Dexter

:

Season 1
  • Network: SHOWTIME
  • Series Premiere Date: Oct 1, 2006
Season #: 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1
Metascore
77

Generally favorable reviews - based on 27 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 24 out of 27
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 27
  3. Negative: 1 out of 27
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Critic Reviews

  1. New York Daily News
    Reviewed by: David Hinckley
    100
    It's bold, different and exciting, with a central character and performance that take your breath away.
  2. San Francisco Chronicle
    Reviewed by: Tim Goodman
    100
    Daring and original.
  3. Chicago Sun-Times
    Reviewed by: Doug Elfman
    100
    Fantastic, fascinating, creepy, charming and gruesome.
  5. People Weekly
    Reviewed by: Tom Gliatto
    100
    If you want edge, here's Dexter. [9 Oct 2006, p.41]
    All this critic's reviews
  6. Chicago Tribune
    Reviewed by: Maureen Ryan
    90
    To deny yourself the engrossing “Dexter” based on its subject matter would be to miss out on one of television’s most fiendishly intelligent new dramas.
  7. Newark Star-Ledger
    Reviewed by: Alan Sepinwall
    90
    Sick, twisted and darkly funny, "Dexter" is easily the best drama in Showtime history.
  8. Boston Globe
    Reviewed by: Matthew Gilbert
    90
    Fiendishly excellent.
  9. New York Post
    Reviewed by: Adam Buckman
    88
    "Dexter" is a proficiently produced crime drama. Its best feature is its star, Michael C. Hall, who applies just the right touch to playing the nice, polite serial killer who lives next door.
  10. Time
    Reviewed by: James Poniewozik
    80
    The morals of this provocative show are as intriguing as its cases.
  11. TV Guide Magazine
    Reviewed by: Matt Roush
    80
    [A] macabre gem.
  12. Los Angeles Times
    Reviewed by: Paul Brownfield
    80
    From the start, it's mostly on Hall to seduce us, and he's so artful with the material that he consistently elevates it.
  13. Newsday
    Reviewed by: Diane Werts
    80
    "Dexter" knows what it's doing, and savors its skill immensely.
  14. Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
    Reviewed by: Rob Owen
    80
    Enjoyably challenging TV.
  15. The New York Times
    Reviewed by: Alessandra Stanley
    80
    Violence, like deficit spending, is a very American vice. “Dexter” is yet another temptation that is almost impossible to resist.
  16. Miami Herald
    Reviewed by: Glenn Garvin
    80
    A perverse pleasure to watch.
  17. Philadelphia Inquirer
    Reviewed by: Jonathan Storm
    80
    One of this season's best new series.
  18. Seattle Post-Intelligencer
    Reviewed by: Melanie McFarland
    80
    The series quickly establishes itself as an elegant study in horror.
  19. Entertainment Weekly
    Reviewed by: Michael Endelman
    75
    Though his cliche hard-boiled voice-over doesn't work, much of this series... does. [29 Sep 2006, p.73]
    All this publication's reviews
  20. Detroit Free Press
    Reviewed by: Mike Duffy
    75
    Dexter is... one of the most compelling new characters on TV.
  21. New York Magazine (Vulture)
    Reviewed by: Adam Sternbergh
    70
    Dexter treats extreme violence much in the same way that GoodFellas did: as something horrifying, intoxicating, seductive and thrilling, all at the same time.
  22. The Hollywood Reporter
    Reviewed by: Barry Garron
    70
    Hall... is brilliant at conveying the subtle complexity of Dexter.
  23. San Jose Mercury News/Contra Costa Times
    Reviewed by: Charlie McCollum
    70
    I won't pretend "Dexter'' is for everybody. If you wince during scenes on "CSI,'' the series isn't for you.... But if you like the idea of a very good show that wrestles each week with moral dilemmas and the nature of good and evil, "Dexter'' is just the thing.
  24. Arizona Republic
    Reviewed by: Bill Goodykoontz
    70
    There are reasons not to like Dexter, but thanks to Hall's winning portrayal and the cool, creep-out idea, it's almost impossible not to.
  25. Slant Magazine
    Reviewed by: Ed Gonzalez
    63
    A good drama but an average psychological study.

Awards & Rankings

16
#16 Best TV Season of 2006
1
#1 Most Discussed TV Season of 2006
6
#6 Most Shared TV Season of 2006

User Reviews

All reviews »
User Score
9.2

Universal acclaim- based on 1770 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 1,685 out of 1770
  2. Mixed: 41 out of 1770
  3. Negative: 44 out of 1770
  1. MichaelD.
    Oct 9, 2007
    10
    A finely drawn character study masquerading as a blood-splashed procedural, Dexter explores what it means to feel human
  2. realitychekmate
    Oct 25, 2010
    10
    Buying Michael C. Hall as a serial killer of serial killers was hard to imagine, well that lasted all of one episode and I was sold. This wellBuying Michael C. Hall as a serial killer of serial killers was hard to imagine, well that lasted all of one episode and I was sold. This well written series left me fiending for more through every season. Amazing plot twist and creativity throughout will leave you wondering will come next week as you anxiously await the next episode. My only criticism is of the casting of the sister Debra Morgan (Deb) played by Jennifer Carpenter who differs completely from the books and is simply put the worst actor of the regular cast which is outstanding. It's my only real negative check on this otherwise superb series.… Full Review »
  3. NYcritic
    May 21, 2013
    9
    A unique story about a serial killer who works with the Miami metro homicide, what more could want in a t.v show. It is just AWESOME. TheA unique story about a serial killer who works with the Miami metro homicide, what more could want in a t.v show. It is just AWESOME. The direction is also very good. The writers have given a certain amount of depth to the characters which the writers do not focus on these days.… Full Review »
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