Any Dexter fans? I think that show has a lot of similarities to Psych, but in a dark & twisted way.

Dexter is a blood-spatter analyst for the Miami PD. He is also a serial killer. Harry, his now-deceased foster dad (who we sometimes see in flashbacks) was a cop. He recognized the dangerous traits in Dexter. Instead of trying to treat the problem, he taught Dexter a dubious "moral code" to kill by- Dexter only kills other killers. Harry also tried to teach Dexter how to "fake being normal," & how to avoid getting caught. Some of Dexter's coworkers consider him to be a good friend, & none suspect that Dexter is anything but a mild-mannered lab geek, except Sgt. Doakes. Doakes senses that there's something "not right" about Dexter, & is not shy about saying so, to Dexter & to others.


Similarities 1. & 2. (intertwined) Flashbacks with PoliceDads!, Henry & Harry are so much alike:
The Dexter/Harry flashbacks remind me of Shawn/Henry flashbacks. Both fathers seem to be generally caring, though somewhat stern, and both Henry & Harry are shown as overzealously trying to teach their sons certain skills, single-mindedly believing it's for their sons' own good, whether their sons want to learn or not.

Henry thinks he's teaching Shawn how to be the best cop ever, never considering that maybe Shawn will want to pick a different career. Even if Shawn did want to be a cop, not every incident has to be a learning opportunity. Henry's a bit overzealous in that regard, like the hide-and-seek with Gus flashback-- Shawn can't even play a child's game without Henry turning it into a lesson about sneaking up on a suspect. And Harry could have *tried* to seek help for Dexter (although sociopathy is generally not curable, and psychological treatment can often just help a sociopath learn to "fake normal" more effectively), or have him institutionalized, but for his own reasons, he chooses to channel Dexter's urges, teaching Dexter not to kill innocents, and instead turning Dexter into an avenger of justice. He decided, on Dexter's behalf, that killing by the Code of Harry was better for Dexter (and maybe for Harry) than trying to treat him, or lock him up, or allowing him to get caugt & subsequently jailed/executed.

[There is debate among fans about if Dexter is truly a sociopath, or if he merely wants to be/thinks he is. He witnessed something horrendous before Harry adopted him. It's understandable that he would wish not to have feelings after seeing what he saw, and admitting to caring about others now would force him to deal with happened back then, and to face what he has done himself since then, but maybe he could have been helped had Harry chosen to seek treatment for him at the first signs of trouble.]

Both fathers have rigorous standards of what is "right." By "right," they mean "correct, the best way of doing something," (not necessarily referring to what is "morally right," especially in the case of Dexter's father).


I also find it funny that in both show's flashbacks, the mother is conspicuously absent & rarely mentioned, though we did see Dexter's mother once, and we do know more about her (she died of cancer) than we do about Shawn's mother.

Similarity 3. Young Shawn & Dexter:
Young Shawn & Dexter both show an impatience with these "lessons." Shawn usually just wants to play & be a kid-- to be able to eat his slice of cake at the diner without having to "earn" it by describing all the hats in the room first, etc. Dexter doesn't want to sit through a lecture on gathering proof that someone is a killer-- he just wants to get to the killing part.

Similarity 4. Shawn & Dexter's Daddy Issues
Both Shawn & Dexter clearly have issues with wanting their fathers' approval. They vacillate between trying desperately to make Dad proud, then angrily rebelling & deciding that since nothing measures up to Dad's standards, there's no point in trying at all.

Similarity 5. Shawn & Dexter: Likeable Con Men
Both Shawn & Dexter work for the police & seem to have fooled nearly everyone around them (though in Shawn's case, it's questionable who is really fooled by his act, and who pretends to be fooled as long as he gets results).
They are both very likeable characters, even though they do some pretty bad things.

