Dexter (TV series)

Dexter
Intertitle
Genre	Crime drama Suspense Mystery Dark comedy
Format	Serial drama
Developed by	James Manos, Jr.
Starring	Michael C. Hall Julie Benz Jennifer Carpenter Desmond Harrington Erik King C.S. Lee Lauren Vélez David Zayas James Remar
Theme music composer	Rolfe Kent
Composer(s)	Daniel Licht
Country of origin	United States
Language(s)	English Spanish
No. of seasons	4
No. of episodes	48 (List of episodes)
Production
Executive producer(s)	Daniel Cerone Sara Colleton Charles H. Eglee John Goldwyn Michael C. Hall Chip Johannessen Clyde Phillips
Location(s)	Miami, Florida
Running time	55 minutes
Broadcast
Original channel	Showtime
Picture format	480i (SDTV) 1080i (HDTV)
Audio format	Surround sound
Original run	October 1, 2006 (2006-10-01) – present
External links
Official website

Dexter is an American television drama series that airs on Showtime. It debuted on October 1, 2006, and filming has begun on the fifth season, due to begin airing on September 26, 2010. Set in Miami, the show centers on Dexter Morgan (Michael C. Hall), a blood spatter-pattern analyst for the Miami Metro Police Department, who moonlights as a serial killer. The show's first season was loosely based on the novel Darkly Dreaming Dexter by Jeff Lindsay, the first of his series of Dexter novels. Subsequent seasons have evolved independently of Lindsay's works. It was adapted for television by screenwriter James Manos, Jr., who wrote the pilot episode.

Dexter structures his killing around "The Code of Harry", a body of ethics and procedures devised by his adoptive father Harry (who was a Miami cop) to make sure Dexter never gets caught and ensure that Dexter kills only other killers. Harry also trained Dexter in how to interact convincingly with other people, despite being a psychopath, since the murder of his biological mother, Laura Moser, did in fact turn Dexter into a serial killer. As an adult, Dexter has largely escaped suspicion (with some exceptions) by being genial and generous and maintaining generally superficial relationships. However, his attachment to his sister Deb, his significant other Rita, his stepchildren and (later) his biological son have all complicated his duplicitous lifestyle while making him question his need to kill.

In February 2008, edited reruns began to air on CBS. The series has enjoyed wide critical acclaim and popularity. Season 4 aired its season finale on December 13, 2009 to a record-breaking audience of 2.6 million viewers, making it the most-watched original series episode ever on Showtime.^[1] Michael C. Hall has won several awards for his portrayal of Dexter, including a Golden Globe.

Cast and crew

Cast

Dexter Morgan

In addition to Michael C. Hall, the show's principal cast includes Hall's real-life wife Jennifer Carpenter as Dexter's adoptive sister, Detective Debra Morgan, Julie Benz as Dexter's wife Rita Bennett Morgan, and James Remar as Dexter's deceased father Harry. Dexter's co-workers include Lauren Vélez as Lt. Maria LaGuerta, Dexter and Debra's supervisor, David Zayas as Sergeant Angel Batista, and C.S. Lee as lab tech Vince Masuka (promoted to title credits as of Season 2). Rita's children Astor and Cody are played by Christina Robinson and Preston Bailey (who replaced Daniel Goldman after the first season). Erik King portrayed the troubled Sgt. James Doakes for the first two seasons of the show. Desmond Harrington joined the cast in Season 3 as Detective Joey Quinn; his name was promoted to the title credits as of Season 4. Keith Carradine, as Special FBI Agent Frank Lundy and Jimmy Smits, as ADA Miguel Prado, each appeared in season-long character arcs in seasons 2 and 3, respectively. John Lithgow joined the cast in season four as the "Trinity Killer". Carradine returned in Season 4, reprising his role as newly-retired FBI Special Agent Frank Lundy, who was hunting the Trinity Killer.

Notable appearances in Season 1 are Christian Camargo as Rudy Cooper, who woos Debra; and Mark Pellegrino, as Rita's abusive ex-husband Paul. Brad William Henke had a role as amputee victim Tony Tucci in the first season as well. Margo Martindale has a recurring role as Camilla, a records office worker who was close friends with Dexter's adoptive parents. She dies of lung cancer because of heavy smoking. Geoff Pierson plays Captain Tom Matthews of Miami Metro Homicide. Jaime Murray portrayed Lila Tournay in Season 2, a beautiful but unhinged British artist who becomes obsessed with Dexter. Anne Ramsay portrayed defense attorney Ellen Wolf, Miguel's arch-nemesis. Valerie Cruz had a recurring role as Miguel's wife, Sylvia. David Ramsey, who plays confidential informant Anton Briggs in Season 3, returned in Season 4, romantically involved with Debra. Courtney Ford was featured as an ambitious reporter who mixes business with pleasure, getting romantically involved with Joey while simultaneously fishing for sources and stories.

