Do we like them?

Do we like Dexter Morgan?

A character from Dexter (2006–2013)

Our score: 3 out of 10. Charming, funny and weirdly easy to root for, but he's a serial killer who plays judge and jury. We'd enjoy his company, but we wouldn't give him a key.

Dexter Morgan works for the Miami Metro Police Department, analysing blood spatter at crime scenes. He is polite, a bit awkward and good at blending in. In private he is a serial killer. His adoptive father Harry, a cop, spotted the urge early and taught him a code. Dexter may only kill people who are guilty and who will otherwise go free. He is careful to leave no trace.

The series is a dark comedy-thriller. We hear Dexter's inner voice as he imitates normal emotions, and the show asks how far we'll side with a man who does terrible things for what look like good reasons. He is clever, funny and often kind to his family and friends. That makes it easy to cheer for him, and easy to forget what he actually does.

We score him a 3. He does some real good by removing killers the law couldn't catch, but he is still a killer, and his lies hurt the people who trust him. The code is self-serving, and the people closest to him pay for it.

Over the years the damage reaches his loved ones, and the show makes clear that the code was never as clean as he claimed. The sequels pick up the question of whether he can change, or whether he just keeps finding new reasons to carry on.