Nov

20

Dexter’s competition

Posted by dexterfan

November 20, 2008 |

Cable is definitely where it’s at when it comes to television. Except for The Simpsons, I don’t watch any show on network television with regularity.

On cable, of course, I watch Dexter religiously, even when the show starts to bug me, as it is now. Still, it’s an hour I look forward to each week.

But if I wasn’t watching Dexter, what would I tune in to? Glad you asked. Here are the very few shows that I think are actually better than the adventures of America’s favorite serial killer.

1. The Wire: OK, technically I know that this show isn’t on anymore. But this is probably the most gripping series I’ve ever watched. By the time the show wound down its five years, you felt like you knew every character, and there wasn’t a cardboard cutout in the bunch. The fate of the schoolkids introduced in season four — only one of which managed to truly escape the mean streets of Baltimore — was amazingly heartbreaking. I was amazed at some characters’ redemptions and other characters’ complete lack of moral compasses. But, yes, the show’s not on anymore. I’m re-watching the episodes on DVD.

2. Battlestar Galactica: If you’re only familiar with the cheesey 1978 version of the show, you have no idea what you’re missing. The new Galactica does feature some amazing special effects. But the battle scenes and space flights are not the stars of this show. Instead, much like the Wire, it’s the characters that remain with you long after each episode ends. The characters in this show make life-and-death decisions in each episode. And it never gets old.

3. The Shield: Here’s another violent, gritty, memorable cop show. Of course, Michael Chiklis, as corrupt cop Vic Mackey, is both endearing and horribly, horribly hateful. Here’s a cop who’s both worse and better than the criminals he chases down.

4. Dr. Who: Again, the new version of this science-fiction show blows away the older versions, in my humble opinion. David Tennant is the most charming, yet rather dark at times, Dr. Who I can remember. And his sidekicks, starting, of course, with Rose, the woman the good doctor loves, are all memorable. Check it out, even if you’ll feel like a geek afterwards.

5. Torchwood: This spinoff of Dr. Who is a bit more violent, a bit more sexy than the doctor’s show. The show mashes genres together — historical romances, slasher horror, science fiction, westerns and erotica — to come up with a unique mood all its own. The show has improved immensely following a sometimes sluggish first season.

There you have it, five shows that can give Dexter a run for its money. Of course, I’ll never abandon Michael C. Hall and the rest of the gang. But a little competition never hurts.


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