15 Great Shows To Watch If You Like ‘Dexter’ And Its Spinoffs

15. The Mentalist
Patrick Jane might come across like a psychic, but he is psychologically lethal. The genius doesn’t need to wield knives in back alleys, he can dissect minds with surgical precision. A former con artist turned consultant for the California Bureau of Investigation, Jane’s obsession with avenging his family’s murder mirrors Dexter’s own Dark Passenger. This isn’t just a procedural, it’s a chess game against evil, where every move could mean life or death.

14. Dr. Death
You won’t believe this actually happened, but Dr. Christopher Duntsch promised healing and delivered horror. ‘Dr. Death’ shreds the illusion of safety in sterile hospitals and replaces it with something far more sinister. Like Dexter, Duntsch blends in, which makes this killer terrifyingly real. But unlike Dexter, he doesn’t kill with purpose, only ego.

13. Sweetpea
She’s not your typical girl next door, unless you are picturing someone with an affinity towards murder with a side of sarcasm. Rhiannon is charming, funny, and deeply damaged. So, when life gets too loud, she doesn't scream, she slays. ‘Sweetpea’ mixes grim comedy with bloody release, echoing Dexter’s own struggle between mask and monster. It’s something like a catharsis.

12. The Punisher
The Punisher gave justice a new name, written in blood and brutality. Frank Castle is no avenger, he’s a demolition crew with a vendetta. If Dexter is a scalpel, Frank is a wrecking ball. But both men are driven by grief, using their unique brand of the “right thing” to silence the wicked. Jon Bernthal’s performance is magnetic, and gut-wrenching.

11. You
What if Dexter swiped right? Joe Goldberg is charming, bookish, and completely unhinged. He doesn’t just stalk people, he crafts entire narratives in his head to justify what he does to them. Just like Dexter, Joe’s voiceovers draw us into his twisted logic, making us question how far we’re willing to empathize with a monster “in love.”

10. The Sinner
Who is the murderer, and why? That’s only the beginning. Detective Harry Ambrose might be paid to solve crimes, but he unravels psyches. Each season of ‘The Sinner’ is a descent into the subconscious, peeling back layers of guilt, trauma, and impulse. Sound familiar? Dexter’s need to understand why he kills finds a spiritual sibling in Ambrose’s need to understand why anyone does.

9. Killing Eve
Two women, one obsession, and no rules whatesoever. Jodie Comer’s Villanelle is as playful as she is deadly. Imagine Dexter with a lipstick collection and zero remorse. And Sandra Oh’s Eve? She’s the hunter who can’t decide if she wants to catch the killer… or become her. Their cat-and-mouse game turns romantic, psychosexual, and utterly destructive.

8. Prodigal Son
Malcolm Bright was molded by his father—a notorious serial killer known as The Surgeon. Now an FBI profiler, Malcolm walks the tightrope between inherited darkness and the pursuit of justice. Yeah, he is hunting killers now. With a flair for the dramatic and a deep psychological undercurrent, ‘Prodigal Son’ cuts close to Dexter’s DNA.

7. Barry
Barry Berkman used to kill for money, but he is trying to be good now and eyeing an acting career. Yet, the bodies won’t stay buried. What starts as black comedy turns into a searing portrait of a man unraveling. The more our protagonist pretends to be normal, the more vicious he becomes. Well, Dexter would be able to relate.

6. Mr. Robot
Here’s a silent war, a lonely mind, and unimaginable digital darkness. Elliot Alderson hacks the world, but his real battle is internal. His brilliance is plagued by dissociative identity disorder and delusions. Elliot’s inner monologue feels ripped from Dexter’s own detached commentary. Stylish, cerebral, and laced with dread, ‘Mr. Robot’ is a show that’s as much about control as it is about collapse.

5. The Fall
‘The Fall’ gives us two minds, and one terrifying hunt. Stella Gibson is hunting a predator, and Paul Spector is living a double life. What unfolds is an icy slow-burn where every glance is loaded, every word deliberate. It’s a harrowing reminder that monsters wear suits, kiss their kids, and sleep beside you.

4. Mindhunter
Before Dexter, there were the men who studied killers like him. This is where profiling began. Holden Ford and Bill Tench sit across from America’s most famous criminals and ask: Why? From Edmund Kemper to Jerry Brudos, ‘Mindhunter' dives deep into the minds of real serial killers. Less bloody, but infinitely more disturbing, this is a masterclass in criminal psychology.

3. Ripley
Tom Ripley is no brute—he’s a master mimic, a chameleon. So, he doesn’t kill because he’s angry, his heinous acts don’t stem from a tortured soul…he kills because he can and it works. When given a chance to climb the social ladder, he takes it, no matter the cost. ‘Ripley’ is gorgeous, slow, and chilling. Andrew Scott’s performance is hypnotic, making you root for a man you’d run from in real life.

2. Bates Motel
You know about ‘Psycho,’ but are you familiar with mother? Norman Bates is still a boy, but the monster is waking. This prequel to Alfred Hitchcock’s classic is soaked in melodrama, psychological decay, and maternal manipulation. Freddie Highmore’s descent into madness mirrors Dexter’s origin story in horrific, intimate ways. And Vera Farmiga? She dominates in an unholy way.

1. Hannibal
This Mads Mikkelsen show is an exquisite nightmare. Dr. Hannibal Lecter doesn’t just kill, he creates. A gourmet chef with a taste for the forbidden, his relationship with profiler Will Graham is equal parts seduction, mentorship, and psychological opera. ‘Hannibal’ remains baroque, beautiful, and utterly terrifying.