Dexter

Who knew a show regarding an ethically-minded serial killer could draw in audiences in such droves? Surprisingly enough, not Showtime. Hurting from the amount of viewers who abandoned ship to watch the critically-acclaimed series over at HBO, they might have thought Dexter would provide a bit of healthful contest and perchance boost their ratings a little bit, but they had no idea what a smash hit they had on their hands.

Dexter, based on a series of books with the same name, chronicles the life of one Miami-based blood-splatter analyst named Dexter Morgan, who moonlights as a serial killer who only kills other serial killers. After his aspect on HBO playing sweet, organized, and constantly put-upon David Fisher, Michael C. Hall’s choice to play such a brooding and masculine reputation amazed numerous fans of Six Feet Under, but his superior acting natural abilities and qualities have netted him another gravely acclaimed smash hit. The show centers on Dexter’s life balancing a normal day occupation and his unrelenting urge to kill. The victim of a stressful experience as a very young child, young Dexter is adopted by a police officer, who recognizes his homicidal urges and produces a sort of code that, if he is to kill, he must only kill a killer who has been proven guilty. Now as an adult, Dexter proceeds on this path while working for the Miami police department, only keeping up appearances as a normal humane being is starting to wear thin.

Despite the show’s dark subject matter and unflinching look at death and violence, Dexter has managed to become a hit with both male and female satellite TV viewers, who tuned in to the show for the duration of record numbers. Even even though he’s supposed to be a cold-blooded killer, his kind kinship with the two children of his early girlfriend, as well as his subsequent marriage to another women, show sides that only a skilled actor like Hall could manage to draw out of such a scary character. Through the show’s subsequent seasons, Dexter has narrowly escaped being caught and identified galore times, managed to father a child, and still proceeds to rid the streets of unquestioned bad guys–though a few good guys have managed to make their way into the body count, too. The twists and turns are scheduled to carry on on the new season, when John Lithgow is slated to join the cast as one of the world’s most elusive serial killers.

With the upcoming fourth season ready to go in September and a season five already in the works, there’s no decelerating down the instinctive that Dexter has built up. Even numerous of the critics who in the first place panned the show recanted after seeing the end of season one, with a famous writer from the creme de la creme of the Hollywood press, Vanity, going as far as to publish a retraction. With so galore violent shows on regular television as well as on cable and satellite TV, Dexter manages to stand apart. It’s a show that doesn’t focus on violence for violence’s sake, nor does it glorify killing, even even though it centers on the life of on queer killer. The show’s clever writing and wry look at morals might have won over a legion of fans, but one of them was decidedly not CBS, who were initially going to pick the show up in edited form, only to be bombarded with requests from family and moral watchdog groups who lambasted the show’s content and threatened to boycott the station.

All of the controversy may only aid Showtime, though, who are ready to roll out their next season to just as much acclaim as the ones before it. The network is expecting a record-number of viewers glued to their high-definition television screens, waiting to see what Dexter’s next move is. Thanks to Michael C. Hall’s superior acting and a strong script, the network is still riding one killer wave of success.

Dexter Picture

Dexter Pic

Dexter Picture

Dexter Photo

Most helpful client reviews

105 of 121 persons found the following review helpful.
The Best Season Yet
By Grady Harp
DEXTER Season 5 is the best of the seasons so far. While last season was overshadowed by the presence of John Lithgow, the shining star of and surprise of this season is the presence of Julia Stiles as Lumen, an mistreated victim who escapes her abusers and pledges to join Dexter in ‘stabbing out’ her revenge. The writing is tighter and the subplots or sidebars are far more interesting: the galore dissimilar love entanglements keep your head spinning. The fellow workers with Dexter (Michael C.Hall) stay the same – Jennifer Carpenter (the real Mrs Hall), Desmond Harrington, David Zayas, Lauren Velez, CS Lee, and James Remar – all better than ever. But the added attraction characters this year include Maria Doyle Kennedy (from The Tudors) as the nanny for Dexter’s son, and Jonny Lee Miller as a twisted Inspirational Coach.

