CBS' broadcasts of critical darling
Dexter has been met by much protest from television watchdog groups, particularly the Parents Television Council. Jeff Lindsay, author of the book series on which the dark drama is based, neither condemns nor defends his character's behavior, but has expressed disdain over the group's efforts to screen what audiences tune in to.
"These are idiots who want to determine what we watch and don't watch," Lindsay told
USA Today. "I imagine that at the dark of the moon, they put on their brown shirts and go out goose-stepping."
Your Take
BuddyD said:
Jeff Lindsay is awesome. Something tells me that the PTC hasn't actually watched much Dexter, because it's ...
meimei42 said:
Five bucks says they actually believe watching Dexter makes you want to become a serial killer. They're so...
TheEditor said:
Ha, I love it when people call the PTC "idiots" because they are truly the worst thing ever. It's like Jan...
Dexter, which airs on CBS' sister cable channel Showtime, made its broadcast television debut last month. The show's first season currently airs on CBS' 10pm Sunday timeslot, and awaiting its third season premiere on cable.
Although the first season of
Dexter was based on Lindsay's first novel,
Darkly Dreaming Dexter, the show decided to go in a different direction from the second season onwards. This doesn't bother Lindsay, as the creative separation between the scripts and his novels gives him the freedom to write without having to consider how his works might translate onscreen.
He is also very impressed with
Michael C. Hall, who portrays the show's blood spatter analyst/serial killer.
"I love Michael C. Hall," Lindsay said. "When I first heard him read from the script, I thought, 'He's it. He's perfect.' "
Executive producer John Goldwyn, meanwhile, said writers for the series have maintained the spirit of Lindsay’s creation in their own stories.
"Jeff gave us an incredibly rich template for all the characters, most profoundly and specifically the character of Dexter,” Goldwyn told
USA Today. “Jeff, with that book and with that character, has established the rules. By that I mean 'The code of Harry [Dexter's adoptive father],' a very important thing — the idea that the kills are always righteous in their own way. That he does terrible things to even worse people. But also that kind of diffidence that lurks in his heart — 'Am I good? Am I bad? Can I have feelings, or do I not feel? I don't believe I feel?' — and yet in many ways he behaves very empathetically."
-Lisa Claustro, BuddyTV Staff Columnist
Source: USA Today
(Image Courtesy of Showtime)