Friday 13 April 2007

DEXTER

Friday 13 April 2007

I always love it when I stumble onto a really good television series that nobody else seems to know about. So allow me to introduce you to Dexter Morgan...

Dexter stars Michael C. Hall (Six Feet Under) as the eponymous character, a Miami forensics expert who specializes in bloodstain pattern analysis. The twist is -- he's a serial-killer.

It's American Psycho-meets-CSI, with Brett Easton Ellis' novel a particular influence, although Dexter isn't as psychopathic as Patrick Bateman and his grisly occupation means he can hide his true nature much easier. In a vague nod to Hannibel Lecter, Dexter doesn't kill indiscriminately either; he only selects victims who "deserve to die" (child molesters, mob assassins, etc), which makes him a bizarre anti-hero.

The show is based on Jeff Lindsay's 2004 novel Darkly Dreaming Dexter and, while I'm not that far into season 1's 12 episodes, it seems to be a slick production with an uneasy tension with its lead character.

I have no idea if it will surface on UK TV soon -- but if it does, I recommend it.