Number of seasons: 8 Number of seasons it should have had: 4 If ever cancellation would have been the better option, the end of Dexters fourth season was the moment to make that choice. Back then, John Lithgows terrifying Arthur Mitchell had revitalised the show, but it also unfortunately revived the audiences faith at the same time and therefore condemned us to watch Dexters glacial descent into inanity. The show had always had its ridiculous hallmarks, including the overuse of the Ghost of Harry, the utter incompetence of the Miami Police Department, and Dexters unnecessary voiceover. They had become more noticeable in the meandering third season, but in the second half of the run, as Dexter began to lose its grip on its pacing and plausibility, its exaggerated mode of storytelling seemed risible. Reviews became lukewarm and eventually derisive. Moreover, if youd hoped for an ending which would remain morally ambiguous while still punishing Dexter for his misdeeds, season eight did not in any way deliver. The lumberjack scene has already earned its place in TV history as one of the most bizarre conclusions to any television series, let alone one which was once critically acclaimed. Its so ridiculous that it almost justifies Dexters survival, but its sad that a show which was once effortlessly self-assured has ended up a poster child for the benefits of cancellation. Some shows are built to be long-runners; Dexter was assuredly not.