Crew

The main creative forces behind the series (head writers–showrunners) are executive producers Daniel Cerone, Clyde Phillips and Melissa Rosenberg; Cerone left the show after its second season. Coming off a record-setting Season 4 finale, executive producer and showrunner Clyde Phillips is departing the series to spend more time with his family. 24 co-executive producer Chip Johannessen will fill Phillips' post.^[2]

Plot

Series outset

Orphaned at the age of three, Dexter Morgan is adopted by Miami police officer, Harry Morgan and his wife Doris. After discovering that young Dexter has been killing neighborhood pets, Harry believes that the boy is a psychopath and teaches him "The Code" as a way to channel his violent urges towards people who "deserve it". In this code, Dexter's victims must be killers themselves who have murdered the undeserving and will likely do so again. Dexter must also have proof that the criminals are guilty. Most importantly, Dexter must never get caught. Flashbacks throughout the series show Harry, who died several years before, instructing Dexter in how to appear normal and cover his tracks.

Dexter has followed The Code religiously. Like many serial killers, he keeps trophies; before dispatching a wrongdoer, Dexter makes a small incision on their right cheek with a scalpel and collects a blood sample which he preserves on a blood slide. He stores his collection in a box concealed inside his air conditioner. Dexter is (with varying success) able to fake 'normal' emotions and maintain his appearance as an unremarkable friend and neighbor. He does maintain a few personal relationships, however. He is "fond" of Harry’s biological daughter Debra. She is unaware of Harry's training or Dexter's secret life, but harbors lingering jealousy of the perceived preferential treatment Harry gave Dexter. As part of his "disguise", Dexter dates a woman named Rita who is too traumatized from years of abuse at the hands of her ex-husband, Paul Bennett, to be intimate with Dexter. This suits Dexter, who is asexual. He is fond of (and good with) children in general, particularly Rita’s two children, Astor and Cody.

Season 1

Dexter's principal nemesis in Season 1 is "The Ice Truck Killer", a serial killer of prostitutes that eludes the Miami-Dade Police Department. The killer leaves items at the crime scene that have personal relevance to Dexter.

Debra begins dating a prosthetics doctor named Rudy Cooper. After they get engaged, Cooper kidnaps Debra and lures Dexter to the house where he is keeping her. It is then that Dexter recognizes Cooper as Brian, his long-lost brother and the Ice Truck Killer. Brian reveals the details of witnessing their mother and several other people being butchered alive by drug dealers and being locked in a cargo container for two days with the dismembered corpses. He also learns that Brian spent much of his childhood institutionalized. Brian has brought Dexter to the tied-up Debra with the intention that he and Dexter would kill her together to cement their bond and sever the ties between Dexter and his adoptive family. Dexter, displaying an affection for Debra--either learned or real--prevents her death as the police arrive and Brian escapes. After luring Brian into a trap, Dexter drugs him and kills him, making the death look like a suicide; everyone, including Debra, remains unaware of the exact connection between Dexter and Rudy/Brian. Dexter feels some regret over killing Brian, the one person who fully understood him, in order to save Debra, whom he knows would reject him if she ever learned his true nature.

Harry adopts Dexter while leaving Brian to the child welfare system, where ultimately, he ends up in a mental institution for disturbed children. The first novel only implies that Harry chose not to adopt Brian because he was older and more likely to be traumatized; however, in the TV program, both Brian and Tom Matthews, Harry's best friend and former superior, state this to be true. Harry deliberately hid the details about the crime from Dexter, as well as information about his biological family.

In the United States, the complete first season of Dexter was released in a four-disc DVD package on August 21, 2007. On January 6, 2009, a three disc Blu-ray version was released.

Season 1 was an adaptation of Jeff Lindsay's first novel in the series, Darkly Dreaming Dexter. Future Dexter seasons featured original storylines.

Season 2

At the start of Season 2, the psychological fallout from killing Brian (his brother) and the constant surveillance by Sgt. Doakes have resulted in Dexter having not killed anyone in a month. Furthermore, Dexter learns two upsetting things about Harry: that he was sleeping with Laura Moser, Dexter's biological mother, before she died and that, after walking in on Dexter in the middle of a kill, Harry committed suicide from the guilt. These discoveries cause his faith in The Code to waver, and Dexter imagines scenarios in which he turns himself in.

Meanwhile, Debra's experiences with the Ice Truck Killer continue to traumatize her. For safety and comfort, she stays with Dexter, further complicating his life. Additionally, scuba divers discover Dexter's victims in the bay. As the police extract bags of dismembered human remains from the water, the media dubs the suspected killer the "Bay Harbor Butcher," and FBI Special Agent Lundy—an expert in serial killers— is brought in to catch him. A cult following begins to form behind the "Butcher" when it is discovered that his victims were largely criminals.

Against Dexter's wishes, Rita gives Bennett a full funeral. After reflecting on Paul's claims, Rita confronts Dexter and he admits to framing Paul. This admission, coupled with Dexter's other odd behavoir, leads Rita to believe that Dexter himself is a heroin addict, a lie he goes with to cover for his actual activities. She compels him to join Narcotics Anonymous, where he meets and becomes involved with his sponsor, Lila Tournay, a pyromaniac who starts to obsessively pursue Dexter.

