When Dexter debuted on Showtime on October 1, 2006, the disturbing show changed the landscape of TV. It premiered before antiheroes like or were household names, and it helped put Showtime on the map with its original programming. Dexter Morgan works as a blood spatter specialist at the Miami Metro Police Department, but also moonlights as a serial killer. He has a code, though: Don’t kill innocent people, don’t get caught, and don’t get emotionally involved.
'Dexter', or 'Pilot', is the pilot episode of the first season television drama series of the same name, which premiered on October 1, 2006 on Showtime in the United States. The episode was written by developer James Manos Jr. And directed by Michael Cuesta. Jun 24, 2005 - Dexter turns back to Donovan, leans in close to his ear, whispers menacingly. Tom episode and flashed a poor soccer mom.
For eight seasons and 96 episodes, Dexter literally got away with murder. But as heard through his internal dialogue (a.k.a. The Dark Passenger), he was conflicted about his real self and only shared the truth with a few people—most of whom ended up dead. On the show, Dexter’s not-biological sister Deb (Jennifer Carpenter) falls in love with him, which added to the conflict—especially since, offscreen, the two got married and divorced during the run of the show. The series ended in September 2013 with a polarizing finale: Dexter lived but others died in his wake. Here are 10 deadly facts about the Emmy- and Golden Globe Award-winning show. HALL WASN’T LOOKING TO DO ANOTHER TV SHOW.
Hall’s first show, the funeral home drama, went off the air in 2005, so he wasn’t looking to jump back into TV again. “I got a call about a new pilot,” Hall Entertainment Weekly. “I was reluctant to the idea of doing another television series in general.” He heard the pitch and asked himself, “‘Do I want to be surrounded by dead bodies for another indeterminate number of years?’” He read the book and the script and decided he liked that Dexter “operated in a morally gray area.” “The tragedy of Dexter is that it’s not his homicidal behavior that’s gotten the people in his life in trouble but it’s his appetite to play at becoming a human being—his desire to have real relationships,' Hall said. 'I guess a lesson that’s emerged is that you can’t have your cake and kill it, too.” 2. THE FIRST SEASON WAS BASED ON A BOOK.
Showtime In 2004 Jeff Lindsay published, the first of eight novels surrounding the titular killer. The book was the basis for the show’s first season, but the rest of the seasons strayed from the novels. Lindsay the inspiration for the character came to him rather randomly: “I was speaking at a business booster’s lunch. I don’t know why, but I looked out at the crowd, and thought, ‘Serial murder isn’t always a bad thing.’' That was the message Lindsay tried to get across in his book, and the idea that carried through to its television adaptation. 'I think Dexter is actually very moral—there are lines he will not cross, no matter what,' Lindsay said. 'I’m hoping he makes us think a little about what is and isn’t moral, and where the whole idea of a conscience comes from, but if not, hey, just enjoy the book.” 3. JOHN LITHGOW THINKS DEXTER AND TONY SOPRANO HAVE A LOT IN COMMON.
During an interview with the Los Angeles Times, a reporter asked John Lithgow—who played the Trinity Killer, the main antagonist in Dexter's fourth season—who some of his favorite villains had been. “The great evil creation of the last 10 years has been Tony Soprano, and I see a lot of similarities between Dexter and Tony,”. “Obviously, there are a lot of huge differences, but he’s a captivating character. You can’t get enough of Tony Soprano: even when he was slapping a Russian prostitute on the butt or killing people in the most gruesome manner, you’re still with him all the way. I think Michael C.
Hall and James Gandolfini are both great, smart actors who really understood that duality, that’s what made it so hypnotic.” 4. DAVID ZAYAS WAS A COP IN REAL LIFE.
Showtime David Zayas portrayed Lieutenant Angel Batista on Dexter and was a cop in real life, too. While working for the New York Police Department, Zayas studied acting. “The moment I was involved in that world, it electrified me and I realized that it was something that I wanted to do,” Zayas. He didn’t tell many of his co-workers he was trying to become an actor, but his partner knew. “I remember riding in the cars with my partner during the midnight shifts and he would run lines with me for my audition the next day,” Zayas said. For the past two years, Zayas has played another police officer on the second and third seasons of Bloodline, another show set in Florida.
