After debuting in 2006, Dexter wrapped its authentic sequence run in 2013. Throughout its course, the present garnered a devoted following. Its impression has solely grown since. Due to streaming, the vigilante serial killer has attracted a complete new era of followers through the years. Dexter has additionally spawned a franchise that features three sequence: New Blood, Authentic Sin, and Resurrection, with an untitled spin-off based mostly on the Trinity Killer on the best way.
Dexter Morgan (Michael C. Corridor) has proved folks’s fascination with the psychology of homicide and people who kill. Practically 20 years later, and that also hasn’t modified, nor will it ever. For those who’re a Dexter fan who’s craving extra darkish leisure with a cold-blooded murderer-centric present, this record has you lined with an important collection of choices.
Dexter
- Launch Date
-
2006 – 2013-00-00
- Community
-
Showtime
- Showrunner
-
Clyde Phillips
These are the ten finest exhibits about serial killers since Dexter. Some immerse you within the thoughts of a disturbed psyche, others make you root for an antihero, and some additionally place deal with the detective making an attempt to cease the hunter.
10
‘Bates Motel’ (2013 – 2017)
Though Bates Motel is introduced as a prequel to Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho, it is set within the modern-day. The sequence opens with a teenage Norman Bates (Freddie Highmore) and his mom Norma, performed by the gifted Vera Farmiga, transferring to the fictional White Pine Bay, Oregon, the place they open the eponymous motel. Like Norman, the city hides risks and secrets and techniques beneath its floor. Depicting Norman’s youth and his obsessive, virtually oedipal relationship together with his mom, the present paints a chilling portrayal of how the serial killer got here to be.
An Atmospheric, Addictive Origin Story
Bates Motel is an element thriller and half melodrama, making for a gripping watch. Each Highmore and Farmiga give excellent, phenomenal performances. A pre-Home of the Dragon Olivia Cooke stars as Emma Decody, Norman’s solely shut pal, in a job that confirmed that she was a star within the making. Viewers who recognize a glimpse right into a disturbed psyche, in addition to a narrative heavy on environment, can be dazzled by this sequence.
9
‘The Fall’ (2013 – 2017)
Earlier than Jamie Dornan enchanted viewers in Fifty Shades of Gray, he performed Paul Spector, a household man with a disturbed, darkish facet. By day, he is a median Joe, charming even. By night time, he stalks and targets skilled girls, incomes himself a status because the Belfast Strangler. Starring reverse him is The X-Information‘ very personal Gillian Anderson, whose character, DSI Stella Gibson, works with the Police Service of Northern Eire (PSNI) to seize him and put an finish to his ruthless killing.
An Addictive Cat-and-Mouse Dynamic
Like Dexter, The Fall makes you consider what number of instances in your life you will have bumped right into a seemingly regular one that was really a serial killer. The cat-and-mouse dynamic between Paul and Gibson ultimately evolves into one thing way more private because the sequence progresses. Viewers will recognize the look into the psychology behind the assassin’s actions. Not solely does it journey inside his thoughts, however it additionally goes inside Gibson’s, with the story unfolding from two very completely different views.
8
‘Hannibal’ (2013 – 2015)
Hannibal
- Launch Date
-
2013 – 2014
- Community
-
NBC
NBC’s Hannibal drew inspiration from Thomas Harris’ novels, Crimson Dragon (1981), Hannibal (1999), and Hannibal Rising (2006). Hugh Dancy stars because the sensible prison profiler Will Graham, whose unbelievable potential to empathize places him into the minds of murderers. After he is tapped by the FBI to assist find a killer, his superiors make him work with the psychiatrist Dr. Hannibal Lecter, performed fantastically by Mads Mikkelsen, to assist handle the stress from the case. Little does he know that the well-mannered and cultured man sitting in entrance of him is a cannibalistic serial killer. Their evolving relationship types the spine of the sequence.
A Gorgeously Poetic Psychological Crime Thriller
The multifaceted Hannibal is without doubt one of the best and most lovely items of tv, each aesthetically and narratively. The present is meticulously crafted, with gorgeous visuals and imagery. This work transforms gore into one thing ethereal and beautiful. The dynamic between Will and Lecter is completely fascinating. As the story progresses, Lecter’s obsession with Will pushing Will’s boundaries grows, and viewers can not help however love to look at.