Doakes confronts Dexter leaving an NA meeting. Doakes is temporarily satisfied that Dexter's odd behavior can be explained by the traumatic experience of a law enforcement career combined with drug abuse. Doakes' suspicions about Dexter eventually return, and he ultimately discovers Dexter's glass slides. The possibility of matching them with the bodies of the Butcher's victims sets up a climactic showdown in which Doakes confronts Dexter at a remote cabin, ending with Dexter overpowering Doakes and keeping him locked in a cage inside the cabin. Dexter then begins framing Doakes as the Butcher after the police discover Dexter's slides in Doakes's car. Lieutenant LaGuerta, Doakes's former partner, is the only one who believes that Doakes is innocent. She finds evidence of this and takes it to Lundy, who rejects LaGuerta's case files.

In the season finale, Tournay finds the cabin where Doakes is imprisoned and causes a propane tank explosion, killing Doakes and blowing up the corpse of one of Dexter's victims, thus preventing Dexter from being caught. Tournay then meets with Dexter, expecting him to accept her love now that she knows his "dark secret". She catches him preparing to kill her and seeks revenge by trying to kill Rita's children. Dexter saves the children and escapes, later exacting his own revenge on her after she has fled to Paris. In the closing scenes, Doakes' memorial service goes largely unattended, with the exception of LaGuerta, Dexter, and Doakes' immediate family.

Season 2 premiered on September 30, 2007. On July 17, the first two episodes of the season were leaked on the Internet, and on December 4, the last two episodes were also leaked.^[3] On November 4, 2007, the Writer's Guild of America started a strike, but writer Daniel Cerone stated in the L.A. Times that Season 2 had already been completed in anticipation of the WGA's action.^[4]

The complete second season of Dexter was released in the United States and Canada on August 19, 2008. It was released in Australia and New Zealand on August 21, 2008. Season 2 was released on Blu-ray on May 5, 2009.^[5]

Season 3

Rita discovers she is pregnant, informing Dexter that she will keep the baby and raise him with or without his help. He ends up proposing marriage to Rita, which she eventually accepts.

While stalking a murderous drug dealer, "Freebo", Dexter stumbles upon a fight between Freebo and another man, whom he is forced to kill in self defense. This victim turns out to be Oscar Prado, brother of Miguel Prado (Jimmy Smits) a prominent assistant district attorney and old flame of Lt. LaGuerta. Miguel comes to confide in and trust Dexter after he helps assist with the case.

Dexter tracks down Freebo and kills him, but as he leaves he encounters Miguel, who has followed a lead to Freebo's location. Dexter tells Miguel he had discovered Freebo and killed him in self defense, but instead of reprimanding him, Miguel thanks him and offers to help him cover up the crime. As Dexter and Miguel cooperate to conceal Freebo's true demise from everyone else, the duo end up becoming close friends, as do Rita and Miguel's wife, Sylvia.

Later, Miguel discovers that Dexter killed a murderer Miguel had complained to him about before. He praises Dexter for killing another criminal and offers his aid in the future. Trying to discourage Miguel, Dexter proposes a risky operation to free an infamous Aryan Brotherhood leader from prison in order to kill him. Miguel agrees with the idea and the plan succeeds. Dexter starts to recognize Miguel as his first and only true friend, to the point of inviting him to be his best man at his wedding.

Debra starts working more seriously to earn her detective shield, and also starts working with a new partner, Joey Quinn. They investigate a serial killer, "The Skinner", who skins his victims alive. She also starts a relationship with Anton Briggs, one of Quinn's confidential informants.

Miguel and Dexter's partnership takes a new step when Miguel offers to be the one to kill their next target. With some reluctance, Dexter agrees, only watching as Miguel kills without hesitation. The next day, Ellen Wolf, a ruthless defense attorney and old courtroom adversary of Miguel's, goes missing, and Dexter discovers that Miguel has killed her alone. Dexter also learns that Miguel has been manipulating him since the beginning, having never trusted him at all.

The police investigate the death of Wolf and capture The Skinner. Dexter eventually realizes that Miguel cannot be allowed to run loose any longer, at which point Dexter decides to kill him and make it look like The Skinner did it. Meanwhile, Miguel uses his position to help The Skinner escape police custody in return for his agreeing to kill Dexter.

Striving to discover the truth about Wolf's death, LaGuerta ends up obtaining evidence which links Miguel to the crime. Miguel discovers that LaGuerta was investigating him and decides to kill her, but Dexter discovers Miguel's plot and captures him. Before killing Miguel, Dexter confesses to him that he was the one who killed Oscar.

After Miguel's body is discovered, he is immediately identified as a victim of The Skinner, just as Dexter planned. Miguel's other brother, Ramon, however, becomes suspicious of Dexter. After pointing a gun at Dexter during a dinner with Rita, he is taken into custody. During a visit to him in jail, Dexter helps Ramon put his demons to rest.