JULIE BENZ MADE A JOKE OUT HER CHARACTER’S DEATH. Julie Benz played Dexter’s wife, Rita, until the end of season four, when the Trinity Killer sought revenge and murdered her. But Benz felt shocked when she discovered her demise was coming. “I found out an hour before they put out the script,” Benz. “Then I only found out an hour before we shot the scene how I was going to die—they wouldn’t tell me or anybody.
It was the last scene of the season, so my family—the crew, who I spent five years with from the pilot forward—was very emotional and upset because they couldn’t believe it. I at least had a couple of days to process it, so I brought in a Styrofoam tombstone and I floated in the bathtub that said R.I.P.
Just to make a joke. I needed some kind of levity! Saying goodbye to my character, my job and people I love, was just too heavy.” 6. LITHGOW DIDN’T THINK THE TRINITY KILLER WAS PURE EVIL. Showtime During an interview with the, Lithgow—who won a Guest Emmy for playing the Trinity Killer—said his character was “far more than one-dimensional. Even in the first episode, you see him commit this horrific murder, and it looks like pure evil, but the next time you see him, he’s in that scalding shower, torturing himself with remorse.
Something’s going on: there’s a lot more going on here than just sadism and evil.” When he's not killing people, Lithgow's character, Arthur Mitchell, tries to be a family man and fit in with society, which humanized his character. “To me, the most fascinating thing is that he’s an evil man who does not want to be evil,” Lithgow said. “In that sense, he’s sort of a mirror image of Dexter, just a much, much more extreme case.” 7. YVONNE STRAHOVSKI THOUGHT HANNAH WOULD DIE IN SEASON 8. Yvonne Strahovski played Hannah, Dexter’s serial-killer girlfriend in seasons 7 and 8, and was one of the few people who had enough of an emotional attachment to Dexter to survive.
“I was surprised when I got to the end of Season 7, and I read that scene where she leaves the black orchid at his doorstep, I thought, ‘Wow, this is a pretty open ending. This might mean that they want me back,’” she. “And sure enough, season 8 happened and I thought, ‘Well, I probably will end up dying in this season, seeing as I didn’t die in season 7, and traditionally, most of the guest stars on that show usually die.’” The show ends with Dexter’s son Harrison and Hannah fleeing to Argentina, with Dexter battling a hurricane in Miami. Later on Hannah hears about Dexter’s death, which unbeknownst to her was faked. “There is no happy ending in any of it,” she said. “I walked away feeling very depressed, and it really stayed with me. That feeling lingered for a while after I watched it.” 8. JENNIFER CARPENTER WANTED DEB TO DIE.
Showtime Jennifer Carpenter told The Hollywood Reporter she wanted her character to die but didn’t want Dexter to do the deed. “In a strange way, I wanted her death to be a suicide,”. “I wanted Deb to take the one thing that was totally alive in his life away. But how it played out was much better. Deb deserved to die an organic death.” Carpenter also said if Deb had lived, she probably wouldn’t have had a happy ending. “She always would have been making sure she was piling enough dirt on the secrets that existed with Dexter. I’m not sure a happy ending was possible for her.
This was her happy ending.” 9. THE SHOW MIGHT HAVE INFLUENCED SOME REAL-LIFE MURDERS.
In 2009, an Indiana teenager named strangled his 10-year-old brother. “He felt just like Dexter.” And if that wasn’t bad enough, built a Dexter-like kill room, lured strangers off the internet saying it was part of a Dexter movie he was making, and then murdered Johnny Altinger.
In 2011 Twitchell was sentenced to prison, where he continued to watch the show and even drew pictures of Michael C. DEXTER WASN’T ALLOWED TO DIE. Showtime The big question of the series finale was: Would Dexter live or die?
He almost died in a hurricane, but Showtime was adamant he needed to live. “They wouldn’t let us kill him,” producer John Goldwyn. “Showtime was very clear about that. When we told them the arc for the last season, they just said, ‘Just to be clear, he’s going to live.’ There were a lot of endings discussed because it was a very interesting problem to solve, to bring it to a close. People have a relationship with Dexter, even if it doesn’t have the size and the ferocity of the fan base for Breaking Bad.
