Dexter is an exciting drama series where the villain becomes the fan's hero. Adopted at the age of three and with homicidal tendencies, Michael C. Hall plays the lead character Dexter Morgan, a Miami Metro Police Department blood pattern analyst with a double life.
During his investigations in the homicide division, Dexter hunts and kills murderers who have managed to escape justice.
Adapted from Jeff Lindsay's “Dexter” novels, this is a highly addictive series where we find ourselves completely involved in Dexter's psyche, hoping that he will bring justice, even if it is not by legal means.
If you're a fan of this kind of series, struggling to find something as compelling as this one, don't panic!
We have created a list of 9 recommendations that will leave you equally glued to your TV. Here, you will be able to find all kinds of series about mysteries, serial killers, and even cases based on real events.
Enjoy our list of shows like Dexter, and hopefully, our list will help you find a new favourite series.
Let us know in the comments if you have any other suggestions for Dexter fans.
OUR LIST OF SHOWS LIKE DEXTER
YOU
What is the most dangerous kind of person out there? One who forces their way into your door? Or is it someone who is utterly convinced that they are best for you? YOU straddles the line between ‘psycho’ and ‘anti-hero’ which makes it incredibly thou...[Read More]
Mindhunter
Based on a true story about the early days of criminal psychology, Mindhunter is a fascinating and addictive crime drama starring Jonathan Groff and directed by David Fincher.
The Serpent
The Netflix series 'The Serpent' is a stunning true-crime drama is set in the 1970s. It follows the life and crimes of a conman and serial killer, Charles Sobhraj. The charismatic killer prayed on naive backpackers travelling along the popular hippie...[Read More]
The Valhalla Murders
The Valhalla Murders follows Icelandic homicide detectives Kata and Arnar who are tasked with finding a serial killer who appears to be going after those who worked in an abusive boys home 30 years earlier. Gritty Nordic Noir crime drama.
TRUE DETECTIVE
The series uses multiple timelines to trace, across 17 years, the search of two detectives for a serial killer in Louisiana.
Martin Hart (Woody Harrelson) and “Rust” Cohle (Matthew McConaughey) are detectives and former partners who worked in the Louisiana Division of Criminal Investigation in the mid-1990s.
Years later, they are interviewed separately by investigators about their most notorious case, a macabre murder by a possible serial killer with disturbing occult tendencies.
To uncover everything behind the murder, the detectives will have to deal with the Russian mafia, power struggles and a web of corruption.
THE FOLLOWING
The Following is a thriller starring Kevin Bacon about the complex relationship between a vicious and diabolical serial killer and FBI agent Ryan Hardy who is called out of retirement to track him down.
After the killer has escaped, the agent returns to work and finds that he is no longer hunting just one man, but a massive cult of serial killers created and manipulated during his time in prison.
BATES MOTEL
Bates Motel is an American psychological horror drama and modern day prequel to Alfred Hitchcock's 1960 film Psycho.
It follows the lives of Norman Bates (Freddie Highmore) and his mother Norma (Vera Farmiga) in the fictional town of White Pine Bay, Oregon after they buy a motel.
However, things start to wrong when a vicious attack leads to a murder that Norma decides to cover, not realising that this is just the beginning of Norman's psychopathic tendencies.
Bates Motel is not for the faint-hearted but it is brilliant with the cast and show being nominated for dozens of awards.
PRODIGAL SON
Starring Michael Sheen as Dr. Martin Whitly, a sociopathic serial killer, Prodigal Son is about the relationship between the former doctor, now imprisoned for life and his son, Malcolm Bright (Tom Payne).
Malcolm Bright is now an FBI agent and criminal profiler who must renew his visits to his father in order to get information about a copycat killer.
The problem is that he doesn't want to visit him and is terrified that he will turn out like him.
With only two seasons, it's a shame the show didn't carry on but what is available is very good. Tom Payne can also be seen in The Walking Dead.
THE KILLING
If it's a cat and mouse game you are after then look no further than The Killing.
Based on the Danish show of the same name, the series follows the various murder investigations by homicide detectives Sarah Linden (Mireille Enos) and Stephen Holder (Joel Kinnaman).
The first season covers the first two weeks of the investigation of the murder of local teenager Rosie Larsen which also continues into the second season.
The show was cancelled after the third season but Netflix picked it up for a fourth season so the story could be completed.
Why Did Dexter Have An Abrupt Ending?
In 2013, the series finale “Remember the Monsters?” was broadcast. Dexter says goodbye to his beloved sister Debra and turns off her life support with her in a permanently vegetative state.
Realising that he destroys everyone he loves, Dexter fakes his death and abandons Hannah and their son Harrison, moving to Oregon to become a lumberjack.
This enigmatic ending was highly ridiculed and disliked by fans. Scott Buck explained why he chose this confusing finale for Dexter in a new interview.
The conclusion was born out of necessity rather than a creative choice. Because Showtime was interested in bringing the character back, he wasn't allowed to kill Dexter.
Buck thought he couldn't be arrested either because that would also cut off any future spinoffs early on.
From his perspective, the series finale was designed to be open-ended because it was always Showtime's intention to continue the story years later.
That was precisely what happened with “Dexter: New Blood”, released in November 2021.
A decade later, Dexter lives under the alias Jim Lindsay in upstate New York. After ten episodes, the follow-up finally gave Hall's unique character what many fans consider a suitable ending.
What Made Dexter A Psychopath?
Dexter and his brother watched their mother murdered with a chainsaw in a cargo container when they were children. They were found days later in a pool of blood two inches deep.
At the age of three, he was adopted by Harry Morgan (James Remar) and Doris (Kathrin Middleton), becoming Dexter Morgan, while his brother was taken in by the state, following different paths.
After detecting his homicidal tendency, Dexter's father decides to teach him a complex moral code to channel his son's anger into more advantageous situations.
In this new logic, Dexter must kill only murderers of innocent people on the condition that he proves their guilt.
Therefore, he develops several strategies to accomplish this new role using his knowledge and experience.
Does The Series Follow The Dexter Books?
Dexter is based on characters created by Jeff Lindsay for his “Dexter” series of novels.
The tv series has 96 episodes over eight seasons, but only the first season follows the storyline of the first book.
From the second season onwards, the show's writers decided to take the show in another direction, so the following seasons of the series feature different stories from the novels.
Is Dexter Based On A True Story?
No, neither ‘Dexter' nor ‘Dexter: New Blood' is based on a true story.
As we mentioned earlier, Dexter is a television adaptation of a series of novels by playwright and crime novelist Jeff Lindsay.
‘Dexter: New Blood' was developed by Clyde Phillips, the showrunner for the first four seasons of the original series.
The story is set about a decade after, in which the former forensic analyst works as a lumberjack in an Oregon town.
The story unfolds in the fictional village of Iron Lake, New York, where Dexter Morgan seems to be leading a peaceful life until a new predator moves in nearby and teenagers start disappearing.
Although Dexter is fictional, fans inevitably look for similarities with the real world.
But although there are several theories related to real-life incidents, we believe that Dexter is entirely fictional, becoming one of the most successful crime series, captivating viewers from the first to the last episode.
Conclusion
We hope you liked our recommendations for shows like Dexter, the infamous serial killer and that one or two have grabbed your interest.
They are not all about serial killers but they are gripping and will have you glued to your tv as the good guys and bad guys fight it out for justice.