On the night before his wedding, Dexter is captured by The Skinner, but breaks free by taking advantage of a moment when the Skinner is distracted, shattering his hand in the process. After a short but vicious fight, Dexter snaps The Skinner's neck and make it look like suicide by throwing his body before a running police car. Dexter gets his broken hand put in a cast and attends his wedding.

The complete third season of Dexter was released in the United States and Canada on DVD and Blu-ray on August 18, 2009.

Season 4

Dexter is now a family man, and Rita has given birth to a baby boy named Harrison. The family has moved to the suburbs, where Dexter struggles to reconcile his new life with his killing urges. Special Agent Frank Lundy returns to hunt down the "Trinity Killer" (John Lithgow) who he believes always murders three people in a very specific sequence: a young woman in a bathtub, an older mother of two falling to her death, and a father of two bludgeoned to death.

Lundy begins working with Debra and shortly after, an unseen assailant shoots them both, killing Lundy. Afterwards, Debra is barred from working the Trinity case because the shooting is suspected to be the work of Trinity, making Debra a victim. Debra eventually discovers that Trinity was not the shooter, and she is put in charge of the case. Meanwhile, LaGuerta and Batista have renewed their relationship and, in danger of losing their jobs, decide to marry.

While investigating Lundy's data about Trinity, Dexter determines Lundy was killed because he had determined when and where Trinity would claim his third victim. Dexter stakes out the building, and witnesses Trinity bludgeoning a man on a security camera. Dexter follows Trinity to his home, where he is surprised to discover that Trinity is a family man named Arthur Mitchell. Using the alias Kyle Butler, Dexter attends the same church as Mitchell and eventually befriends him. While investigating the reasons behind Mitchell's crimes, Dexter learns how he manages to reconcile his family life with his killing urges and utilizes that knowledge to deal with his own issues.

Dexter visits Mitchell at his home and discovers that he will be traveling to Tampa on another building project, which could be the start of another cycle. Dexter decides to make the trip with Mitchell to ensure this does not happen. On the way, Mitchell takes Dexter to his childhood home and reveals that at the age of ten, he spied on his older sister in the shower out of innocent curiosity. Startled by his presence, she slips in the shower, shattering the glass shower door and cutting open her femoral artery, causing her to bleed to death. His mother committed suicide and his father died soon after. Dexter realizes that Mitchell compulsively murders groups of people that bear resemblance to those in his family, recreating their deaths each time.

During Thanksgiving at Mitchell's home, Dexter learns that Mitchell has been terrorizing his family, locking his daughter away in her bedroom and physically abusing his son. After Mitchell attacks his son, Dexter is forced to restrain him. Mitchell then goes to see a reporter who has been snooping around the Miami P.D., Christine Hill, who is revealed to be his illegitimate daughter.

Later Mitchell kidnaps a boy while being pursued by Dexter. Dexter does some research and finds out that Trinity's pattern begins with the abduction and murder of a ten year old boy first; revealing Trinity's pattern actually cycles in groups of four with the boys always disappearing five days before the first bathtub death. Dexter locates where Mitchell is holding the boy and arrives just in time to save him as Mitchell escapes.

Debra begins to investigate and eventually arrests Hill after finding that she is Trinity’s daughter. However, Hill is released due to a lack of evidence. Hill secretly contacts Arthur, but he refuses to help her and instead forbids further contact. Mitchell also reveals his disdain for her having killed Lundy, which she did to protect her father. Realizing the error of her ways, Hill confesses to Debra. Distraught, Hill seeks forgiveness from Debra, which she refuses. Hill then pulls out a gun and commits suicide in front of her.

One of Harry's old informants takes Deb to the house of Laura Moser. Deb immediately recognizes the house as the home of Brian Moser, the Ice Truck Killer. After piecing together Dexter's connection to Brian and Laura, Deb reveals this information to Dexter, explaining that Laura was his mother and Brian his brother. Dexter feigns surprise, stating that Brian must have tried to get to him through Deb.

Dexter decides that he must draw police attention away from Mitchell, so he finds a man whom he can kill and pin the blame on. He then plants evidence and kills the man. Mitchell lures Dexter to an arcade where he previously stalked victims and follows Dexter back to the police station, where he learns Dexter's true identity. Soon after, Dexter tails Mitchell, but sideswipes a car on the way. Dexter captures and drugs Mitchell, but the driver of the damaged car has found Dexter's car, called the police, and in the ensuing confrontation, Dexter is taken in by the police for leaving the scene of an accident and fighting with the driver in the presence of the police. By the time Dexter is released due to cell overcrowding, Mitchell is gone from where Dexter had left his unconscious body.