But it has a very core loyal following.” Dexter did sort of die, though. He faked his death and ended up at working as a log driver in the Pacific Northwest. “He banishes himself, if you will, into exile,” executive producer Sara Colleton. “When he into the camera in the end of the finale, the rest is silence; there’s not even a voiceover there anymore. It’s just emptiness. Committing suicide is too easy; that’s letting himself off the hook.” Hall commented on the finale, “Sometimes I wish he’d offed himself, wish he’d died, wish Deb had shot him in that train compartment—of course, that would have made an eighth season difficult to do But the idea that he imprisons himself in a prison of his own making I think is fitting for the character.”. When fans ask themselves which Avenger is the most likely to die in Avengers: Endgame, most automatically think Captain America.
But could fans be shocked by an early death of the Cap in Endgame? A new theory says we could say goodbye to Steve Rogers right in the beginning of the film. The theory, floated by, stems from teasers from Endgame where Captain America seems to be fighting Thanos from a raised location—perhaps at the Avengers H.Q. In New York, the Nova Corps-ruled Xandar, or even in the midst of the Battle of New York.
's death could be featured in this scene, which will likely come in the first act of the three-hour movie. This would definitely set the tone for the film, and his death would finally get the rest of the Avengers together and spur them into action against the Mad Titan Thanos. But it won't just be the Captain's life they'll set out to avenge. It'll be all the other fallen who died from Thanos' snap in Infinity War. And since most fans are sure that the team will eventually use the Quantum Realm to, maybe they'll come across a previous Captain America who will help them out. It is an interesting theory, and one that could actually pan out (sadly), but we won't know for sure until the film premieres on April 26.
Hasn't always had it easy over the past seven seasons of. But when we last left the Mother of Dragons, she seemed to finally be fulfilling her destiny and making her way toward the Iron Throne. Gave us a glimpse at what Westeros might look like with Daenerys sitting on the Iron Throne in the finale but at what cost? Over the series' run (and counting), we've gotten several clues into the sort of queen Daenerys would make, and let's just say the apple might not fall far from the tree. In season 7, we watched as Dany set two prisoners of war on fire for not bending the knee to her, a strategy that was once favored by her father, the 'Mad King' Aerys II Targaryen. Although some would argue that Daenerys's actions were justified and that she's a natural-born leader ready to take charge by conquering the (and dethroning Cersei Lannister), there's some evidence to suggest that the true villain in season 8 might just be Khaleesi herself.
While Dany has done an admirable job of maintaining enough innocence to make us believe that she's nothing like her father, a new fan theory by Esquire begs the differ. Redditor laid it out like this: 'Both the show and the book series seek to portray a fantasy setting in realistic terms, clearly displaying the grim aspects of medieval life, the brutality of warfare, and the grey morality of its characters. That's why I don't think that either the Night King (a supernatural entity with absolutely no characterization) or Cersei (a comically evil despot) will be the big bads. Both characters are too easy to root against, and having a clear conflict between good and evil doesn't seem in line with what we have seen from the first seven seasons.' It would undoubtedly be surprising to see one of the 's seeming heroes turn out to be the villain—and to see what fans would make of their beloved queen being just as diabolical as her father. 'Daenerys Targaryen will end as the big bad, because she would be an interesting, and dangerous villain,' the Redditor continued. 'She is extremely powerful, possessing the largest army as well as.
She is sympathetic, having been abused and hunted her whole life, punished for the sins of her family, yet still being generous to those closest to her. And she has great moral arguments, seeking to abolish slavery, end the chaos in Westeros, stop the Dothraki and the Ironborn from raiding and raping, and become a queen in a world dominated by men.' This seems like a wild card theory, but —which returns for its final season on April 14—has never been predictable.
Series Directed. (16 episodes, 2008-2013).
(13 episodes, 2006-2013). (10 episodes, 2006-2013).
(9 episodes, 2007-2009). (9 episodes, 2008-2013). (6 episodes, 2009-2013). (5 episodes, 2006).
(4 episodes, 2006-2007). (3 episodes, 2009-2011).
(3 episodes, 2011-2013). (2 episodes, 2006).
(2 episodes, 2007). (2 episodes, 2008-2009). (2 episodes, 2011-2012).
(2 episodes, 2012-2013). (2 episodes, 2012-2013).
(1 episode, 2006). (1 episode, 2007). (1 episode, 2009). (1 episode, 2010). (1 episode, 2011).
(1 episode, 2013) Series Writing Credits. (96 episodes, 2006-2013). (developed for television by) (96 episodes, 2006-2013).
