For viewers drawn to the dark allure of “Dexter,” numerous series explore similar themes of moral ambiguity, crime, and complex protagonists. The following selections capture elements of the show’s unique appeal.
**You** follows a dangerously obsessive bookstore manager who uses his intellect to insert himself into the lives of his love interests, eliminating anyone in his way.
**Hannibal** elevates the procedural to a gruesome art form, focusing on the complex relationship between an FBI profiler and the brilliant psychiatrist and cannibal, Dr. Hannibal Lecter.
**Barry** features a hitman attempting to leave his violent past behind by pursuing acting in Los Angeles, blending brutal violence with dark comedy.
**Killing Eve** centers on the cat-and-mouse game between a bored MI5 officer and a charismatic, unpredictable assassin, charged with mutual obsession.
**The Fall** is a tense psychological thriller starring Gillian Anderson as a detective hunting a methodical serial killer portrayed by Jamie Dornan.
**Mr. Mercedes** adapts Stephen King’s novel, depicting the chilling aftermath of a mass murder as a retired detective is taunted by the perpetrator.
**Prodigal Son** follows a criminal profiler whose expertise comes from a dark place: his father is an incarcerated serial killer.
**The Following** features a former FBI agent pulled back into duty to hunt a cult of serial killers orchestrated by a charismatic intellectual.
**Bates Motel** serves as a contemporary prequel to *Psycho*, exploring the twisted relationship between Norman Bates and his mother.
**Mindhunter** delves into the FBI’s early behavioral science unit in the late 1970s as agents interview imprisoned serial killers to understand their psychology.
**The Sinner** follows a detective who unravels the hidden motives behind seemingly ordinary people who commit sudden, violent acts.
**Luther** stars Idris Elba as a brilliant but tormented detective whose dedication to his work consumes his personal life.
**Riviera** offers a glamorous, sun-soaked thriller about an art curator thrust into a world of corruption and murder after her billionaire husband’s death.
**True Detective**, an anthology series, presents deeply philosophical and bleak crime stories, with its first season featuring a legendary performance by Matthew McConaughey.
**The Blacklist** features a former criminal mastermind who surrenders to the FBI, offering to help track down dangerous criminals on his mysterious list.