Things I Love: Dexter

Showtime's Dexter is one of the best shows on television, period. Much like Showtime's other crowning glory, Weeds, I always think after every plot twist - well, this is it, they could never get out of this. And they do.

Dexter is set in Miami and is centered around the "Metro Miami Police Department" where Dexter Morgan works as a blood splatter expert. When he's not at his day job as an upstanding citizen, Dexter is a serial killer, hunting down all the killers who the justice system doesn't catch. Michael C. Hall (from the critically-acclaimed Six Feet Under) plays Dexter with amazing range. The rest of the characters are also pretty awesome, the plot moves quickly, and the visuals are color-saturated and lush (the opening credit shots are wonderful).

On a somewhat related note, I find it bizarre how much I enjoy crime shows. Mainly because all crime shows are so prosecution oriented, all focused on getting "bad" guys and, in Dexter's case, vigilante justice. As a good liberal with a possible future in criminal defense, who has spent the last 3 years and a significant amount of money learning about the rule of law, it's a little weird to me that I take such pleasure in the overly simplistic view of the world most shows have. While Dexter may be a bit more nuanced than some others, I still think its a little weird how much I love police and prosecutors on TV...