Still debating whether or not to shell out hundreds of dollars to purchase the Dexter: The Complete Series Collection Blu-ray set? Well, hang onto your wallets, as there’s a far more affordable way to binge-watch all eight seasons of Showtime’s serial killer drama, thanks to Netflix. The first four seasons of the series are set to arrive on Netflix streaming later this week, while the other four seasons will be made available in January.
Dexter stars Michael C. Hall and centers on a serial killer who lives and kills by a “code” set up by his now-deceased detective father Harry. While attempting to create the illusion that he’s just a normal guy, working as a blood-spatter forensic analyst at the Miami Metro homicide department, Dexter Morgan spends his evenings (and sometimes his days) stalking bad people and killing them, all the while keeping this a secret from his sister, his love interests and almost everyone else in his life. He’s less a vigilante as he is a killer who channels his murderous urges by taking out other bad people. Does it justify his actions that his victims are all the worst kind of people? Not really, no, but it does make it easier to accept him as an anti-hero and we’re far less sympathetic toward his victims than we might be if they were better people.
A little more than a month after the drama wrapped up its eighth and final season comes word that Netflix and CBS Corporation have secured a content licensing agreement to make Dexter available on Netflix streaming in the U.S. starting Halloween (October 31). That’s Thursday, by the way. Seasons 1-4 will be available streaming in the U.S. on Thursday, October 31, while seasons 5-8 will roll out January 1, 2014.
“We’re thrilled to have ‘Dexter,’ one of SHOWTIME’s highest-rated shows on Netflix, and so quickly after it completed its record-breaking run,” said Ted Sarandos, Chief Content Officer for Netflix. “This is one of the great serialized dramas of the past decade and we know our members will enjoy discovering or reliving the twisted world of Dexter Morgan anywhere and anytime they want.”
The split roll-out isn’t such a bad thing for those who are new to the series and looking to start from the beginning. If they pace it right, they can spread out the first four seasons over the course of the next two months and be ready for the second half of the series come 2014.
Whether you liked the series’ ending or not, Dexter certainly had its high points and memorable moments. Seasons 1-4 are arguably the best seasons of the series, so there’s certainly reason to celebrate this news. I may actually go straight to Season 4 and watch the Trinity season all day on Thursday. Word that the whole series will eventually be available streaming could be reason enough to set aside the money a fan might otherwise pay for the full series on Blu-ray. Of course, the Netflix Streaming version of the series doesn’t come with the awesome DVD slide-box, which seems like a must-have for any die-hard Dexter fan.
