Series like Dexter

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Series like Dexter
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Dexter gives viewers knowledge his colleagues and family cannot be allowed to share. Hannibal creates another imbalance of information through psychological manipulation; Criminal Minds stays with investigators pursuing changing offenders. New Blood and Resurrection continue Dexter's own history and benefit more directly from familiarity with earlier events.

Reviewed recommendations are ordered by their editorial fit. Weak matches are omitted. Other suggestions come from community recommendations and rating similarity. Editors may also add individual recommendations.

Genres: DramaThrillerMysteryCrime
Available on: Paramount+ (May have changed. Report.)
Facts: First aired: 1 Oct 2006    Status: Ended    Runtime: 53 min
Dexter Morgan is a Miami-based blood spatter expert who doesn’t just solve murders; he commits them too. In fact, he’s a serial killer — but he only murders the guilty, so he feels justified with his lifestyle choices. His policewoman sister and his cop co-workers have no idea Dexter lives a double life; however…
(Source: TheTVDB)
Recommendations

Similar series

Hannibal

Hannibal

Strong match

FBI consultant Will Graham has an unusual ability to imagine how murderers think. Psychiatrist Hannibal Lecter helps him through a difficult investigation. Will initially has no idea that his new confidant has personal reasons for taking an interest in the cases.

(Source: Our own short synopsis)

Why this recommendation fits A respected professional hides murders while using his access to investigators to influence what they understand.

How does it differ from Dexter?

Hannibal centres manipulation between psychiatrist and profiler, with more elaborate visual stylisation and less direct access to the killer's thoughts.

(Source: Our editorial assessment)
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Dexter: New Blood

Dexter: New Blood

Strong match
Available on: Paramount+ (May have changed. Report.)

Dexter lives under another name in Iron Lake and tries to leave his former double life behind. The arrival of his son Harrison disrupts that careful routine. The self-control he has worked to maintain soon becomes harder to protect.

(Source: Our own short synopsis)

Why this recommendation fits Dexter's own history, habits and attempts to maintain self-control continue, making the connection more than a shared crime genre.

How does it differ from Dexter?

New Blood begins later in Iron Lake under a different name. His son's arrival disrupts the life he has built.

(Source: Our editorial assessment)
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Dexter: Resurrection

Dexter: Resurrection

Strong match
Available on: Paramount+ (May have changed. Report.)

Searching for his son Harrison brings Dexter to New York. There he must confront his own urge to kill alongside the life his son is building. The continuation follows his concealed double life into a different city.

(Source: Our own short synopsis)

Why this recommendation fits The continuation follows the same protagonist's concealed double life and his difficult relationship with Harrison.

How does it differ from Dexter?

Resurrection moves the story to New York and builds on earlier events, so it is less suited to starting without background knowledge.

(Source: Our editorial assessment)
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True Detective

True Detective

Strong match
Available on: Sky/WOW HBO Max (May have changed. Report.)

Each season follows different investigators working on a serious crime. Their enquiries expose conflicts and past mistakes in their own lives. As the case develops, the extent to which the work has shaped them becomes increasingly apparent.

(Source: Our own short synopsis)

Why this recommendation fits Murder exposes private damage and tests the moral certainty of people professionally involved with it.

How does it differ from Dexter?

True Detective generally stays with investigators and changes them between seasons. There is no permanent killer narrating his own routine.

(Source: Our editorial assessment)
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Criminal Minds

Criminal Minds

Strong match
Available on: Disney+ Paramount+ (May have changed. Report.)

An FBI team investigates serious violence through criminal profiling. Patterns in the crimes and the people involved help them identify those responsible. They travel to different locations and often have to act before another offence occurs.

(Source: Our own short synopsis)

Why this recommendation fits Patterns and physical evidence help explain repeated violent crimes, making an understanding of motive practically important.

How does it differ from Dexter?

Criminal Minds follows an FBI team pursuing changing offenders, keeping viewers primarily on the investigators' side.

(Source: Our editorial assessment)
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The Blacklist

The Blacklist

Partial match
Available on: Netflix Sky/WOW MagentaTV (May have changed. Report.)

Wanted criminal Raymond Reddington surrenders to the FBI and offers information about other criminals. He insists on working only with young agent Elizabeth Keen. His leads help solve cases, but his reasons for helping remain uncertain.

(Source: Our own short synopsis)

Why this recommendation fits A dangerous man knows how investigations operate and controls information while withholding important parts of his own history.

How does it differ from Dexter?

Reddington's criminal status is known to the FBI. Their negotiated cooperation differs from Dexter's concealed activity inside the police.

(Source: Our editorial assessment)
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Sherlock

Sherlock

Partial match
Available on: Disney+ MagentaTV (May have changed. Report.)

Sherlock Holmes and doctor John Watson share a London flat and investigate unusual crimes. Holmes sees connections others miss, but his behaviour often alienates people. Watson accompanies him on cases whose consequences become increasingly personal.

(Source: Our own short synopsis)

Why this recommendation fits Specialist observation changes how evidence is understood, while an unconventional protagonist struggles with personal closeness.

How does it differ from Dexter?

Sherlock follows those trying to identify criminals. Its central pleasure is explanation rather than watching a known killer avoid detection.

(Source: Our editorial assessment)
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Prison Break

Prison Break

Partial match
Available on: Disney+ (May have changed. Report.)