Dexter eventually tracks down Mitchell, capturing and bringing him to the bomb shelter where he held the missing boy. Dexter kills Mitchell with a hammer and dumps the body. He returns home and picks up a message from Rita. After listening to the message, he decides to call her back. He hears Rita's phone ring from within the house and soon after, he hears Harrison crying. He rushes to the bathroom, where he finds Harrison sitting on the tile floor in a pool of blood while Rita lies dead in the bathtub, having been murdered by Mitchell. ^[6]

Season 5

Showtime has renewed Dexter for a fifth season, which is set to premiere on September 26, 2010.^[7] Julia Stiles will guest star in 10 episodes as a new woman in Dexter's life.^[8] Shawn Hatosy will appear in a multiple episode arc as a "bad guy".^[9] Maria Doyle Kennedy will also join the cast of Dexter in Season 5 as an Irish nanny. April Lee Hernandez has been called for a recurring role as a police officer. Jonny Lee Miller has been added to the cast, and will have something to do with Julia Stiles' character.^[10] Also Peter Weller will join the cast and he will be playing "a troubled Miami Metro police officer who gets caught up in an internal affairs investigation." The actor will appear in eight of the twelve episodes.^[11] Chris Vance will play a character named Cole, a meticulous, well-spoken personal aide to a famous businessman, in at least three episodes.^[12]

On July 24, 2010, at Comic-Con, an annual fan convention in San Diego, California, a trailer was debuted that showed some of what to expect from Dexter in Season 5. He appears to be a principal suspect in Rita's murder, struggles to satisfy the Dark Passenger while being a single father, and must also contend with a very bitter Astor (Video at YouTube).

Early Cuts

Dexter: Early Cuts, is a 12-part animated web series, that premiered on October 25, 2009^[13] and concluded on January 3, 2010. Michael C. Hall reprises his role as the voice of Dexter.^[14]

KTV Media International Bullseye Art produced and animated the webisodes, working closely with Showtime for sound editing, Interspectacular for direction, and illustrators Kyle Baker, Ty Templeton, Andre Vera Martinez and Devin Lawson for creating distinctive illustrations. The webisodes are animated with 2.5D style, where flat 2D illustrations are brought to life in 3D space.

The web series precedes the current narrative of the show and revolves around Dexter hunting down the three victims that he mentions in the sixth episode of season 1, "Return to Sender". Each victim has his or her own story and each one is split into four chapters.

A second season of the web series called 'Dexter: Early Cuts: Dark Echo' is now in production. It is being illustrated by Bill Sienkiewicz. The web series starts immediately following Dexter's adopted father Harry's death. The new web series will be released in six parts beginning in October, and a preview trailer is available online now.

Title sequence

Dexter's opening title sequence features an extended montage where ordinary day-to-day events such as shaving, flossing, dressing, preparing breakfast (the oranges he juices are blood oranges) and eating are used visually to evoke Dexter's sinister nature.^[15] Per television critic Jim Emerson, "The first time you see it... it tells you everything you need to know about the character."^[15]

The series won an Emmy Award in 2007 for "Outstanding Main Title Design", and the title music was nominated for "Outstanding Original Main Title Theme Music". The title design and music were created by Digital Kitchen,^[16] the same production company responsible for the main titles on True Blood, Nip/Tuck, and Six Feet Under.^[17]

Reception

Critical reception

The initial response to Dexter was positive. The website Metacritic calculated a score of 77 from a possible 100 for season 1 based on 27 reviews, making it the third-best reviewed show of the 2006 fall season. This score includes four 100% scores from the New York Daily News, San Francisco Chronicle, Chicago Sun-Times and People Weekly.^[18] Brian Lowry, who had written one of the three poor reviews Metacritic tallied for the show, recanted his negative review in a year-end column for the trade magazine Variety after watching the full season.^[19] On Metacritic Season 2 has a score of 85 with all 11 reviews positive, season 3 has 78 with 13 reviews and season 4 has 79 with 14 reviews. While remarking on some of the show's more formulaic elements (quirky detective, hero with dense workmates, convenient plot contrivances), Tad Friend with the New Yorker remarked that when Dexter is struggling to connect with Rita or soliciting advice from his victims, "the show finds its voice."^[20]

On December 14, 2006, Michael C. Hall was nominated for a Golden Globe Award in the category Best Actor in a Television Drama Series for playing Dexter. He was also renominated and won the Golden Globe Award for his role as Dexter at the 2010 ceremony. The show was nominated for an Emmy for Outstanding Drama Series for its second season (Showtime's first ever drama to be nominated for the award), and its star for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series. It won neither, losing to Mad Men and to Breaking Bad actor Bryan Cranston.^[21] In 2008, it won a Scream Award For Best TV Show. In 2010, Michael C. Hall won a Golden Globe for Best Performance by an Actor In A Television Series – Drama and a Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series. John Lithgow won the award for Best Supporting Performance by an Actor in a Television Series for his role in the series the same night.