In Dexter's case, I think that is because he has a morality to his immorality, if that makes any sense. Really, Dexter is like a murderous BatMan, right? I mean, they're both vigilantes--catching criminals that the justice system released, or missed entirely. Why is BatMan a hero, and Dexter evil, then? Well, maybe the murdering part, oh, and that BatMan is motivated by doing it for the greater good, while Dexter truly enjoys it. For Dexter, the 'ridding the world of criminals' aspect is just a side-effect-- his real motivation is the killing.)

In Shawn's case, I think he's so likeable because he's unapologetic about who he is. And Shawn, well sure, he's somewhat immature, hedonistic, self-centered, & a habitual liar, but he's charming & fun to be around, and that makes people willing to overlook the bad stuff. And, he's good at what he does. Maybe he's so likeable because he clearly knows his flaws/limitations, and even though he doesn't try to fix them, he acknowledges them & tries to work within his limits. So, because he's super-observational, he knows he'd be a great detective, but because he knows his limitations (easily bored, needs constant excitement, bristles at others giving him orders, has no respect for chain-of-command), he also knows that he'd be a horrible police officer. Shawn chose not to join the force because he knew it would be a disaster- for him and everyone around him. He knew he couldn't handle the more mundane aspects of the job, like paperwork, or working less exciting cases, or working his way up the ladder, but he's great at solving cases, so he found a way to do it without having to deal with what he'd consider the undesireable aspects of being a cop. In Shawn's personal life, he seems to notice anything pretty in a skirt, & feels compelled to flirt shamelessly. As we've never known him to have an actual girlfriend, he apparently realizes that he's not good "relationship material," & instead he has casual fun with women. He doesn't even try to have a serious romantic relationship, because knows he likes the thrill of the chase.

Similarty 6. Doakes & Lassiter: The Crabby Skeptics
Lassiter & Sgt. Doakes have similar crabby demeanors, and both are openly suspicious of a colleague that everyone else seems to find charming. They are both short-tempered (but Doakes is much more profane!).

Lassiter knows Shawn is fake but he just can't prove it. He does wonder how Shawn solves his cases. Earlier in the series he speculated that Shawn had an inside source at the police department. I think he's dropped that, & now he realizes that Shawn does have some "crazy-good detective skills," but he knows that still doesn't explain how Shawn has solved all his cases (he doesn't see all the snooping around & talking to suspects/witnesses that Shawn & Gus sometimes do), so he's still curious. Regardless of how Shawn does it, I think Lassiter would be happily willing to drop it if Shawn would just go away.

Doakes, on the other hand, is like a dog with a bone, even though he only has a vague "not-right" feeling about Dexter (he doesn't know Dexter is a killer). Oh, he's sure that there is a darkness in Dexter, but he doesn't know in what way that darkness manifests itself, and he wants to find out. He seems determined to dig into Dexter's past (and present) to find out what Dexter is hiding.






Wow, that was long. Anyway, when I first started watching Dexter (Season 2 is on Showtime now), I told my friend how the Harry/Dexter flashbacks reminded so much of Henry/Shawn flashbacks, if Henry had wanted Shawn to be a serial killer instead of a cop. Friend thought I was crazy for thinking the shows are anything alike , but then I started noticing more & more similarities, & I won my friend over to my way of thinking. She's even the one who pointed out the Lassiter/Doakes parallel to me!

I don't see the parrallels, but it is humourous at times. Not a big fan of the show.

I've never seen it either, I will try to though! By the way that may be the longest post I have ever seen haha!

Such a thought-provoking post, Rabbity. Yes, I watch both Psych and Dexter (Michael C. Hall is brill!), and I have to admit, the similiarites didn't jump out at me. However, after reading, I can see there are definitely several.

my mom's read the book and loves it. I problaly would like it if it wasn't for the goeryness

Question, if we're comparing this show to Dexter, then who's hotter? James Roday or Michael C. Hall?

My answer: BOTH!!


God bless and happy holidays!!

Shows how much I know; when you said that I thought you were refering to Dexter's Laboratory.


Regardless, I may look into it.

Haha, I love Dexter's laboratory!