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Stars indicate the most critically-acclaimed shows.
Dexter
EMAILPRINTSERIES: Showtime, Sunday 10:00p (60 minutes)

Generally favorable reviews
Based on 27 critic reviews
How did we calculate this?
Based on 472 votes
Read user comments
Rate this show >
Show Info
Genre(s): Drama
Created By: James Manos, Jr.
First Air Date: October 1, 2006
Summary
Starring Michael C. Hall, Julie Benz, Jennifer Carpenter, Erik King, Lauren Velez, David Zayas, and James Remar
Six Feet Under's Michael C. Hall is still dealing with death, just in a different way. In this adaptation of Jeff Lindsay's novel "Darkly Dreaming Dexter," Hall stars as a forensics pathologist who moonlights as a serial killer. (He's not all evil, though; he only murders bad guys.)
Episode Guide & More Info: More about this show at TV.com
Also On The Web: Official Show Site
What The Critics Said
All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...
New York Daily NewsDavid Hinckley
It's bold, different and exciting, with a central character and performance that take your breath away.
Read Full Review >Chicago Sun-TimesDoug Elfman
Fantastic, fascinating, creepy, charming and gruesome.
Read Full Review >People WeeklyTom Gliatto
If you want edge, here's Dexter. [9 Oct 2006, p.41]
Newark Star-LedgerAlan Sepinwall
Sick, twisted and darkly funny, "Dexter" is easily the best drama in Showtime history.
Read Full Review >Chicago TribuneMaureen Ryan
To deny yourself the engrossing “Dexter” based on its subject matter would be to miss out on one of television’s most fiendishly intelligent new dramas.
Read Full Review >New York PostAdam Buckman
"Dexter" is a proficiently produced crime drama. Its best feature is its star, Michael C. Hall, who applies just the right touch to playing the nice, polite serial killer who lives next door.
Read Full Review >NewsdayDiane Werts
"Dexter" knows what it's doing, and savors its skill immensely.
Read Full Review >Seattle Post-IntelligencerMelanie McFarland
The series quickly establishes itself as an elegant study in horror.
Read Full Review >TimeJames Poniewozik
The morals of this provocative show are as intriguing as its cases.
Read Full Review >Los Angeles TimesPaul Brownfield
From the start, it's mostly on Hall to seduce us, and he's so artful with the material that he consistently elevates it.
Read Full Review >The New York TimesAlessandra Stanley
Violence, like deficit spending, is a very American vice. “Dexter” is yet another temptation that is almost impossible to resist.
Read Full Review >Detroit Free PressMike Duffy
Dexter is... one of the most compelling new characters on TV.
Read Full Review >Entertainment WeeklyMichael Endelman
Though his cliche hard-boiled voice-over doesn't work, much of this series... does. [29 Sep 2006, p.73]
New York MagazineAdam Sternbergh
Dexter treats extreme violence much in the same way that GoodFellas did: as something horrifying, intoxicating, seductive and thrilling, all at the same time.
Read Full Review >Hollywood ReporterBarry Garron
Hall... is brilliant at conveying the subtle complexity of Dexter.
Read Full Review >San Jose Mercury News/Contra Costa TimesCharlie McCollum
I won't pretend "Dexter'' is for everybody. If you wince during scenes on "CSI,'' the series isn't for you.... But if you like the idea of a very good show that wrestles each week with moral dilemmas and the nature of good and evil, "Dexter'' is just the thing.
Read Full Review >Arizona RepublicBill Goodykoontz
There are reasons not to like Dexter, but thanks to Hall's winning portrayal and the cool, creep-out idea, it's almost impossible not to.
Read Full Review >LA WeeklyRobert Abele
Dexter is too chilly to be chilling, too affected to be affecting.
Read Full Review >VarietyBrian Lowry
If brilliant, psychotic lunatics are your bag, by all means, climb aboard.
Read Full Review >Wall Street JournalNancy DeWolf Smith
The grotesqueries of "Dexter" are not something that can easily be dismissed with the old "you don't have to watch" line. We don't have to watch. We do have to live among the viewers who will be desensitized, or aroused, by this show.
Read Full Review >What Our Users Said
The average user rating for this show is 9.5 (out of 10) based on 472 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.
stephen s gave it a10:
This show is definitely the best series ever on TV. The characters are compelling. The writing, music and plot are what makes this show worth watching. The shot sequences are brilliant. Great job Show time!!!
Rob F. gave it a3:
I don't mind the blood and violence yada yada. I just think this show is horrible. There's nothing entertaining about it, and much of it is unrealistic. The characters are shallow, awkward, and unappealing. This should have been a half hour episode USA show that got canceled after the second season. The writers make pathetic use of the Showtime freedoms... like having an amputee have sex with a prostitute... Unnecessary and a pathetically blatant attempt of sexual appeal. I envy those of you who say the show is funny. Your senses of humor must be easy to please. The comedy in this show is dry and forced.
Nickie L gave it a0:
Hated it. I would have given it a 10 before the last 5 minutes, but that ruined the episode, the season and probably next season too. I'm one of the people who found it refreshing to see something *other* than just another far-gone psycho killer. Discovering he had feelings and could be close to people was a fascinating journey. Why would they pull the plug on that and keep him alone? I know a lot of people wanted Rita out, but that's also because the same writers who killed her made her annoying. The duplicity of a loving husband and father being a serial killer was so original. A lonely and utterly screwed up single dad? Maybe better than a guy completely on his own, but a far cry from what Dexter has been before this bleak end. I used to actually laugh at Dex. Can't imagine laughing at "jokes" about the wife he got brutally killed and the son that's left motherless. :(
Krista K gave it a10:
This show is honestly the best show I have watched on television in a long time. No show has kept me this interested and captivated and the show has every quality a viewer would want. A modern time shakespeare production- It includes your drama, your betrayl, your romance, your violence and murder and your comedy. This show doesn't miss a beat and a negative rating would only be given by the conservative "Mom and Dad block the HBO channel" type people. Well, we still sneak behind Mom and Dad's back and watch the show anyways.
Tyler T gave it a10:
I think Dexter is the greatest TV show out there right now. All i wanna do is watch Dexter now. I look foward to it every night. ITS AWESOME!!
Daniel C gave it a10:
Smart, funny, entertaining. All three things you want in a TV series and Dexter gets it spot on. The character development is fantastic and the fact that the series are only 12 episodes only helps the show accelerate into the season finale climax that you know will blow you away!
Ron J gave it a10:
Excellent! Along with Califonication, the only 2 series to grab my attention in the last 10 years. John Lithgow is a top-notch actor (especially in creepy roles like the Trinity Killer), and is really making the show "pop" right now.
