Cool TV Shows That You're Not Watching II

Now this show, you have to see. The show in question is Dexter. This is a smart, well written, excellently acted thriller of a crime drama. It's full of the moral ambiguity that I'm so crazy about and it is so addictive. It's like CSI Miami on crack.

Based on Jeff Lindsay's novels Darkly Dreaming Dexter and Dearly Devoted Dexter, Dexter follows Dexter Morgan, a man who is not all that he appears. He's close to his sister, a detective with the Miami Dade Police Department. He has a steady girlfriend, with two kids who adore him. He also has an active "night life". You see Dexter just happens to be a serial killer. Orphaned at the age of three and harboring a traumatic secret, Dexter was adopted by a Miami police officer named Harry Morgan who recognized his sociopathic tendencies and instilled in him a code that channeled his passion for killing by hunting down people who have escaped justice (murders, child molesters etc.) and making sure they don't get away with their crimes. Dexter, in order to satisfy his interest in blood and to facilitate his own crimes, works as a forensic blood spatter expert for the Miami Dade Police Department.

Dexter's father instilled in him an ability to fake "normal" emotions and keep up his appearance as a socially-responsible human being. He is well-liked by most of his colleagues except for Sgt. James Doakes who doesn't buy Dexter's "act" and is wary of him. Dexter is played with charming, creepy perfection by Michael C. Hall from Six Feet Under and could quite possibly be one of the top 3 actors on television right now. And yeah, yeah, he's incredibly hot too, which is always a bonus. Hall portrays Dexter as the cold blooded, vacant eyed killer that he is and yet, you're so drawn to him through Hall's subtle performance that you can't help but cheer for him.

Honestly, do yourself a favour and pick up season 1, now available on DVD and check out season 2, now showing on Showtime in the States and the Movie Network here in Canada. This show will kill ya! (I just couldn't resist.)