Here's Where You Can Watch Dexter

When it debuted in 2006, Showtime's "Dexter" was a pay cable exclusive. The darkly comic show about a Florida blood spatter analyst (Dexter Morgan, played by Michael C. Hall) who doubled as a serial killer was part of Showtime's push towards HBO-level original programming, a wave of great (or at least initially great) content that also included Jenji Kohen's suburban drug dealer dramedy "Weeds," the smutty historical drama "The Tudors," and controversial lesbian soap "The L Word."

Fast forward nearly two decades, and Showtime looks a lot different. The streamer is now bundled in with Paramount+, and has been awkwardly retitled Paramount+ with Showtime. The last great Showtime hit bearing the premium channel's original name was "Yellowjackets," the great cannibal high schooler series that will be back for its third season. Showtime may have gone through tons of changes in recent years, but if you're just now getting on board with "Dexter," there's no better time: the show is now easier to find across streaming platforms than ever.

All eight seasons of the original run of "Dexter" are now available on Hulu, as well as with multiple bundled streamers. If you've bundled Disney+ with Hulu, you can watch it there, and you can also tune in via a number of Paramount+ add-ons (along with the flagship solo streamer, now called Paramount+ with Showtime). Paramount+ is available as a paid addition to Apple TV+, The Roku Channel, and Prime Video. What's more, the full original run is available on live TV alternative Fubo, and on-demand as part of a Spectrum cable subscription.

Don't forget about Dexter: New Blood!

If you're anything like me and many other "Dexter" fans, you won't be satisfied by the show's iffy final season and weird, morose series finale. So if you make it that far, it's worth continuing on to watch the follow-up series, "Dexter: New Blood." The 2021 miniseries takes place 10 years after the original series' ending, and while it still makes a few questionable storytelling decisions, it ends with a more satisfying conclusion than its predecessor. The streaming powers that be smartly chose to keep these two parts of the story together (not always a given these days), so you can find "Dexter: New Blood" on Hulu, any Paramount+ streamer or add-on, The Roku Channel, Showtime, and Fubo. It's worth noting that the sequel season doesn't seem to be on Spectrum TV, but it is on Amazon's Prime Video, unlike the flagship show.

Of course, there are also home video options of the series available for the physical media purists among us. DVD box sets of the original 8 seasons are for sale at low prices via major online retailers including Amazon, Target, Walmart, and Barnes & Noble, while each of those sites also has a nifty Blu-Ray option that includes both the original show and "Dexter: New Blood." It's worth noting that if you do buy these box sets, they may not actually end up being the "complete" story of Dexter Morgan: Showtime currently has big plans for a "Dexter" prequel, which might bring back characters including the Trinity Killer and Dexter's terrible dad, Harry.

No matter how you watch "Dexter," just make sure to eat lunch beforehand, lest you lose it during some of the show's goriest and most shocking moments.