Dexter is a TV show about a friendly, personable serial killer. As if to relieve the concerns of vocal people who have trouble separating others' taste in fiction from their real life desires, he only kills other serial killers, allowing viewers to empathise with him without feeling too guilty. If you haven't already been put off by the premise, you're in for a treat.
I've enjoyed watching Dexter, but more than that, as an aspiring writer, I feel it's raised the bar. It's one of the few modern TV shows, along with Lost, that actually seems better than most films, finally elevating television to a truly respectable medium. As little as they otherwise have in common, both shows use extensive flashbacks to reveal a gripping backstory one piece at a time, teasing the viewer with each new piece of the puzzle.
The humour is dark and very enjoyable for those with a taste for it, a welcome break after sugar-sweet sitcoms that leave you unfulfilled.
For the first season, Dexter's writers pretty closely followed the first novel in the series, but they didn't just copy it. They embellished it. They expanded upon ideas. They fleshed out throwaway, forgettable characters into well rounded, interesting people. Little details add up to make the show more interesting and realistic, such as Dexter's struggle to spot metaphorical speech. For subsequent seasons, I didn't even waste my time reading the books. The show's so good that being told the story in another medium would seem redundant.
The first season is consistently enjoyable, ending with a satisfying climax which leaves you wondering where the next season could possibly take you. Somehow, the plot for the second season is even better than the first.
If you like dark fiction, this TV show is one I wholeheartedly recommend.