Every Dexter Series, Ranked

A serial killer who only kills serial killers. When “Dexter” debuted on Showtime in 2006, that basic premise was all we needed to get sucked into the titular antihero’s world of bloodshed. 

Based on the crime/thriller book series by Jeff Lindsay, “Dexter” tells the story of Dexter Morgan, a forensic blood spatter analyst working for the Miami Metro Police Department. But what his colleagues didn’t know is that he worked in the shadows as a vigilante serial killer, satisfying his “dark passenger” (his term for his urge to kill) by taking out those who were a danger to society or felons who slipped through the cracks of the justice system. 

The original show ran for eight seasons, ending its run in 2013 before delivering two sequel series (“New Blood” and “Resurrection”) and an “un-renewed” prequel titled “Original Sin.” But which one is the best of the best? TVLine has watched them all, and now we’re gonna rank ’em! Scroll down to see which “Dexter” series is a cut above the rest, then hit the comments section with your own assessment. 

When it was first announced that “Dexter” was getting a prequel, we were cautiously optimistic. Hearing that a new actor would take the character’s reins from Michael C. Hall was a wild notion to take in. But our fears were unfounded, as Dexter was placed in the capable hands of Irish actor Patrick Gibson who stepped in for a story set 15 years before the first season of “Dexter.” The prequel picked up just as Dex was about to graduate from his pre-med program, and followed him throughout his early days working at Miami Metro. 

While we’re placing “Original Sin” last, the series did have a lot of potential. Christian Slater joined the series as Dexter’s very-much-alive dad, Harry, and through flashbacks, we saw everything that happened leading up to Dexter’s biological mom’s murder, bloody shipping container and all. And while we were hyped for the casting of Sarah Michelle Gellar as Tanya Martin, Dexter’s boss, the show neglected to give her anything to do. (Perhaps the character would’ve been fleshed out had the series delivered a Season 2, as originally planned.) Molly Brown was a standout as a teenage version of the fiery and feisty Debra, and we would’ve loved to see more of her spot-on performance.

The rest of the cast served up admirable and often funny versions of fan favorite characters like Angel Batista, Maria LaGuerta, Vince Masuka and more. However, we can’t in good faith rank this higher than a version starring Hall, himself, despite the fact that the OG star narrated. But an unceremonious cancelation after landing a renewal left a sour taste in our mouths (bummer of a call, Paramount) and we would’ve loved to see the prequel given a fair shot.

In 2021, former “Dexter” showrunner Clyde Phillips reunited with Michael C. Hall to revisit (and re-do) what still goes down as one of the worst series finales of all time. (Phillips left the original series after Season 4, so don’t blame him!) 

It had been eight years since “Dexter” whimpered off our screens (read what Hall had to say about that finale here), and when the story picked back up, Dexter was working in upper state New York under the fake alias Jim Lindsay. Having remained abstinent from killing for 10 years, the re-emergence of his now-teenaged son, Harrison (played by Jack Alcott), along with some local bad guys triggered his urge to kill again. 

The follow-up series gave us a stack of new characters to meet, and for the most part, the residents of Iron Lake were a fresh of breath air. Julia Jones held her own as Police Chief Angela Bishop — and Dexter’s girlfriend — and it was nice to see Dex in a happy relationship again. But the series’ most interesting exploration revolved around Harrison, and whether he had a dark passenger of his own. If he did, how would Dexter navigate that, like Harry had once done for him? “New Blood” wasn’t just a soft reboot. Jennifer Carpenter reprised her role as Debra (in ghostly form, of course), while David Zayas’ Angel Batista appeared in two episodes after finding out that Dexter could still be alive. 

Clancy Brown’s Kurt Caldwell was a formidable villain for Dexter to take down, but the guy was far from our favorite “Dexter” adversary (and not even in our Top 5 “Dexter” villains). But in terms of righting the wrongs of the original series’ ending? Let’s just say we were totally jazzed when those final credits rolled. 

Can’t keep a good killer down. After killing Dexter off at the end of “New Blood,” Clyde Phillips and Michael C. Hall reunited again to resurrect the antihero in a new series that brought the recovering Dexter to New York City. After explaining how the character survived that rifle shot to the chest (yeah, we bought it enough, I guess), the premiere of “Resurrection” served up some delicious cameos before launching the character on a new adventure to find his son and restart his life.

This franchise always had stellar casting, and “Resurrection” followed suit. Enter “Game of Thrones” vet Peter Dinklage as billionaire venture capitalist Leon Prater, a man obsessed with serial killers, and Uma Thurman as Charley, his right-hand woman and head of security. And the famous faces didn’t stop there. Krysten Ritter, Eric Stonestreet, David Dastmalchian, and Neil Patrick Harris all played killers who were paid to attend Prater’s depraved soirées. And you know what that means: Plenty of people for Dexter to slice and dice! 

Prater as the season’s Big Bad worked on every level, and once Batista again tracked Dexter down, it added yet another cat-and-mouse chase to an already loaded narrative. But thanks to its reliable writing and sturdy leadership from Phillips, “Resurrection” was a thrilling return to form for the franchise, and with Season 2 now in production, we can’t wait to see what they cook up next.

We’ve already discussed the incredibly disappointing series finale, but we still can’t rob the original run of taking the cake. While Seasons 5 and 8 delivered diminishing returns (take a look at our seasons ranking here), let’s focus on the positives, shall we?

Season 4 of “Dexter” was one of modern TV’s most exhilarating watches, with John Lithgow putting in serious dramatic work as Arthur Mitchell, the infamous Trinity Killer. Watching Arthur maintain a family life gave Dexter some semblance of hope that maybe he could have it all, despite his urges. Despite the bloodshed. That is, until that mind-melting ending, which saw Dexter’s wife Rita slayed in a bathtub. One last parting gift from Trinity.

But aside from that series-best run, the original show was a force when it began in ’06, introducing us to one of TV’s best antiheroes since Tony Soprano. And watching Dexter juggle his dual personalities and roles as a brother, crime fighter, and city employee was an interesting gambit that kept us glued. From escaping the watchful eye of his colleague Sergeant Doakes to unraveling the true history of the Ice Truck Killer — who turned out to be his biological brother! — the series always kept us (and Dexter) on our toes. 

Each season explored something wildly exciting. What if Dexter gave in to the chaos inside him (Season 2)? What if he found a fellow city employee interested in vigilante justice (Season 3)? And what would happen when he was eventually found out and the jig was officially up (Season 7)? The series kept pushing boundaries and asking questions, and that’s why we’re declaring it the most essential “Dexter” of them all.