The Miami setting for Dexter is absolutely perfect. The remnants of the eighties drug trade in the city means there's still a realistically high murder rate for there to be eight seasons of rampant killings, the sun-soaked atmosphere is in sharp contrast to the dark subject matter, and it means everybody gets to wear some natty Hawaiian shirts. Thing is, Dexter was rarely shot in Miami. Not even in Florida. In fact, production rarely strayed outside of California most of the exteriors were shot in Long Beach, whilst interiors were all done at the Sunset-Gower Studios on Sunset Boulevard. Everything's fake in Hollywood! Some second-unit crews shot additional footage in Miami, but that mostly consisted of those helicopter shots of the Florida coast and the Miami city skyline from above. Those shots appeared so often some viewers turned it into a drinking game, taking two sips whenever one appeared on screen (and a further sip whenever Dexter talked about his childhood, amongst other rules).
Tom Baker is the Comics Editor at WhatCulture! He's heard all the Doctor Who jokes, but not many about Randall and Hopkirk. He also blogs at http://communibearsilostate.wordpress.com/
