The police drama is one of television’s most tired and cliched genres. After forty years, you’d think every single permutation of the style’s possibilities would have been exhausted long, long ago.

And then along comes DEXTER.

Based on the novel DARKLY DREAMING DEXTER, the show follows Dexter Morgan, an in-hiding serial killer who assists the Miami police department as a blood splatter analyst. This premise, loaded with attention grabbing irony, provides the show with an overwhelming array of story possibilities and dramatic tension.

I had never watched the first season of the show, despite the buzz from friends hopelessly hooked on it. The second season picks up with Dexter (Michael C. Hall) hungering to continue his killing spree, although he is hampered in this by the watchful eye of Sergeant Doakes (Erik King). While Dexter tracks down several serial killers, he is trailed in part by his own celebrity; he even has a comic book created in his honor! By the season two finale, Dexter, once plagued with self-doubt, has come to grips with his dual identity and both enemy and brother to the secret killers in society.

The production values of the series are as high as any in broadcast television. The show plays in a curiously unique sandbox nestled somewhere between reality and a HIGHLANDER-esque soap opera battle of the soul. As Dexter, Hall brings a chilly, haunted quality to the role that highlights his character’s peculiar predicament. He has an interesting alchemy with Julie Benz, who plays Dexter’s troubled girlfriend Rita. The rest of the cast nimbly handles the twists and turns of this quirky series.

While I am generally not a fan of series with overarching, soap opera-like plotting and contrivances, DEXTER manages to energize the cliches with a unique plot device and some clever dramatic variations. To fans of the series, this set is definitely worth picking up. As for me, I might need to go back and catch up on what I’ve missed so far.

DEXTER: SEASON TWO is available worldwide from Axel Music.