Audiences find themselves rooting for a serial killer and have been continuously hooked for a while. Even its third spin-off Dexter: Resurrection, which came out this year hasn’t failed to keep everyone on the edge of their seats.
The TV show transports the viewer into the world of Dexter with young adult Dexter Morgan, played by Michael C. Hall, who works at a police station in Miami as a crime scene bloodspatter analyst helping to solve murders. In contrast to his friendly, nothing more than ordinary demeanor he shows to his friends, family and coworkers, a dark private life lies beneath it all. Spending his work days solving murders, Dexter spends his free time committing his very own.
But here’s the catch: having a strong taste for justice influenced by his adoptive family growing up, Dexter learned a code to only kill horrible criminals. His police officer dad Harry, played by James Remar knew of him being different as a kid. Not only does this mean that his father knew of his violent tendencies, but he taught Dexter who to murder and how to get away with it.
Juggling his normal life with being a serial killer, Dexter gets himself into life threatening situations and complicated loopholes to stay three steps ahead of the very police station he works in.
Dexter is a serial killer that still has some important morals. Although he’s void of many feelings, he has a sense of what is right and wrong and makes an effort to treat innocent people with human decency. One of the non-muffled feelings he has is disgust toward criminals who harmed the innocent, which makes his character very complex.
The narrative voiceover that Michael C. Hall does during tense moments in the show helps to make the viewer feel engaged, so they feel like they´re getting to hear exactly what his thought process and perspective as a killer is. Additionally, there’s the contrasting setting of Miami that’s bright, beautiful and happy looking, along with an upbeat soundtrack, which is opposite of the show’s theme.
To top off the setting and style of the show, the quality of the acting pulls the whole thing together. Carpenter does an excellent job portraying the silly, unapologetically herself, younger sister act of Debra Morgan’s character. Carpenter, David Zayas, Erik King, along with Hall playing the lead are all some of the actors who stood out for their excellent performance in the show and became very important to its title.
Audiences tend to be drawn to the show because of its crime drama genre, which there is a large fanbase for. People stay captivated after the intriguing plot they´re introduced to from the beginning that only escalates to be more intense throughout the show.
Down to clever little details in the show adding suspense that captivates the audience, Buena High School freshman Nathaniel Mcqueary points out how a character in the show stirs the pot in the minds of anyone rooting for the main character.
“I like Doakes. Everybody thought he was crazy, but he was actually right about Dexter,” Mcqueary said.
Many enjoy the storyline and how things change from the beginning to the end. Freshman and fellow Dexter fan mentioned an aspect of the show that plays a part in the series being a good watch for him.
“I like the plot in Dexter a lot because of how [Dexter] changed throughout the seasons with character development,” Estrada said.
Dexter Morgan’s legacy holds as an unforgettably cautious serial killer with unique characteristics that set the show apart from others. That being said, the audience of the show has only grown dramatically as more seasons have been released, all the way up to the sequel season Dexter: Resurrection released July of 2025.
I personally recommend this show to anyone who enjoys watching crime dramas, psychological thrillers and feels the concept really sparks their interest.