Popular reception

The third season finale on December 14, 2008 was watched by 1.51 million viewers, giving Showtime its highest ratings for any of its original series since 2004, when Nielsen started including original shows on premium channels in its ratings.^[22] The fourth season finale aired on December 13, 2009 and was watched by 2.6 million viewers. It broke records for all of Showtime's original series and was their highest rated telecast in over a decade.^[23]

Criticism

U.S. broadcast

When U.S. network CBS announced in December 2007 it was considering Dexter for broadcast reruns over the public airwaves, the Parents Television Council (PTC) publicly protested the decision.^[24][25] When the network began posting promotional videos of the rebroadcast on YouTube on January 29, 2008, PTC President, Timothy F. Winter (in a formal press release), again for CBS to not broadcast the show on broadcast television, saying that it "should remain on a premium subscription cable network" because "the series compels viewers to empathize with a serial killer, to root for him to prevail, to hope he doesn't get discovered." Winter went on to quote CBS President Leslie Moonves' post-Columbine comment: 'Anyone who thinks the media has nothing to do with [increasing violence in society] is an idiot.' Winter called on the public to demand local affiliates preempt Dexter, and warned advertisers the PTC would take action against any that sponsored the show.^[26] Following Winter's release, CBS added parental advisory notices to its broadcast promotions, and ultimately rated Dexter TV-14 for broadcast.^[27] The show premiered on February 17, 2008, edited primarily for language and scenes containing sex or the dismemberment of live victims.^[28] The PTC later objected to CBS broadcasting the final two episodes of the first season in a two-hour block starting as early as 8 p.m. in some time zones.^[29]

Viral marketing

In preparation for the UK launch of the series, FX experimented with an SMS-based viral marketing campaign. Created by digital advertising agency Ralph & Co, and promoted by online PR and social media agency Hot Cherry, unsuspecting mobile phone owners received the following unsolicited SMS messages addressed to them by name with no identifying information other than being from "Dexter": "Hello (name). I'm heading to the UK sooner than you might think. Dexter." The SMS-message would be followed by an email directing the user to an online video "news report" about a recent spree of killings. Using on-the-fly video manipulation, the user's name and a personalized message would be worked into the report – the former written in blood on a wall by the crime scene, the latter added to a note in an evidence bag carried past the camera. While the marketing campaign succeeded in raising the profile of the show, it proved unpopular with many mobile owners who saw this as spam advertising aimed at mobile phones. In response to complaints about the SMS element of the campaign, FX issued the following statement:

The text message you received was part of an internet viral campaign for our newest show Dexter. However it was not us who sent you the text but one of your friends. We do not have a database of viewer phone numbers. The text message went along with a piece on the net that you can then send on to other people you know. If you go to www.icetruck.tv you will see the page that one of your friends has filled in to send you that message. Therefore I suggest you have a word with anyone who knows your mobile number and see who sent you this message. For the record we did not make a record of any phone numbers used in this campaign.^[30]

Missing person case

Connections have been suggested between the TV show Dexter and an ongoing murder charge against Mark Twitchell of Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. On December 3, 2008, Twitchell pled not guilty to the charge of first degree murder of 38-year-old John Altinger, whose body is still missing. Twitchell filmed footage for a production of House of Cards (entirely unrelated to the British production House of Cards), a horror-romance similar to Dexter's clandestine murders,^[31] in which he allegedly snuffed Altinger. Det. Mark Anstey of the Edmonton Police Service was quoted as saying "We have a lot of information to suggest he definitely idolizes Dexter." In the summer of 2008, Twitchell had posted a series of ominous Facebook statuses in which he "believed he had a lot in common with Dexter Morgan".^[32][33] On July 24, 2009, Court of Queen's Bench Justice Michell Crighton refused to grant Twitchell bail. He was previously represented by Edmonton defense lawyer David Cunningham, but as of March 2010 Charles B. Davison has taken over the case. Crown prosecutors Avril Herron and Lawrence Van Dyke are prosecuting him. ABC 20/20 researched the case in Edmonton during the summer of 2009 for upcoming coverage of the case,^[34][35] but due to the legal issues of Twitchell's trial, there is a temporary publication ban.^[36]

Conner Conley murder

In November 2009, Andrew Conley, 17, was arrested in Rising Sun, Indiana, in connection with the death of his 10-year-old brother, Conner. In an affidavit filed in Ohio County court, police said that Andrew told investigators that he identified with the character. "Andrew stated that he watches a show called 'Dexter' on Showtime, about a serial killer," prosecutors said in an affidavit. "He stated, 'I feel just like him.'"^[37]

Differences from novels

The events occurring during first season of Dexter are directly based on the plot of Darkly Dreaming Dexter. However, there are numerous differences, ranging from extra subplots to rearrangements and modifications of elements from the source material. The biggest change is the lead-up to and revelation of the identity of the "Ice Truck Killer", called the "Tamiami Butcher" in the novel. In the novel, Dexter is led to believe that he might be the one committing the murders, due to a series of strange dreams that connect him to the murder. The final clue is a blurry photo, taken from surveillance footage, of a man who resembles Dexter at a crime scene. After the "Tamiami Butcher" kidnaps Debra, Dexter finds and confronts him. It is subsequently revealed that the killer is actually Dexter's nearly identical long-lost brother, Brian, who, like Dexter, witnessed their mother's brutal murder. In the television series, Brian is introduced under the fake name Rudy, a prosthetist who becomes Debra's boyfriend, Dexter hesitantly kills Brian, Debra does not discover her brother's secret, and LaGuerta is not present at all in the confrontation. In the novel, Brian escapes, Debra discovers her brother's secret (and in future novels does not expose him), and LaGuerta is killed in the climactic confrontation.^[38]

