Few televisions shows have ever been as unique or inventive as Dexter . The incredible simple concept of a serial killer who only kills other serial killers, was as alluring as it was exciting .
It’s been more than seven years since we last heard or saw anything of Dexter Morgan. Get reacquainted with these 10+ Dexter behind-the-scenes secrets that fans didn’t know!
1. David Zayas has a lot in common with Angel Batista.
David enlisted in the airforce when he was only 19-years-old. Shortly thereafter, he became a police officer with the NYPD.
Acting, as he describes, was always a childhood dream but never something he thought possible for himself.
2. John Lithgow doesn’t believe that the Trinity Killer is pure evil.
John has said that one of the things that initially drew him to the character was the element of inner-conflict. John likened Trinity to an evil man who wishes he wasn’t so.
Almost like a mirrored version of Dexter, but in a more extreme way.
3. Michael C. Hall was hesitant to do another TV role.
Before Dexter , Michael was best known for his work on Six Feet Under and was hoping to begin exploring features.
When the script for Dexter came across his desk, he was drawn to the uniqueness of the character and knew it was something he had to do.
4. Yvonne Strahovski isn’t exactly thrilled with how things left off.
Yvonne played Dexter’s serial-murdering love interest, Hannah McKay . During an interview with Collider, Yvonne admitted that she thought for sure her character would be killed off.
And that the show’s ultimate conclusion left an all-around bad taste in her mouth.
5. Jennifer Carpenter wasn’t happy with Deb’s death.
The only thing that Jennifer didn’t want was for Deb to die at Dexter’s hand.
If she had her pick, ironically, Jennifer has said that she would have chosen to have Deb kill herself.
6. *Dexter* is based on a book!
The first novel is titled ” Darkly Dreaming Dexter ,” and the first season follows it perfectly. It’s one of those rare examples where the TV show is actually better than the book.
At least, in my humble opinion.
7. Showtime refused to allow Dexter to be killed.
It would appear that the only people interested in seeing Dexter walk away unscathed were the network executives.
Producer John Goldwyn has said that he fought hard for a number of alternative endings, all of which were shot down.
8. Dexter and Deb were married in real-life.
That’s right, Michael C. Hall and Jennifer Carpenter were married in 2008 and divorced three years later.
Which made working with one another all the more uncomfortable, especially since it was right around then that Dexter and Deb began exploring their on-screen relationship.
9. Deb swears — a lot.
According to one dedicated fan count, Debra Morgan says the f-word an astounding 996 times over the course of the series.
Seriously — 996 times?! Did they realize how close they were to 1000 or did they just not care?
10. Dexter Morgan has killed a lot of people.
It’s a bit of a redundant statement, I know. But according to fan counts and sites, Dexter has killed at least 135 people over the course of the show’s eight seasons.
If he really existed, that would make him one of the most prolific serial killers of all time.
11. John Lithgow thinks that Dexter and Tony Soprano should have dinner together.
Can you imagine the stories these two could tell!? John has said that both Michael C. Hall and James Gandolfini understand the duality to their characters.
They embrace the darkness as opposed to running from it.
12. Michael C. Hall wanted Dexter to die.
Michael has admitted that he has mixed feelings about Dexter’s end. On the one hand, he says that he can understand how the idea of exile would be torture in its own right.
But on the other, he sometimes wishes that Deb (or anyone else, for that matter) offed him.
13. Julie Benz was one of the last people to find out that Rita would be killed-off.
It was an incredibly tight-lipped set. Julie claims to have only found out about her character’s death an hour before the script was released.
She’s said that she didn’t learn how she would be killed until an hour before they shot the scene.
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Before filming began, Julie decided to have a little fun with the cast.
Julie made a styrofoam tombstone that said R.I.P. and floated in the bathtub as a joke. She was trying to break the tension and add a bit of relief to what was an incredibly tense and emotional day.
14. The show has spawned at least one real-life copycat.
Mark Twitchell became known as the Dexter Killer . He lured and murdered Johnny Altinger in an eerily identical fashion to how Dexter dispatches his would-be victims.
He is currently serving a life sentence for his crime.
