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Dexter
SERIES: Showtime, Sunday 10:00p (60 minutes)

Dexter
Critic Score
Metascore: 77 Metascore out of 100
User Score  
9.6 out of 10
based on 27 reviews
read critic reviews
how did we calculate this?
based on 389 votes
read user comments
rate this tv show

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.)

GENRE(S): Drama
CREATED BY: James Manos, Jr.
FIRST AIR DATE: October 1, 2006

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...

100
New York Daily News David Hinckley
It's bold, different and exciting, with a central character and performance that take your breath away.
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100
Chicago Sun-Times Doug Elfman
Fantastic, fascinating, creepy, charming and gruesome.
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100
San Francisco Chronicle Tim Goodman
Daring and original.
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100
People Weekly Tom Gliatto
If you want edge, here's Dexter. [9 Oct 2006, p.41]
90
Boston Globe Matthew Gilbert
Fiendishly excellent.
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90
Newark Star-Ledger Alan Sepinwall
Sick, twisted and darkly funny, "Dexter" is easily the best drama in Showtime history.
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90
Chicago Tribune Maureen 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.
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88
New York Post Adam 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.
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80
Newsday Diane Werts
"Dexter" knows what it's doing, and savors its skill immensely.
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80
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Rob Owen
Enjoyably challenging TV.
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80
Miami Herald Glenn Garvin
A perverse pleasure to watch.
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80
Philadelphia Inquirer Jonathan Storm
One of this season's best new series.
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80
Seattle Post-Intelligencer Melanie McFarland
The series quickly establishes itself as an elegant study in horror.
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80
Time James Poniewozik
The morals of this provocative show are as intriguing as its cases.
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80
TV Guide Matt Roush
[A] macabre gem.
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80
Los Angeles Times Paul 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.
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80
The New York Times Alessandra Stanley
Violence, like deficit spending, is a very American vice. “Dexter” is yet another temptation that is almost impossible to resist.
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75
Detroit Free Press Mike Duffy
Dexter is... one of the most compelling new characters on TV.
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75
Entertainment Weekly Michael Endelman
Though his cliche hard-boiled voice-over doesn't work, much of this series... does. [29 Sep 2006, p.73]
70
New York Magazine Adam 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.
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70
Hollywood Reporter Barry Garron
Hall... is brilliant at conveying the subtle complexity of Dexter.
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70
San Jose Mercury News Charlie 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.
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70
Arizona Republic Bill 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.
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63
Slant Magazine Ed Gonzalez
A good drama but an average psychological study.
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50
LA Weekly Robert Abele
Dexter is too chilly to be chilling, too affected to be affecting.
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40
Variety Brian Lowry
If brilliant, psychotic lunatics are your bag, by all means, climb aboard.
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30
Wall Street Journal Nancy 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.
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What Our Users Said

Vote Now!The average user rating for this tv show is 9.6 (out of 10) based on 389 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

Brian C. gave it a10:
Best show on TV, period.

Jade D. gave it a10:
Dexter is simply just the best show playing on television right now. It's highly debatable plot makes the show even more intriguing. Acting is excellent. My favorite thing about that show is the music. Amazing music. Amazing show.

Debra S. gave it a10:
This show, IMHO is refreshing, exhilarating, amusing, clever, and addictive. The writing is first rate, as is the acting and set decorations.

Jenny C. gave it a10:
Great dhow. Dry humor. Very enjoyable.

Uber F. gave it a10:
Magnificent and terrifying. The only serial killer I know that I'd like to have a beer with and Erik King is hilarious as the suspicious Sergeant. A brilliant series

Tom S. gave it a10:
possibly saved television shows for me not much better than Dexter at the moment it enjoyable to watch

John gave it a10:
Best show I have seen in a long time. it is funny to put these shows together but flight of the concords, extras and dexter are evidence that there is brilliance out there.

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