(22 episodes, 2006-2013). (18 episodes, 2007-2013). (18 episodes, 2007-2013). (16 episodes, 2006-2013). (15 episodes, 2010-2013). (12 episodes, 2013).
(11 episodes, 2006-2009). (11 episodes, 2006). (11 episodes, 2009-2013). (10 episodes, 2010-2013). (6 episodes, 2006-2007).
(6 episodes, 2011-2013). (4 episodes, 2006-2009). (4 episodes, 2008-2009). (3 episodes, 2011-2013). (2 episodes, 2006). (2 episodes, 2010).
(1 episode, 2008). (1 episode, 2010) Series Cast. Cody Bennett. Michelle Ross. Rebecca Mitchell. Sally Mitchell.
Young Dexter. Little Dexter /. Agent Walker.
Ryan Chambers. Doris Morgan.
Carlos Guerrero. Valerie Hodges. Steve Dorsey. Wendell Owens.
Maura Bennett. Toby Edwards. Mario Astorga. Bill Bennett.
Evidence Clerk. FBI Deputy Director Max Adams.
Valerie Castillo. Jeremy Downs. Carlos Fuentes. Javier 'El Sapo' Guzman.
Carissa Porter. Nathan Roberts. Little Chino. Yasmin Aragon. Officer Martinez. Little Brian.
Requisitions Officer. Federal Agent. Anchor Woman. Teenage Debra. Biggest Columbian /. TSA Agent #1 /.
Jandro Mendoza. Sister Daniels. Leo Hernandez.
Counter Guy /. Court Supervisor. Sketch Artist.
Timothy Brand. Melanie Garrett. Alex Timmons /. Matt Chambers.
Doakes' Mother. Funeral Director. Social Worker. Norberto Cervantez. Suzanna Coffey.
Jonathan Farrow. Sussman's Mother.
Rita's Lawyer. Jorge Castillo. Don of Miami Tribune. Eddie Noonan. Walter Kenney. Tyler Barnes.
Curtis Barnes. Lab Tech Asst #1. Benny's Lawyer. Andy Brightman.
Crisis Counselor. Laurel Mendell. Michael Angelo. Trisha Billings. Wayne Randall. Donna Randall.
Rita's Neighbor. Elderly Neighbor. Social Worker. Soto's Widow. Flashdrive Detective. Kyle Butler #1.
Lance Robinson. Paloma Aragon.
Stuart Frank. Street Vendor. Robert Brunner. Admissions Director. Lori Kirkwood.
Billy Fleeter. Stan Beaudry. Records Clerk. Heavyset Man. Rental Agent.
Father Nicholas Galway. Benjamin Caffrey.
Scott Solomon. Uniformed Officer. Special Agent Davis. Grant's Daughter. Matthew Braun. Fort Lauderdale Police Officer. Kara Simmons.
Paul's Debt Collector. Annoying Man. Police Officer. Jesse Whitaker.
Teegan Campbell. Marco Fuentes. FBI Agent Ross. First Deputy. Lead Forensic Tech. Medical Examiner.
Young Dexter. Young Waitress. Computer Analyst. Social Worker. Computer Tech.
Old Cuban Woman. Nathan Marten. Crime Scene Officer. Jesse Brightman. Neighbor Kid.
Female Club-Goer. Second Deputy. Alex Dubrozny. Gate Attendant. Off Duty Cop. Jane Saunders.
Indigent Man. Public Defender. Third Deputy. Security Guard. Angry Driver. Kyle Butler #2.
Playgroup Director. Agent Brenda Hubbard.
Board Commissioner. Vanessa Gayle. Phillip Novik. Blue-Collar Guy.
Latino Deputy. Court Files TV Reporter. Malcolm White.
Security Guard. Venezuelan Woman. College Male. Congenial Narrator. Andrew Garrett.
Female Witness. Strip Club Customer. Pierced Chick.
Morgue Attendant. Truck Driver. Court Official. Celeste Guerrero.
Desk Sergeant. Security Guard. Customs Officer.
Yoga Instructor. Deputy Russell. Judge Belford. Elena Mendoza. 17 Year Old Harrison. Amanda Garrett. Florencia Estrada.
Marina Master. Ticket Agent.
Male Witness. Paramedic #1. Dock Manager.
Rose Guerrero. Alexander Pryce. Wild Eyed Man. Woman Dancing. Attractive Woman.
