The original post: /r/television by /u/Spider_HyphenMan on 2025-08-29 23:30:46+00:00.
As a fan of the original series I knew what I was in for with this show. It’s a sequel show to a sequel show that had a definitive ending that was itself a sequel show to a different show that also had a definitive ending. it’s good entertainment, fun turn-your-brain-off shlocky, cheap tv thats predictable and goes down easy but is always satisfying and fun. But what baffles me is why is it consistently getting 8-9 star ratings on IMDb every week? I’m not dissing the show, I’m not taking a jab at it, I love Micheal C. Hall as Dexter, but so far
- They brought back Dexter from the dead despite the fact he was shot in the heart, and he recovers basically completely within the first 40 minutes of the show (the only repercussions are that he needs acupuncture every now and then)
- They explain away the fact that he was caught dead to rights by his ex (wife? girlfriend?) who is also a cop again within the first 30 minutes by having another cop come in and explain to him that essentially she just "called and said never mind"
- Have a rideshare serial killer named The Dark Passenger with a magic camera evading jacket that Dexter finds by befriending a rideshare driver who just so happens to know someone who just so happens to have met and just so happens to have survived meeting The Dark Passenger and just so happens to have footage of him that just so happens to have the logo of the company he works at on the aforementioned magic camera evading jacket. He does this all in like two days despite the fact that the police (including the superdetective who is able to “see things nobody else can” when it comes to murders by listening to “Stayin’ Alive” by the Bee Gees) are unable to find anything to do with him.
- The superdetective who is able to “see things that nobody else can” when it comes to murders by listening to “Stayin’ Alive” by the Bee Gees
- When Dexter infiltrates the dinner party for serial killers his ghost dad, and basically everyone else makes a point to mention that because it would be very suspicious and immediately obvious what’s happening if, after the new serial killer shows up, all the other the serial killers at the party start disappearing, Dexter should absolutely NOT just start killing everyone at the party. Dexter basically immediately starts killing everyone and for like 5 episodes all anyone really says is "wow, everyone has started disappearing immediately after you showed up… That’s so sad!"
- Given Dexter’s a new body disposal site which is a secret evil part of New York that is completely abandoned and "even the police don’t go to"
- Have Dexter murder The Gemini Killer in broad daylight and, as the other participants in the serial killer dinner party are 3-5 feet away from him, Dexter very clearly takes a trophy and sticks it in his back pocket (the one facing all the witnesses). not one single person (even the only one who’s suspicious of him) notices or comments on it, and they pretty much all believe Dexter was simply acting in self defense.
I’m not trying to mean or insult anyone who doesn’t find these aspects of the show silly, and again, I like the show too and am a fan (I’m not even one to complain about plot holes). I just find it strange that nobody is talking about the “bad parts” especially because they’re part of the fun for me. I am really enjoying this show not in spite of these things, but because of them. So my question is why is this earnest, dumb, shoot-for-the-upper-middle-and-hit-it-perfectly junk food television show getting breaking bad level reviews every week? is everyone really liking it as much as breaking bad, or have we hit finally hit “prestige TV fatigue”.