Dexter: Why It Continues To Be One Of The Best Of All-Time

When it comes to television and movies, the list of all-time greats is ever-changing. Despite Hollywood’s obsession with reboots, every list is original content. They’re shows or movies that stand out from the rest. Shows like The Sopranos, which took the classic mobster movie and brought it to life but in a way that evolved past the typical. Then there was Game of Thrones which took the fantasy genre and turned it on its head. So many good shows have come and gone it’s hard to keep track of them. Shows like Showtime’s Dexter deserve a spot on that list but should it be closer to the top?

From Google

Dexter Morgan is a Miami-based blood splatter expert who doesn’t just solve murders; he commits them too. In fact, he’s a serial killer — but he only murders the guilty, so he feels justified with his lifestyle choices. His policewoman sister and his cop co-workers have no idea Dexter lives a double life; however, adoptive father Harry knows his secret, and does, in fact, help Dexter hone his “skills.” It’s a unique brand of justice for which charming Dexter feels a psychological hunger.

More Entertainment: Can New Blood Live Up to Original Dexter?

For eight seasons there were plenty of ups and downs. The ending was not appreciated by long-time fans which spawned a 2021 mini-series reboot and so far it has not disappointed. Looking back on the show’s success, however, a lot went into making audiences care about a serial killer. It wasn’t just the fact that he took out the worst of the worst in society, but that played a large part.

It wasn’t just your anger towards the antagonists that made you invest in his brand of vigilante antics. Dexter excelled at making you care about characters enough to make audiences want to see them protected at any cost. Even the ones viewers didn’t particularly care for weren’t wished harm. It was the pure evil ones that needed to end up on Dexter’s table.

The show also played to an ever-popular tv staple, the police drama. Typically through television and cinema fans have always loved a good police thriller. To have a show where the “hero” was also the villain lent a lot of curiosity to how he’d figuratively and literally get away with murder.

The strength of Showtime’s Dexter lived in how they kept audiences both shocked and in suspense. They dangled storylines for viewers to “predict” only to distract from the real reveal later. So much time was spent on the “I knew that was going to happen” that it distracted from the true twists at the end of episodes and seasons.

Related: How Can New Blood Change the Series Ending?

Over time, it became predictable as most shows that run that long do and repetition started to set in. Now that the show is back with Dexter: New Blood it gives the show a chance to right some wrongs on the series finale. New Blood is picking up where the better parts of the original series left off and skipping some of the messy bits.

Even with the predictable moments, the writers are still distracting you from what is really going on. Dexter: New Blood is bringing back the dramatics and proving every so often you just need a break. With the latest in the series, fans are secretly hoping for the show to go on. Despite it being a limited series, so far we’re ready for more. To pick up a show after a sloppy ending and bring audiences back to wanting more, does Dexter deserve to be on top of the list for greatest shows of all time?