10 TV Moments That Were Almost WAY Darker

10. Dexter’s Death - Dexter

Dexter wasn’t a show wanting for dark content, given that its smooth-talking charmer of a protagonist was, well, a serial killer who targeted other, more depraved serial killers. That’s pretty much as dark a pitch as any television writer could conceive, but the show nonetheless managed to close on a bizarrely cheery note, with the titular protagonist evading responsibility for his actions and no one in his life ever being the wiser.

Remember Lumberjack Dexter? What a time to be alive, real Dex-heads recall pulling their hair out in frustration.

If it feels jarring compared to the rest of the show’s tone, that’s because it is. Original showrunner Clyde Philips, who brought the show to life, had envisioned Dexter not only caught but sentenced to death for his years of gruesome crimes. He had hoped to end the show with a ghostly group of Dexter’s victims watching him die via lethal injection, a sombre note which would have made far more sense given the dark tone of the show itself.

However Philips exited the show after its fourth season, leaving the series to end on this unexpectedly upbeat note and leave fans furious.