Associated
The ten Greatest TV Reveals About Serial Killers of All Time
From community tv, to sequence solely obtainable on streaming, these are the ten finest serial killer exhibits of all time.
7
‘Mindhunter’ (2017 – 2019)
Mindhunter
- Launch Date
-
2017 – 2019
- Showrunner
-
Joe Penhall
Loosely tailored from the non-fiction e-book Mindhunter: Contained in the FBI’s Elite Serial Crime Unit, this Netflix sequence comes from the thoughts of the legendary director David Fincher. Set between 1977 and 1982, it dramatizes the real-life interviews with serial killers that performed a major position in growing the psychological prison profiling that’s used to determine murderers as we speak. Particular Agent Holden Ford (Jonathan Groff) groups up with the pinnacle of the FBI’s newly fashioned Behavioral Science Unit, Invoice Tench (Holt McCallany), and psychologist Wendy Carr (Anna Torv) to review perpetrators and cease others.
An Unimaginable Mix of Fiction and True Crime
The present provides Dexter Morgan a run for his cash, chillingly and fascinatingly portraying notorious killers like Edmund Kemper, Montie Rissell, Charles Manson, Davis Berkowitz (Son of Sam), Richard Speck, Dennis Rader (BTK), and others. Sadly, the sequence ended on a cliffhanger on account of funds constraints. Regardless of its cancellation, it is value a watch. Not too long ago, its return was teased with information of potential motion pictures wrapping up the story.
6
‘Des’ (2020)
Des
- Launch Date
-
2020 – 2019
- Community
-
ITV
-
-
Daniel Mays
Dennis Nilsen
-
Jason Watkins
Ivan Lawrence QC
Des relies on the real-life arrest and conviction of one in every of Britain’s most infamous serial killers, Dennis Nilsen, who killed not less than 15 boys and younger males, with a further seven tried murders, between the late Seventies and early Eighties. When the fictional Chief Inspector Peter Jay (Daniel Mays) investigates human stays clogging the drains in North London’s Cranleigh Gardens, it results in Des’ instant confession. Biographer Brian Masters (Jason Watkins) tries to grasp his monstrous conduct. The three-episode miniseries retroactively tells the story of his murders and apprehension by way of interviews with him and his surviving victims.
A Compelling Crime Drama
The good David Tennant gained the Worldwide Emmy Award for Greatest Actor, and was extensively praised for his efficiency because the cold-blooded assassin. Des stands out towards exhibits like Ryan Murphy’s Monster, which sensationalize homicide and revenue off the trauma of victims and their households. As a substitute, the restricted sequence takes a way more victim-centric focus, choosing sensitivity in its portrayal of the investigation and trial.
5
‘You’ (2018 – 2025)
Based mostly on Caroline Kepnes’ e-book sequence, You stars Penn Badgley as Joe Goldberg, one in every of tv’s most charming serial killers. The sequence opens with him working at a bookstore in New York, the place he meets Guinevere Beck (Elizabeth Lail), turning into completely obsessed along with her. Considering himself as some form of hero, he infiltrates her life, murdering these he deems as holding her again and standing between them. All through the present’s five-season run, Joe falls in love with others, stalking and killing his method into their hearts.
One among Netflix’s Most Fashionable Collection
Like Dexter, You options the interior monologue of a serial killer hiding in plain sight. The hit Netflix sequence turned a cultural phenomenon, gaining tens of millions of followers worldwide. Viewers have been hooked on being immersed within the psyche of such a disturbed and obsessive particular person. Whereas watching him escape detection for his crimes is thrilling, the present’s most chilling side is the way it exhibits that the worst of males are adept at hiding behind a sort and charming facade. Joe, like many “soft-boy misogynists,” is a “control-hungry goblin underneath a nice-guy smile.”
Associated
10 TV Reveals That Are a Lot Like ‘Dexter’
For followers craving extra serial-killer-centric exhibits with morally advanced protagonists who additionally occur to be dwelling twin lives.
