Dexter (TV series)

*Dexter*
Dexter
Genre	Crime; Psychological thriller; Mystery; Black comedy; Police procedural; Inverted detective story;
Based on	Darkly Dreaming Dexter; by Jeff Lindsay
Developed by	James Manos Jr.
Showrunners	Clyde Phillips (seasons 1–4); Chip Johannessen (season 5); Scott Buck (seasons 6–8);
Starring	Michael C. Hall; Julie Benz; Jennifer Carpenter; Erik King; Lauren Vélez; David Zayas; James Remar; C. S. Lee; Desmond Harrington; Aimee Garcia; Geoff Pierson;
Theme music composer	Rolfe Kent
Composer	Daniel Licht;
Country of origin	United States
Original language	English
No. of seasons	8
No. of episodes	96 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producers	James Manos Jr.; Sara Colleton; John Goldwyn; Charles H. Eglee; Michael C. Hall; Chip Johannessen; Clyde Phillips; Manny Coto; Wendy West; Tim Schlattmann; Melissa Rosenberg; Jace Richdale; Scott Buck;
Producers	Timothy Schlattmann; Lauren Gussis; Arika Lisanne Mittman; Drew Z. Greenberg; Scott Reynolds; Dennis Bishop;
Production locations	Miami, Florida, U.S.; Long Beach, California, U.S.;
Cinematography	Terry Stacey; Romeo Tirone; Martin J. Layton; Jeffrey Jur;
Running time	47–66 minutes
Production companies	The Colleton Company; John Goldwyn Productions; Clyde Phillips Productions; 801 Productions; Devilina Productions; Showtime Networks;
Original release
Network	Showtime
Release	October 1, 2006 –; September 22, 2013
Related
	Dexter: New Blood; Dexter: Original Sin; Dexter: Resurrection;
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Dexter (stylized as DEXTER) is an American crime television series that initially aired on Showtime from October 1, 2006, to September 22, 2013. Set in Miami, the series centers on Dexter Morgan (Michael C. Hall), a forensic technician specializing in bloodstain pattern analysis for the fictional Miami Metro Police Department, who leads a secret parallel life as a vigilante serial killer, hunting down murderers inadequately punished by the justice system due to corruption or legal technicalities. The show's first season was derived from the novel Darkly Dreaming Dexter (2004), the first in a series of novels by Jeff Lindsay. It was adapted for television by James Manos Jr., who wrote the first episode.

The series received mostly positive reviews throughout its run. The show has received multiple awards, including two Golden Globes won by Michael C. Hall and John Lithgow for their roles as Dexter Morgan and Arthur Mitchell, respectively.

The fourth season 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 at that time. The eighth season originally served as the final season of Dexter ; the season premiere was the most watched Dexter episode, with more than 3 million viewers total, while the series finale drew 2.8 million viewers, the largest audience in Showtime's history.

Dexter has continued through an expanded franchise with further series. Two sequel series, Dexter: New Blood and Dexter: Resurrection, have aired from November 2021 to January 2022, and from July 2025, respectively, with Hall reprising the title role and Clyde Phillips as showrunner. A prequel series, Dexter: Original Sin, was released between December 2024 and February 2025, starring Patrick Gibson as Dexter.