If there were ever a TV show that left its viewers morally conflicted, it’s Dexter. The lead character, Dexter Morgan (Michael C. Hall), had a peculiar ability to convince audiences that the end justifies the means. So, despite being a cold-blooded serial killer, he was sure history would remember him favorably. Why? Because he had a “code” and a soothing voice that was meant to dampen the impact of his actions.
So, you spend eight seasons riding shotgun in his twisted mind, until you’re practically rooting for his askew sense of justice. This journey leaves a void that regular TV just can’t fill. If you’re looking for TV shows like Dexter, this list is for you. Here, the characters live in moral gray areas with very twisted logic. Buckle up, it’s about to get really, really dark here.
1. You (2019-2024)
Ever met a guy whose idea of romance is stalking? Meet Joe Goldberg (Penn Badgley), a smart bookstore manager who falls in love… if by “love” you mean manipulation, sadism, and murder. The whole show is his internal monologue, creepily calm and logical in the most unsettling way.
You leans into the same voiceover trick we saw in Dexter. Like Dexter, Joe convinces you that his actions are noble. You catch yourself nodding along to his twisted logic until your brain suddenly yells, “Wait, this guy’s a monster!” It’s dark, it’s slick, and Joe’s specific brand of crazy is so charming it’ll have you side-eyeing every seemingly nice person you meet.
2. Hannibal (2013-2015)
Hannibal pairs FBI profiler Will Gardner (Hugh Dancy) and Psychiatrist Hannibal Lecter (Mads Mikkelsen) in the most unconventional of partnerships. Will has a sharp mind that lets him get inside the heads of murderers, while Hannibal is his secret weapon… and greatest threat.
This one is all about style, control, and messed up codes. It’s even more conflicted, in that the titular character makes killing look like art… on a plate. If you loved the cat-and-mouse mind games in Dexter, this is that, but with more gourmet cooking and psychological torture.
3. Barry (2018-2023)
Barry Berkman (Bill Hader) is a depressed hitman for hire who tries to reinvent himself as an actor after stumbling into an acting class in LA. He sees it as his chance at a normal life, but… who’s he kidding? He keeps getting sucked back into his old life. As a result, the show swings from laugh-out-loud funny to “oh my God, did that just happen?” in seconds.
The titular character, Barry, and Dexter are cut from the same cloth in the sense that they’re both in denial. They think they can just box up their violence and live a happy life on the side (Spoiler: it never works). Like Dexter, Barry exposes the ridiculous fantasy of a “gentle killer.”
4. The Fall (2013-2016)
Set in Belfast, The Fall is a slow, quiet game of cat and mouse between Paul Spector (Jamie Dornan), a serial killer who’s also a grief counselor and dad, and Stella Gibson (Gillian Anderson), the dogged, ice-cold Police Superintendent hunting him. The genius is in the parallel storytelling, which includes a chilling scene from Season 1, Episode 2, “Dark Descent” where you watch Paul calmly read a bedtime story to his daughter, right after committing a murder.
The Dexter vibe here is all about the camouflage. Spector is not flashy with his kills. He’s patient and quiet, hiding behind the boring routine of a family man and professional. Like Dex blending in at Miami, Paul hides in plain sight. The horror here lies in the mundane, which makes the threat feel real, close, and deeply unsettling.
5. Mindhunter (2017-2019)
Adapted from the 1995 true-crime book Mindhunter: Inside the FBI’s Elite Serial Crime Unit by John E. Douglas and Mark Olshaker, the Series focuses on FBI agents Holden Ford (Jonathan Groff) and Bill Trench (Holt McCallany), along with psychologist Wendy Carr (Anna Torv). They come up with a radical idea: to catch serial killers, they have to understand how they think. So what do they do? They start interviewing real-life imprisoned monsters, such as Edmund Kemper, played by Cameron Britton.
This is the origin story of profiling. If you ever wondered about the real-world science behind a mind like Dex’s, this is your show. Dexter spent a lot of time questioning his own “Dark Passenger.” Mindhunter studies the passenger from the outside. It’s less gore and more chilling conversations, with the killer doing most of the talking, explaining their “work.” The central conflict is the emotional cost of staring into the abyss for too long, which is what haunted Dexter in the later seasons of the show.
6. Bates Motel (2013-2017)
This is the story of how Norman Bates, played by the very talented Freddie Highmore, became the deadly character in Alfred Hitchcock‘s Psycho. You watch a sensitive kid slowly unravel because of a twisted relationship with his mother, Norma (Vera Farmiga). Ever watched a car crash in slow motion? If you have, then you know it’s near impossible to look away.
That’s what watching this show feels like. It works because, like Dexter, you know it can’t possibly end well. You know Norman becomes a legendary killer. But, here the awful, fascinating tension comes from watching this sweet kid you sympathize with take one small step after another toward that inevitable, destructive fate.
7. Prodigal Son (2019-2021)
Malcolm Bright (Tom Payne) is a gifted criminal profiler whose best tool is the uncanny ability to get inside the mind of the killers he hunts. But there’s a reason for that uncanny ability: he’s the son of imprisoned serial killer Dr. Martin Whitly, aka “The Surgeon” (Michael Sheen). He visits his dad in prison for help on cases, while constantly fighting the fear that he’s just like his old man.
This is the “nature vs nurture” debate in Dexter turned into a family drama. Malcolm’s whole life is a battle against the darkness in his blood. And every case forces him to ask if he’s a hunter because of his father, or if he’s slowly turning into the very thing he hunts. The tension is messy and addictive.
8. Mr. Robot (2015-2019)
Mr. Robot isn’t necessarily about murder and serial killers, but it might as well be because the lead, Elliot Anderson (Rami Malek), is just as unhinged as Dexter. He’s a genius hacker with serious social anxiety who’s recruited by an anarchist known as Mr. Robot (Christian Slater) to take down an evil corporation. But even as he talks directly to viewers, Elliot’s just as unreliable as a power supply during a storm. He’s hiding things from you and from himself.
Like Dexter, this show’s about hidden selves and the chaos that erupts when those identities start to fight for control. The voiceover is everything because it helps you understand that the real danger is not from any gun or knife. It’s in the fractured mind of a genius hacker.
9. Sweetpea (2024-Present)
Based on C.J. Skuse’s 2017 novel, Sweetpea stars Ella Purnell in the lead role of Rhiannon Lewis. She’s a kind administrative assistant who becomes tired of playing nice and getting nowhere. After a lifetime of being made to feel invisible by just about… everyone, she snaps and discovers a taste for revenge. And let’s just say things escalate… fast.
This British series wholly embraces Dexter’s rush to break the rules and feel powerful. Rhiannon, like Dex, is most alive when she’s doing the things she shouldn’t. All in all, her performance portrays a raw, angry look at how quickly “I was pushed too far” can become “actually, this is who I am now.”
10. Luther (2010-2019)
DCI John Luther (Idris Elba) is a brilliant but broken London detective. He cares deeply about justice, to the point that he sometimes breaks the rules to get it. What’s more, he doesn’t just chase monsters; he understands them because he thinks like them.
Luther is who Dexter could have been if he were on the “right” side of the law… but barely. He has the same obsessive focus, the same inner darkness, and the same willingness to use ugly methods for a good cause. That unstable, electric balance is what makes the show so thrilling to watch. You’re never quite sure if Luther will save the day or become the day’s biggest problem.
So, which twisted mind are you visiting first? Pick your poison, dive into the gray moral area, and let us know which one hooks you best in the comments.