The premise of following a serial killer who chooses as his victims crooks who would have other than as supposed or expected not been punished is by now, after four seasons, a reputation we may all perceive – emotionally, motivationally, and as a brilliant law enforcement team member. But the coups of the season was the addition of Julia Stiles who does a heap of of the finest work of her career here. Enough said. The suspense is what drives this show! Grady Harp, December 10

55 of 62 persons found the following review helpful.
Pre-Release Of Season 5: A Few Thoughts
By Rhonda Poynter
Firstly, this is the best show on television, plain and simple. I came to it late, discovering just a little over two years ago, and so I’ve had to catch up – I completely agree with the many, galore reviews on dissimilar websites which actually go after the quality of the DVDs for “Dexter”, by the way. If you may get Blu, do so. Now, a series when it comes to a serial killer didn’t rather seem like my kind of trip when I initial started out watching “Dexter”, but this show quickly pulls you in with magnificent acting, writing and directing. (Trivia: Are any of you old sufficient to do not forget the geeky guy who lets his haunted car, Christine, take over his life and get even at every one else, in the Stephen King classic, “Christine”? That actor, Keith Gordon, is the same man directing this series. Anyhow!) Michael C. Hall is not one thing less than superb as the tortured title character, and he proceeds hitting it out of the ballpark this season, in spite of having expended the majority of this last year or so sick as a dog and undergoing chemotherapy in real life for leukemia. (His agent says that he’s doing well, right now). As we all recognise from decades of anti-heroes, the audience has to like a killer (Warren Beatty as Clyde Barrow, for instance), or looking at this type of show is going to leave you with a – well, weird feeling: I’ve seen shows, both fictional and biographical, where the ‘hero’ was so revolting an person that I couldn’t figure out why any individual thought he/she deserved a show, and I had to take a shower after watching the piece of garbage. This series is so well-written that even though we recognise Dexter is a bad man – he himself perpetually describes himself as a ‘monster’ -, he is redeemed in our eyes by wanting a normal life, by wanting to be a good family man, even – as in this season -, getting an avenger of sorts to another person who is as troubled as he is, the gangrape survivor, Lumen. Lumen is portrayed by Julia Stiles, and I did not know her work before this, and she has speedily become a challenger in my list of favorites – she plays Lumen with the perfective pitch, and the viewer (SPOILER) genuinely follows the reputation as she goes from victim to terrified survivor, to vigilante to trusting Dexter, et al. I found myself conflicted by this specific plotline of the season – Would our ‘good’ Dexter actually instruct an individual else what he knows, and how to kill? It took me a few sequences to realize that yes, Dexter, with his tangled ideals of justice and self-preservation, would think that the right thing to instruct a victim would not so much be revenge, but…how to make sure she is never a victim again. I think that this series is veritably an example of the “What would I do?” school, rather than simple slash and trash; non-fans of the show say that we read too much into the series, but there are many, numerous things to think in regards to when watching it. I suppose the simplest point to make would be that this is a thinking man’s series, and it addresses the fact that we may not like having to confess it, but there are humans out there who do bad things to other people, for no palpable reason other than to be evil. Then there’s Dexter – admittedly, commonly more on celluloid than in the real world – promising us that at least a few of those evil persons will never get near our kids. In today’s Armageddon-round-the-corner way of thinking, Michael C. Hall, therefore, portrays a arousing and attention holding reputation who both intrigues us and frightens us, and – confess it – more than a few of us are hoping that everything will, in some odd draw of the Fate cards, will work out for him. This, then is a successful antihero, and the show must be seen as more than a little screen slasher flick. It is very rough in language, there are a great deal of sexual situations, etc., and so do not forget all that if the blood stuff hasn’t been sufficient of a warning that this is not a show for the kids. Five stars – oh, and Michael: Get Better!!!!

23 of 28 humans found the following review helpful.
Just keeps getting better……
By K. Lee
This is not a finish review of season 5 because it’s not over yet, but I had to post this any way. Every time I think this show can’t get any better….they prove me wrong. Season 5 is heading for a total bloodbath ending. There are a couple story lines that are heading towards a bloody conclusion in the finale. They genuinely upped the ante with the SCUMBAG “villians” this season. Jonny Miller is the sleazy inspirational speaker , Jordan Chase, with his entourage of serial killing childhood friends. He is the MOST hatable villain yet in 5 seasons. Peter Weller is great as the dirty private detective who was working for Quinn. But season 5 belongs to Julia Stiles…… I was never a big fan of hers (except for 10 Things I Hate About You)…but she has been AWESOME and completely believable as the one surviving “victim” of Jordan Chase’s psycho mob. Dexter saves her and befriends her and together they start out to wipe out Jordan Chase’s mob. I don’t recognise how this is gonna all end….but I can’t wait for Sunday nights !!

See all 40 client reviews…