Netflix's 37-Episode Psychological Masterpiece Is Everything Dexter Should Have Been

Published Oct 19, 2026, 7:00 PM EDT Umair is a contributor for the ScreenRant anime section. He has always been enthusiastic about pop culture. Whether it's anime, movies, TV shows, manga, manhwa, video games, or pop music, he is always tuned in. From the classic Dragon Ball to the underrated Dororo, he has a broad knowledge of the most. When he's not writing, you may find him editing on his favorite anime, movie, or pop star on his Instagram. Dexter had a pretty wild idea for a crime drama: what if the guy helping Miami Metro solve murders was secretly a serial killer himself? The first few seasons made that contradiction work brilliantly, especially as Dexter's two lives began to collide dangerously. But as the series went on, his ability to wriggle out of trouble became harder to buy. After years of close calls, watching him disappear into a new life as a lumberjack in the season 8 finale felt like a painfully underwhelming end for a character who'd left so much destruction behind. Fortunately, Death Note takes the very idea that made Dexter so addictive and pushes it somewhere the crime drama never quite went. Streaming on Netflix, this 37-episode anime follows a brilliant student who gains the power to kill people through a supernatural notebook. Like Dexter, he believes criminals deserve punishment, but there's no need to sneak into a kill room or worry about leaving forensic evidence behind. His biggest problem is what happens when someone decides that the power to punish others makes them judge, jury, and executioner. That's where Death Note gets especially interesting. Once someone starts deciding who deserves to live, the line between justice and a personal power trip gets dangerously thin. And that's where this Netflix anime takes its psychological cat-and-mouse thriller in a direction Dexter fans should appreciate. Death Note Takes The Dexter Serial Killer Premise Way Further Death Note follows Light Yagami, a brilliant high school student who finds a supernatural notebook dropped by a bored Shinigami (death god), Ryuk. Its rules are simple: write someone's name while picturing their face, and they die. Unless another cause or time is specified, death comes from a heart attack 40 seconds later. Light sees a chance to punish criminals who escape justice and takes on the name Kira, convinced he can create a better world. There's an interesting parallel with Dexter Morgan here. Light is the son of police chief Soichiro Yagami, while Dexter was raised by cop Harry Morgan. Both develop their own ideas about justice and hide their killings while working alongside the police investigating them. But Death Note takes this setup further by pitting Light against L, an eccentric detective determined to expose Kira. Their rivalry is the anime's real hook. Even a conversation over coffee or a tennis match becomes a battle of wits, with Light trying to stay ahead while L hunts a killer who doesn't need to be near his victims. Dexter had a taste of this tension with Sergeant James Doakes in season 2 and Captain Maria LaGuerta later on. But Doakes was killed by Lila, and Debra ultimately shot LaGuerta, allowing the show to move forward without Dexter facing the full consequences of being exposed. Death Note is less interested in protecting its lead. Light's crusade against criminals gradually becomes an obsession with keeping his power, even when innocent FBI agents and detectives get in his way. Rather than constantly asking the audience to root for its killer, the anime lets his growing god complex speak for itself. The Endless Mind Games In Death Note Easily Put Dexter's Later Seasons To Shame Despite sharing almost identical vigilante DNA, Death Note and Dexter take very different approaches to telling their stories. Dexter dragged its premise across eight seasons, with the infamous lumberjack finale leaving plenty of fans frustrated. New Blood eventually brought Dexter back, but it couldn't erase the problems with the original ending. Death Note, meanwhile, gets through its entire story in 37 episodes, without constantly finding ways to let Light Yagami escape the mess he's made. The other big draw is the rivalry between Light and L. Both are brilliant, both are stubborn, and watching them try to outsmart each other is a huge part of what makes the anime work. Unlike Dexter, which often puts the focus on keeping its lead one step ahead, Death Note gives audiences two masterminds worth rooting for, even when their methods and motives couldn't be more different. For anyone who loved Dexter's early seasons, that battle of wits makes Death Note an easy recommendation.