Spencer Moore. Overweight Nanny. Bearded Toughguy. Maracas Woman.
Male Commentator. Half Conscious Woman. Desk Officer. Volunteer #1. Elderly Southern Nanny.
Cindy Landon. Captive Prostitute. Library Aide. Male Detective #1. Male News Show Host. Old Haitian Man.
Volunteer #2. Female TSA Attendant. Man With Glasses. Concerned Citizen. Attractive Woman #1. Desk Sergeant.
Male TSA Attendent. Nurse Jansen. Girl Swimming. Evidence Room Cop. Police Cadet. Attractive Woman #2. Uniformed officer.
Screaming Jogger. Carolyn Jillian. Uniformed Cop. Knife Vendor. Police Officer. Band Director Orquesta Brava. Frightened Lumberjack #1.
Santos Hamanes. Young Teacher. Trinity Killer Victim. Trinity Killer Victim.
Barrel Girl Victim. Erin (Stand In). Airport Traveler. Murder Victim. Michael Soderquist (uncredited). Miami Dade Police Officer (uncredited). Beth (uncredited).
Dancer (uncredited). Crime Scene Investigator (uncredited). Bertrand (uncredited). Barrel Girl Victim #11 (uncredited). Bar Patron /.
Medical Examiner Munoz (uncredited). Additional (uncredited). Beach Jogger /. Police Officer (uncredited). Murdered Drug Dealer /. Radio Reporter /.
Hotel Z Patron /. District Attorney (uncredited). Restaurant Patron /. Green Thong /. Forensic Technician in Leo's House /. Exotic Dancer (uncredited).
Mike Donovan (uncredited). Yearbook Editor (uncredited). Crime Scene Officer (uncredited). Police Detective (uncredited).
Detective (uncredited). Dead Victim (uncredited). Crackhead (uncredited). Young Debra (uncredited). Witness (uncredited).
Police Officer #1 (uncredited). Female Escort (uncredited).
Rollerblader (uncredited). Police Officer (uncredited). Bellhop (uncredited).
Wong (uncredited). Detective (uncredited). Girl In Bikini (uncredited). Juvenile Prisoner #1 (uncredited). Hotel Manager (uncredited). Concert Vendor (uncredited).
Police Officer (uncredited). Man On Cellphone (uncredited). Forensic Tech (uncredited).
Extra (uncredited). FBI Agent (uncredited). Bikini Girl (uncredited). Cody's Classmate (uncredited). The Executed (uncredited).
Himself (uncredited). Grieving Widow (uncredited). Dead Body #2 (uncredited). FBI Agent (uncredited). Cody's Classmate (uncredited). Walters (uncredited).
Beach Goer /. Dead Denny Foster (uncredited). Newsroom Atmosphere (uncredited). Morgue Victim (uncredited). Priest (uncredited). Festival Salsa Dancer (uncredited). Band Member: Drums (uncredited).
Band Member (uncredited). Hotel Housekeeper (uncredited). College Dad (uncredited). Lookout Kid on Bike (uncredited). Hot Sorority Girl (uncredited).
Asian Gangbanger (uncredited). Sorority Party Girl (uncredited). Stanley (uncredited). Lisa Morton (uncredited). Taco Stand Customer (uncredited). Baby Dexter Jr.
Cousin (uncredited). Classroom Kid (uncredited).
Frat Boy (uncredited). Band Member: Keyboard (uncredited). Band Member: Bass (uncredited). Stripper (uncredited). Doctor (uncredited). Woman in Housecoat (uncredited).
Hotel Guest (uncredited). Murder Victim (uncredited). Club Goer (uncredited). Band Member: Trombone (uncredited). Shannon (uncredited). Detective (uncredited).
Neighborhood Watch Member (uncredited). Anita Parente (uncredited).
Farrow Beauty (uncredited). Homeless Boy (uncredited). Cook at Sandwich Shop (uncredited). Nancy Moore (uncredited). Habitat for Humanity (uncredited). Pretty Woman (uncredited). Reporter (uncredited).
Widow (uncredited). Press Photographer (uncredited). Dead Child (uncredited). Boy (uncredited).
Arcade Fascination Game Player (uncredited). Confronted Venezolano (uncredited). Bartender (uncredited). Jordan's Assistant (uncredited). Seminar Attendee (uncredited).
Mario (uncredited). Barrel Girl Victim #5 (uncredited).