In the novel Darkly Dreaming Dexter, Dexter references his urge to kill as being controlled by a "Dark Passenger", and when in his killer trances he tends to refer to himself as "we" or "us". In the first season, only one reference is made to the "Passenger", as Dexter stands at the scene of Angel's stabbing by Brian, an event absent in the book. In the second season, the writers explain Dexter's urge to kill as his "Dark Passenger", and make multiple references to it throughout the season, the first reference being in episode three. The third novel of Dexter almost entirely focuses on the "Dark Passenger" as a separate entity living inside Dexter and all other killers, likening it to demonic possession.^[38]

In Dearly Devoted Dexter, Doakes is tortured and dismembered (his hands, feet and tongue are removed) by "Dr. Danco", an ex-military interrogator/torturer, and returns in the third novel albeit in a much different state; he is unable to speak coherently and is fitted with prosthetic limbs. The Showtime series has Doakes being blown up by Lila, Dexter's psychopathic ex-girlfriend. She appears in none of the books. Agent Lundy is not in the books, but "Chutsky" plays the same role. Debra and he form a relationship which goes beyond the second book (partly because Chutsky has a similar fate to Doakes and is not fit for work).^[38]

In Dearly Devoted Dexter, Dexter discovers that Cody and Astor may share his need to kill and he begins to plan to help them by teaching them the code of Harry. Their need to kill was brought on by their abusive father, Paul Bennett. Paul Bennett himself is not featured much and in the books gave his children a lot of psychological abuse as well as beating them which causes him to end up in prison. This all happens before Dexter and Rita's relationship begins. In the TV show he is shown to be a doting father but a sexually and physically abusive husband. In the show he is knocked out and then framed for drug use by Dexter after Paul threatens him and tries to get custody of Cody and Astor by suing Rita – who had previously attacked him in self defense. He is then sent back to jail on his third strike where, due to his anger of being framed by Dexter and the fact that no one believes him, he gets into a fight with another inmate and is killed.

Dexter's disposition is somewhat more detached in the books, although he is still very "fond" of Debra, Cody and Astor. He does not seem to have any real affection for Rita other than her being his "disguise", although he does see her as the perfect person for him, both in terms of convenience and otherwise. He also proposes by accident.

Angel is not featured much in the books either and does not have his own subplots. Dexter only seems to be friends with Masuka at work; he has a much more important role in the books than in the show, mainly because of their shared job of bringing donuts to work and because Dexter recognizes that Masuka is another "fake human" (although not a killer) in that he seems to fake everything he does. Masuka also becomes Dexter's best man for the wedding.

Other media

DVD/Blu-ray releases

Video game

A video game based on Dexter developed by Icarus Studios, based on the events of season one, was released on September 13, 2009. It is available exclusively for the iPhone platform in the iTunes App Store. The cast and crew of Dexter have been very supportive, with some of the cast providing full voice work for the game, including Michael C. Hall. Critical reception has been very good, with the game receiving many positive reviews, including an 8.0/10 from IGN. No additional content for the game has currently been released or announced as planned. Plans to release the game on the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PC seem to be cancelled as there has been no recent information regarding expansion of the game onto these platforms. The game will be released for the iPad with drastically improved graphics in the fall.

Alternate Reality Game

Showtime launched Dexter Game On during Comic-Con in July of 2010. It was a promotion that relied on community involvement. Part of the user's involvement required the user to use the scvngr application available for the iPhone and Android platforms to complete treks around the five cities the game was available in. The final trek lead to a kill-room where the "Infinity Killer" had recently claimed a victim. A link was found in the room to a (fake) company called "Sleep Superbly", which began an extensive Showtime-maintained alternate reality game that is currently still in progress, and will continue for at least the several weeks until Dexter's fifth season begins. ^[44]

The alternate reality game involves players working cooperatively together to help catch the "Infinity Killer" and identify his victims. A number of other characters help. During the game, players communicate with the "Infinity Killer" among many others. There are also a few shady companies that have active roles. The game spans Facebook, Twitter, Craigslist, etc. as well as countless unique sites created for the game. There are even phone numbers players can call. The characters and companies are controlled by real people, adding an extra realism and ability for intelligent conversation. Keeping with the realism an alternate reality game should have, Showtime does not put their name nor advertisements on most sites and pages created for the game.

Soundtrack

The music from the Dexter TV series was released August 28, 2007 on the album Dexter: Music from the Showtime Original Series. It is produced by Showtime, and distributed by Milan Records. The album is also available online on the iTunes store. The iTunes release includes five additional bonus tracks from Seasons 1 and 2.

Most notable is the recurring theme from the end credits, which features artificial harmonics on bowed string instruments (violins, violas and cellos), reminiscent of Bernard Herrmann's pivotal "black and white", strings-only score for Hitchcock's 1960 masterpiece, Psycho. Herrmann utilized artificial harmonics for the music to the famous shower scene, where the staccato harmonic glissandos, in Stravinsky-like dissonant tonalities, represent the knife stabbings of that film's title serial killer.

