Dexter (2006)
Dexter is a 2006 crime series created by James Manos Jr. and Daniel Licht. It stars Michael C. Hall, Jennifer Carpenter and David Zayas.
By day Dexter Morgan reads blood spatter for the Miami Metro Police. By night he follows a private code taught by his late foster father, hunting killers the law failed to catch. Michael C. Hall plays him with a hollow, watchful charm, narrating his own emptiness while faking the small talk of a normal life. His sister Debra works the same department, oblivious. Adapted from Jeff Lindsay's novel, the series wraps procedural crime around a colder question about whether monstrous appetites can be aimed at good ends. Sun-bleached Miami never looked so menacing.
Quick answers
What is Dexter about?
By day Dexter Morgan reads blood spatter for the Miami Metro Police. By night he follows a private code taught by his late foster father, hunting killers the law failed to catch. Michael C. Hall plays him with a hollow, watchful charm, narrating his own emptiness while faking the small talk of a normal life. His sister Debra works the same department, oblivious. Adapted from Jeff Lindsay's novel, the series wraps procedural crime around a colder question about whether monstrous appetites can be aimed at good ends. Sun-bleached Miami never looked so menacing.
When was Dexter released?
Dexter was released on 1 October 2006.
How many episodes does Dexter have?
Dexter has 96 episodes across 8 seasons.
Who made Dexter?
Dexter was created by James Manos Jr., Daniel Licht and Scott Reynolds.
Where can I watch Dexter?
Dexter is available on DirecTV On Demand, Paramount Plus, Paramount+ (Via Amazon Prime), Paramount+ (Via Apple TV), Spectrum On Demand and fuboTV.
Where to watch Dexter
Stream: DirecTV On Demand, Paramount Plus, Paramount+ (Via Amazon Prime), Paramount+ (Via Apple TV), Spectrum On Demand, fuboTV
Watch free: The Roku Channel
Rent: Google Play
Buy: AppleTV, Fandango at Home, Google Play
Official site
Cast
- Michael C. Hall as Dexter Morgan
- Jennifer Carpenter as Debra Morgan
- David Zayas as Angel Batista
- James Remar as Harry Morgan
- C.S. Lee as Vince Masuka
- Luna Lauren Vélez as Maria LaGuerta
- Desmond Harrington as Joseph Quinn
- Julie Benz as Rita Bennett
- Christina Robinson as Astor
- Geoff Pierson as Tom Matthews
- Aimee Garcia as Jamie Batista
- Preston Bailey as Cody Bennett
Similar series
Explore Dexter guides
Dexter in our writing
- Companion guide: The Serial-Killer Hunt: From M to Mindhunter
- Companion guide: Vigilantes & Street Justice
- Companion guide: Villains & Great Antagonists
A few thoughts on Dexter
Death Note shares the core fascination: a brilliant killer who decides which criminals deserve to die, and the cat-and-mouse that follows. Sin City matches the pulpy, blood-slicked noir of Miami's underbelly. The source novel, Darkly Dreaming Dexter, gives Lindsay's original voice, and the film Mr. Brooks studies another respectable man hiding a compulsion to kill.
Vigilantes who hide a private code of justice in plain sight
Dexter Morgan hides a killer's code behind blood-spatter reports and easy small talk, following the same double life these do. Death Note gives Light Yagami his own rulebook for who deserves to die, Mr. Brooks hides a serial killer inside a respectable businessman, MW carries a hidden killer behind a normal face, and Persona 5 and The Wolf Among Us hand their leads justice the law will not touch.
Profiler procedurals that hunt serial killers case by case
Dexter spends its daylight hours inside Miami Metro's forensics unit, chasing killers with the same patient method it hides at night. Criminal Minds profiles the same breed of predator case by case, The Alienist hunts one through gaslit New York, Se7en turns the chase into a doom-laden city crawl, and The Sinner unpacks a killer's motive one confession at a time.
Moody British detective procedurals for whodunit fans
Beneath Dexter's blood-spatter science sits an old-fashioned procedural, one moody detective working a body at a time. Inspector Morse and Dalgliesh bring that same unhurried, atmosphere-thick investigation to Oxford and the Scottish coast, DCI Banks works Yorkshire's cold cases with the same doggedness, and Waking the Dead reopens the ones everyone else gave up on.
