The expansion of different television networks and cable and satellite packages have, in some ways, left those who depend on basic cable television behind. The fact is, without special networks such as Starz, HBO, and Showtime (to name a few) the average television viewer is missing out on some of television’s best and most popular shows. For example, if this distinction applies to you, you are probably unaware of what you’re missing by not tuning in to the established Showtime hit “Dexter.”
“Dexter,” which has become a very popular show particularly among a teen and young adult audience, revolves around a very intriguing, dark protagonist, Dexter Morgan, who is both a cop and a serial killer. While this seems at first mention to make the character nothing more than a villain, Dexter’s need or desire to kill comes from quite a complex range of issues from his past. To begin with, there is something slightly mentally off about Dexter, despite his ability to coexist well with others and make good impressions. Additionally, Dexter (as taught by his father) only kills those who have done great wrongs – essentially, he is a “hand of God” killer, taking only those lives that he deems ought to be taken. The catch, of course, is maintaining his cover, as the characters around him at times make him question his career and life choices.
The show has run for five full seasons, and is in the course of its sixth. Its popularity stems partially from the fact that it differs from the average television cop or killer drama. Typically, these sorts of shows revolve primarily around the crime, or the chase, with occasional forays into the emotional repercussions work and crime have on main characters. Dexter almost follows a reversal of this format; while the subject of the show is still, in essence, a serial-killing police worker, the main focus of the show is on the mental and emotional status of that character, rather than on his actions.
Fortunately, if this show intrigues you but you have not ever followed it, there are a number of different ways to access it through the Internet, or even through buying the DVDs of the first several seasons. Going forward, however, you may want to look into updating your television package, so that you can keep an eye on “Dexter” and be up-to-date on the show’s progress. It’s quite entertaining to be able to follow a show as it comes out, as this increases the suspense factor that television excels so thoroughly at.