Gary Calamar, whose company Go Music also provides non-score music for True Blood, House and Men Of A Certain Age, music supervises Dexter (along with Music Coordinator Alyson Vidoli). The score is composed by Daniel Licht and orchestrated by Joseph Trapanese.

Merchandise

EMCE Toys has planned the release of action figures based on the series.^[45] Dark Horse released a 7-inch bust of Dexter Morgan in March 2010, as part of its Last Toys on the Left series,^[46] and released a Trinity Killer Bobble Head in April 2010.^[47]

A Dexter board game created by Gamaka will be released on September 30, 2010 for $29.95.^[48]

Awards

Wins

2006

• AFI Awards: TV Program of the Year—Official Selection
• IGN: Best New Show^[49]
• IGN: Best Actor—Michael C. Hall^[50]
• IGN: Best Villain—The Ice Truck Killer^[51]
• IGN: Best Character—Dexter Morgan^[52]
• Satellite Awards: Outstanding Actress in a Supporting Role in a Series—Julie Benz

2007

• Emmy: Outstanding Main Title Design
• Emmy: Outstanding Single-Camera Picture Editing for a Drama Series
• IGN: Best Storyline^[53]
• IGN: Best Television Program^[54]
• Satellite Awards: Outstanding Actor in a Supporting Role in a Series—David Zayas
• Satellite Awards: Outstanding Actor in a Series, Drama—Michael C. Hall
• Satellite Awards: Outstanding Television Series, Drama
• Saturn Awards: Best Actor in a Television Program—Michael C. Hall
• Television Critics Association: Individual Achievement in Drama—Michael C. Hall

2008

• Saturn Awards: Best Syndicated/Cable Television Series^[55]
• Scream Awards: Best TV Show

2009

• Golden Globe: Best Performance by an Actor In A Television Series – Drama (Michael C. Hall)^[56]
• Golden Globe: Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Series, Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television (John Lithgow)^[56]
• SAG Awards: Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Drama Series—Michael C. Hall

2010

• Emmy: Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series—John Lithgow for playing Arthur Mitchell in "Road Kill"
• Emmy: Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series—Steve Shill

Nominations

2006

• Golden Globe: Nomination for Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series: Drama—Michael C. Hall
• IGN: Best Television Program^[57]
• Satellite Awards: Outstanding Actor in a Series, Drama—Michael C. Hall
• Satellite Awards: Outstanding Television Series, Drama
• SAG Awards: Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Drama Series—Michael C. Hall

2007

• Emmy: Outstanding Single-Camera Picture Editing, Drama
• Emmy: Outstanding Original Main Title Theme Music
• Golden Globe: Nomination for Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series—Drama—Michael C. Hall^[58]
• Saturn Awards: Best Supporting Actor in a Television Program—James Remar
• Saturn Awards: Best Supporting Actress in a Television Program—Jennifer Carpenter
• Saturn Awards: Best Syndicated/Cable Television Series
• Television Critics Association: New Program of the Year
• WGA: Episodic Drama—any length—one airing time Dark Defender
• WGA: Best Dramatic Series^[59][60][61]
• Peabody Award: Announced April 2, 2008
• SAG Awards: Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Drama Series—Michael C. Hall

2008

• Emmy: Outstanding Actor in a Drama Series—Michael C. Hall
• Emmy: Outstanding Drama Series
• Emmy: Outstanding Art Direction—Tony Cowley, Linda Spheeris
• Emmy: Outstanding Cinematography—Romeo Tirone
• Golden Globe: Best Television Series—Drama
• Golden Globe: Nomination for Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series—Drama—Michael C. Hall
• WGA: Best Dramatic Series^[62]
• SAG Awards: Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Drama Series—Michael C. Hall
• SAG Awards: Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series

2009

• Emmy: Outstanding Drama Series
• Emmy: Outstanding Actor in a Drama Series — Michael C. Hall
• Emmy: Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series — Jimmy Smits
• Crime Thriller Awards: The International TV Dagger^[63]
• Golden Globe: Best Television Series – Drama^[56]
• Golden Globe: Best Performance by an Actor In A Television Series – Drama (Michael C. Hall)^[56]
• Golden Globe: Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Series, Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television (John Lithgow)^[56]
• SAG Awards: Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Drama Series—Michael C. Hall
• SAG Awards: Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series

2010

• TCA Award: Individual Achievement in Drama - John Lithgow
• Emmy: Outstanding Drama Series
• Emmy: Outstanding Actor in a Drama Series - Michael C. Hall
• Emmy: Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series - John Lithgow - Won
• Emmy: Outstanding Casting for a Drama Series
• Emmy: Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series - Won
• Emmy: Outstanding Single-Camera Picture Editing for a Drama Series
• Emmy: Outstanding Creative Achievement in Interactive Media - Fiction
• Emmy: Outstanding Sound Mixing for a Comedy or Drama Series (One Hour)

References

External links

• Official website
• Dexter at Metacritic
• Dexter at the Internet Movie Database
• Dexter at TV.com
• Slate.com December 12, 2008 – Killer Serial: It's really time you started watching Dexter.
• Dexter Season 5 : Latest Reviews & News

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