4
‘Ragdoll’ (2021)
Ragdoll
- Launch Date
-
2021 – 2020
- Community
-
AMC+
- Administrators
-
Niall MacCormick
-
Amita Dhiri
Deputy Commissioner Vanita
-
-
Natasha Little
Andrea Wyld
-
Paul McEwan
Richard Brown
This six-episode London-set thriller stars Lucy Hale (Fairly Little Liars) as Lake Edmunds, a former New Jersey cop turned DC. The American recruit works alongside newly reinstated detective sergeant Nathan Rose (Henry Lloyd-Hughes), whose error led to the notorious Cremation Killer going free, and his boss, DI Emily Baxter (Thalissa Teixeira), to research the homicide of six individuals who have been dismembered and sewn collectively to resemble a ragdoll. When the Ragdoll sends the police an inventory of a brand new set of victims, it contains Rose’s title, and he turns into satisfied his work is linked to the Cremation Killer.
A Good Mixture of Humor and the Grotesque
Based mostly on the novel of the identical title by Daniel Cove, this AMC+ restricted sequence is produced by the identical crew behind Killing Eve. Hale delivers a very sturdy efficiency, in a job in contrast to something she’s performed earlier than. Lloyd-Hughes and Teixeira have lovely on-screen chemistry. There’s a number of darkish humor within the dynamic between the three detectives, which helps lighten the temper. For those who’re in search of one thing fast-paced and gripping to look at that does not require you to speculate a number of your time, that is it.
3
‘The Chestnut Man’ (2021)
This critically acclaimed miniseries relies on Søren Sveistrup’s novel of the identical title. The Danish crime drama begins in 1987 with the ugly homicide of a complete household on a distant farm. Leaping to present-day Copenhagen, a younger girl is discovered underneath eerily related circumstances, with a small chestnut figurine left on the crime scene. Danica Ćurčić (Secrets and techniques We Maintain) stars as Naia Thuling, a detective who works alongside her accomplice Mark Hess (Mikkel Boe Følsgaard) on the case, uncovering long-hidden secrets and techniques.
A Grim and Haunting Scandinavian Thriller
The Nordic noir, which options ugly violence, is not for the faint of coronary heart. However in the event you like your exhibits darkish and brutal, you may take pleasure in this thriller. The Chestnut Man attracts you in with its environment, foreboding tone, and chilling plot twists. With current information of a standalone sequel being on the best way in 2026, now’s the proper time to test it out.
Associated
The 20 Biggest Serial Killer Motion pictures Ever Made
A few of these tales are fictional, whereas others are based mostly on real-life figures. However they’re all important motion pictures re: serial killers.
2
‘Sweetpea’ (2024 – Current)
Sweetpea
- Launch Date
-
October 10, 2024
- Community
-
Starz
The good Ella Purnell, recognized for Yellowjackets and Fallout, government produces and stars on this British sequence tailored from CJ Skuse’s e-book of the identical title. The mousy Rhiannon Lewis, dubbed Sweetpea by her condescending boss, is a younger girl who has by no means recovered from the trauma of the extraordinary bullying she confronted rising up. She lives an remoted life, working a mind-numbing job and taking good care of her ailing father. When he dies, it plunges her world into disarray and sends her bully Julia Blenkinsoop (Nicôle Lecky) again into her orbit, main Rhiannon down a murderous path.
A Prime Instance of a Likable Serial Killer
The delightfully twisted darkish comedy will remind viewers of Dexter. Even earlier than Rhiannon kills, she’s continually cataloging a operating record of the folks she’d prefer to homicide. Her whimsically disturbing interior monologue grips and fascinates to no finish. Though she’s received blood on her fingers, because the viewer, you possibly can’t assist however root for her. For Rhiannon, homicide is a strategy to regain management of her life and discover self-empowerment. Like Gone Lady‘s Amy Dunne and the long-lasting Carrie White, she’s a personality who may have many supporting girls’s rights and wrongs.
1
‘The Creep Tapes’ (2024 – Current)
The Creep Tapes differs massively from different entries on this record in that it is shot in discovered footage fashion and it is a spinoff of a movie, Patrick Bice and Mark Duplass’ 2014 horror film Creep, which was adopted by Creep 2 in 2017. The Shudder sequence brings again the eccentric serial killer referred to as Peachfuzz (Duplass), who lures his victims underneath false pretenses to movie him, solely to kill them and seize it on digital camera.
A Actual Sicko
Every of the present’s six half-hour episodes encompasses a completely different sufferer. The Creep Tapes is each deeply unsettling and insanely enjoyable. Horror followers will particularly take a liking to the sequence. The masked Peachfuzz is without doubt one of the most unnerving and unhinged serial killers on TV. A second season is on the best way, so now’s time to look at the flicks and make amends for the primary season.