Narrative & Genre Unit: Research

To answer the question set out for the essay, I have chosen Dexter. I will be examining it's use of genre and narrative tools, and then considering how portable media devices affects these tools. 

Dexter is a television series which is currently airing it's 6th season on U.S. Network Showtime. The show debuted in 2006, largely based on a novel Darkly Dreaming Dexter by Jeff Lindsay, a crime novel. Dexter is a serial killer trained by his adopted father, a police detective. The series is set in Miami, as Dexter is a blood splatter analyst for Miami Metro Homicide.

What makes Dexter unusual compared to other crime dramas, is that we are following the story of a killer, through voice-over narrative. It is conventional in the setting, Miami Metro Police Department, and the multi-stranded narratives involving personal relationships, possible love interests, and the solving of a murder case. But, Dexter is not the stereotypical character in which we would focus on. 

In my research I have found an interesting article written by Nick Lacey (other works include Narrative and Genre: Key Concepts in Media Studies), titled Creativity and Genre in TV Crime Drama. The crime genre has definitely evolved, and I would agree that Dexter has pushed boundaries to be innovative and creative. The driving force behind Dexter is James Manos Jr., in the past he has co-produced the first season of The Sopranos and has been the Consulting Producer on two seasons of another U.S. crime drama, The Shield.