Dexter: Every Main Character Ranked Worst To Best

The smart but accident-prone daughter of Harry Morgan ultimately proves to be a tragic figure. Often unsure of herself, Debra nearly always proves to be a more than capable member of the force. We follow her initial rise through the ranks and then her sharp downturn into self-destruction during seasons 7 and 8. It's a sad and frustrating turn of events for a character as easy to root for as Debra.

Suffering every season, she embarks upon a series of ill-fated relationships including being engaged to the Ice Truck Killer, watching her beloved Frank Lundy be gunned down and briefly believing she's been in love with Dexter all along (the less said about that one the better).

Succumbing to despair over Dexter's serial killing ways, Debra suffers an identity crisis in the wake of killing LaGuerta to protect him. Her depression and bad habits form a dour end note for the character, topped off with a woeful death scene that'll leave some reaching for the remote. Despite several questionable creative decisions, Debra always remained gripping thanks to an exceptional performance by Jennifer Carpenter. Masterfully capturing both the cool and the awkward aspects of the character, Carpenter ensures Debra is a sympathetic, very human figure throughout the outlandish series.