8 Thrilling Crime Series to Watch After Dexter: Resurrection

With Dexter: Resurrection’s first season complete, crime series fans are left seeking a new antihero to follow. This sequel series recaptured much of the original’s dark charm, but until a season 2 is confirmed, viewers will need another thrilling show to fill the gap and satisfy their craving for morally complex storytelling.

Part of the appeal of Dexter has always been his attempts to carry out the Code of Harry while also leading a seemingly normal life to those around him. When a great season comes to an end, it can often be difficult to find something that fills that gap, but all these shows offer something special to Dexter fans.

The Fall (2013 – 2016)

The Fall is a crime series set in Northern Ireland that features 50 Shades of Grey star Jamie Dornan as a serial killer, with The X-Files’ Gillian Anderson as the no-nonsense superintendent tasked with bringing him down. With the killer Paul Specter murdering women around Belfast, this thrilling game of cat-and-mouse was characterized by strong writing and great performances.

Much in the same way Dexter showcased how its killer lived by a strict code to contain his Dark Passenger, The Fall depicted Paul as a family man with a wife and child. Running for three incredible seasons, this bingeable series was a slow-burning psychological thriller that maintained its tension throughout.

Hannibal (2013 – 2015)

Although most will be familiar with Anthony Hopkins’ Oscar-winning performance as Dr. Hannibal Lecter in The Silence of the Lambs, Mads Mikkelsen offered audiences a new take on the character in Hannibal. This stylish series reimagined characters from Thomas Harris’s Red Dragon novel with psychological depth and visual flair.

Hannibal focused on the relationship between FBI profiler Will Graham and the secret serial killer and cannibal Hannibal Lecter. This dynamic may resonate with Dexter fans, who watched him conceal his murderous nature behind a respectable career as a blood-spatter analyst at Miami Metro in the original series.

You (2018 – 2025)

A big part of the appeal of Dexter was that, even though its title character was a killer, viewers were often taken in by his charismatic charm. This was also the case for You, which starred Gossip Girl’s Penn Badgley as the obsessive and bookish killer Joe Goldberg, whose desire for love often leads to death and murder.

With the same internal monologue narration as Dexter, You allowed viewers to enter Joe’s mind as he justified and rationalized his own twisted logic. Joe’s obsession with several different women across the series always made for thrilling viewing, as everyone who entered his life eventually came to regret it.

Bates Motel (2013 – 2017)

While Dexter may be one of the most well-known fictional serial killers of all time, his reputation pales in comparison to the original slasher killer, Norman Bates. Although viewers first met Norman in Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho, the contemporary prequel series Bates Motel expanded upon his backstory and complex relationship with his mother.

Just as Dexter tried to contain and bury his dark impulses, Freddie Highmore’s exceptional performance of a young Norman highlighted a teenager who struggles with psychological problems and a fractured personality. As a delightfully uncomfortable exploration of unusual family dynamics, Bates Motel actually managed to live up to the lofty expectations of its source material.

The Serpent (2021)

One miniseries that proves the truth is often stranger than fiction is The Serpent, a co-production between the BBC and Netflix. Telling the story of a French serial killer conning and murdering backpackers on the hippie trail through Asia during the 1970s, this was based on the real killer Charles Sobhraj, who killed at least 20 tourists.

The Serpent featured an incredible lead performance from Tahar Rahim, with Billy Howle adding humanity to the story as the Dutch diplomat who makes it his mission to uncover the truth. This highly underrated series provided truly nail-biting viewing, all the more shocking given the knowledge that it was all actually true.

Breaking Bad (2008 – 2013)

Although Breaking Bad’s Walter White wasn’t a typical serial killer, his descent into becoming a ruthless meth cook and drug kingpin showed how even the most unassuming person could be driven to embrace their darkest impulses. As a complex antihero whom audiences somehow still root for, there’s a lot of comparison to be made between Walter and Dexter.

Both series feature protagonists who lead double lives and whose carefully constructed existence is always just on the verge of total collapse. With antiheroes who are always hiding from family, friends, and law enforcement, both Breaking Bad and Dexter scratch the same itch.

Barry (2018 – 2023)

As a surprisingly complex and dramatic turn from comedian Bill Hader, Barry was a series that, much like Dexter, featured a protagonist leading a double life. As a contract killer who’s also trying to carve out a successful career as an actor, Barry balanced tension and comedy to create a psychological thriller that felt unique and exciting.

With a great supporting cast, including Happy Days’ Henry Winkler as Barry’s acting coach, Barry was one of the best HBO series of recent years. Much in the same way Dexter’s morality has evolved and grown over the years, Barry too became morally conflicted as he found meaning and purpose outside of killing while struggling to escape his violent past.

Dexter: Original Sin (2024 – 2025)

Image via Paramount+

It’s no secret that the original Dexter series ended on a low note as viewers were left frustrated by Lumperjack Dexter and a lackluster finale. While there was an attempt to make up for past mistakes with Dexter: New Blood, it was the prequel series Dexter: Original Sin that best recaptured the essence of what made the original so great to begin with.

With Michael C. Hall returning to narrate his iconic internal monologue, Patrick Gibson tapped into the core of this character through his outstanding performance as young Dexter getting started at Miami Metro. While it was disappointing Dexter: Original Sin wasn’t renewed for a second season, it stands as a wonderful offshoot whose success helped pave the way for Dexter: Resurrection.

Dexter: Resurrection

9/10

Release Date

July 13, 2025

Network

Paramount+ with Showtime

Directors

Marcos Siega

Writers

Scott Buck