Dexter

All your favorites are back in force, with a few twists, but the allure of the series always has been and always will be Hall, who manages to make a killer (who kills only people who deserve it, mostly) likable, believable, engaging and funny, as he works his job as a blood splatter expert at Miami Metro Homicide.

Any fears you had that marriage and a baby would dull the sharp edge of Dexter--I admit it, I was worried--have been thoroughly allayed by season 4's wonderfully swift, witty, and violent start.

Thankfully, this season Dexter continues to play with our moral bearings, which is the show’s best quality.

Admit it: You've probably never considered the potential impact of sleep deprivation on a serial killer. Well, the creators of Dexter have, and the results make for highly entertaining television.

Based on what I've seen so far, we're looking at a killer season.

It's about the ultimate outcast and his efforts to become human. Like all good drama, it uses heightened characters to magnify struggles we all have.

Dexter will probably never reach the dramatic, creative heights it did in season one, but with this new season the show's producers found a way to sustain the premise by concentrating on the show's characters and, in particular, looking at how Dexter lives with his desire-to-kill rather than dwelling on the myriad ways he might get caught.

He may be sicker than Hank Moody or Larry David, but he’s also a far richer figure, and in his own strange way, just as universal, thanks to the transcendent performance of Michael C. Hall, who deepens every sick joke and raises the stakes on every emotional twist.

Watching Dexter endure the bubbly, enforced cheer of family life may make this the best season of the drama series to date.

Cliffhangers help pull the episodes along, and the idea behind Trinity--whose murderous reign might date back three decades--is intriguing.

Appearing to Dexter in one of many visions, Harry (James Remar) tells his son that he has entirely too many plates spinning at once, and the same can be said of the show itself.

Dexter’s life as a suburban dad feels claustrophobic, and the show has become repetitive and predictable.