Michael Scofield believes his brother, who faces execution, is innocent. He arranges to enter the same prison with an escape plan already prepared. Inside, he must secure allies while his brother's time runs out.

(Source: Our own short synopsis)

Why this recommendation fits A hidden purpose governs everyday contact, and a small mistake can expose the plan to people nearby.

How does it differ from Dexter?

Michael's purpose is rescuing his brother. Prison Break turns secrecy into an escape story rather than a serial killer's routine.

(Source: Our editorial assessment)
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Homeland

Homeland

Partial match
Available on: Netflix Disney+ (May have changed. Report.)

CIA officer Carrie Mathison distrusts a soldier who returns to the United States after years in captivity. She suspects he has been recruited for an attack. Her investigation also puts her professional credibility and judgement under scrutiny.

(Source: Our own short synopsis)

Why this recommendation fits Official work overlaps with concealed interests, leaving colleagues and relatives unsure which account they can trust.

How does it differ from Dexter?

Homeland locates that tension in counterterrorism and international politics, without giving viewers Dexter's privileged knowledge of the offender.

(Source: Our editorial assessment)
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The Mentalist

The Mentalist

Partial match
Available on: Prime Video Netflix HBO Max (May have changed. Report.)

Former supposed psychic Patrick Jane now uses observation to help solve crimes. He assists a California investigation team while pursuing a personal goal. The serial killer Red John murdered his family, and Jane is determined to find him.

(Source: Our own short synopsis)

Why this recommendation fits A consultant works alongside homicide investigators while pursuing a private objective the official team cannot fully control.

How does it differ from Dexter?

Patrick Jane is hunting a killer rather than secretly being one. Many cases are lighter and more self-contained.

(Source: Our editorial assessment)
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Pretty Little Liars

Pretty Little Liars

Partial match
Available on: Prime Video Netflix HBO Max (May have changed. Report.)

After their friend Alison disappears, four schoolgirls receive messages signed by an unknown person calling themselves A. The sender knows their secrets. The friends try to identify whoever is threatening them and find out what happened to Alison.

(Source: Our own short synopsis)

Why this recommendation fits People conceal damaging information in ordinary life while observation and blackmail alter their relationships.

How does it differ from Dexter?

Pretty Little Liars follows young women facing an unknown opponent, with school and friendship sustaining the mystery.

(Source: Our editorial assessment)
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True Blood

True Blood

Partial match
Available on: HBO Max (May have changed. Report.)

Waitress Sookie Stackhouse can hear other people's thoughts. Meeting vampire Bill Compton introduces her to a world she did not know existed. In her Louisiana hometown, living alongside vampires creates new relationships and fierce disagreements.

(Source: Our own short synopsis)

Why this recommendation fits A dangerous way of life complicates human intimacy, and trust depends on how someone handles violence.

How does it differ from Dexter?

True Blood makes vampires publicly known and follows several relationships. The conflict is social rather than one man's concealed police routine.

(Source: Our editorial assessment)
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Revenge

Revenge

Partial match
Available on: Disney+ (May have changed. Report.)

A young woman moves to the Hamptons using the name Emily Thorne. She intends to punish the people who had her father wrongly imprisoned. Carrying out the plan requires her to gain entry to their wealthy social circle.

(Source: Our own short synopsis)

Why this recommendation fits The protagonist protects a respectable public identity while secretly pursuing a personal form of punishment.

How does it differ from Dexter?

Revenge targets particular people through access to wealthy society. Social intrigue takes precedence over Dexter's recurring choice of victims.

(Source: Our editorial assessment)
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Person of Interest

Person of Interest

Partial match
Available on: Netflix HBO Max (May have changed. Report.)

A reclusive billionaire recruits former CIA operative John Reese for an unusual task. A computer system supplies clues about future violence but initially identifies only people involved. They must work out who may be perpetrator or victim and intervene in time.

(Source: Our own short synopsis)

Why this recommendation fits Secret information about possible violent offenders raises questions about who has the right to intervene.

How does it differ from Dexter?

Reese and Finch try to prevent violence. Their starting purpose differs from Dexter's decision to carry out killings himself.

(Source: Our editorial assessment)
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Gotham

Gotham

Partial match

Young detective Jim Gordon wants to confront crime and corruption in Gotham. After Bruce Wayne's parents are murdered, he promises the boy answers. His investigations reveal how closely the police are connected to the city's powerful interests.

(Source: Our own short synopsis)

Why this recommendation fits Police and criminals share personal networks, and official authority does not guarantee moral integrity.

How does it differ from Dexter?

Gotham develops a whole comic-book city and future villains, using a broader ensemble rather than one concealed offender.

(Source: Our editorial assessment)
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FAQ

How are the recommendations for Dexter selected?

This list currently contains 4 direct community recommendations and 11 additional matches from rating similarity. Genres such as Drama, Thriller and Mystery help keep the fallback matches close to the starting series. Reviewed pairs are ranked by editorial fit; weak matches are left out. Within each fit level, direct community recommendations come first.

Where can I stream similar series?

13 of 15 similar series currently include streaming providers. You will most often find matching shows on Netflix (5), Disney+ (5) and HBO Max (5). Availability can change, so check the provider shown directly on each recommendation card.

Are there completed series like Dexter?

12 of 15 recommendations are marked as completed or ended. Examples: Hannibal, Dexter: New Blood and The Blacklist.