September 29, 2007
Jeff Lindsay on Making A Serial Killer Likable
The Wall Street Journal interviews Jeff Lindsay, author of "Dexter in the Dark," the book that inspired Showtime 's successful TV series Dexter , or American's favorite serial killer. And he answers some of the questions that have been plaguing me: why do women like the show and why is Dexter so appealing?
WSJ.com : Showtime estimates that 65% of your viewers are men. Any idea what percentage of men is buying your books? Most book buyers in this country are women.
Mr. Lindsay: I am getting male readers, but I assume that most are women. In general they have a very strong reaction to Dexter as part of the bad boy thing. He's naïve and sort of child-like, and trusting in a lot of ways."
WSJ.com : What is Dexter's appeal? Shouldn't we be repulsed?
Mr. Lindsay : That was one of the writing challenges I set myself: to make him likable. Writing in the first person helps because you are seeing "I" do it instead of "the killer picked up the knife." That alone makes it more sympathetic. Another thing, he only kills people who really deserve it.
Then we learn Dexter seems like an ideal co-worker, he's good to his girlfriend (now his wife), and if he kills somebody now and then, well nobody is perfect."
... The first season, which debuted October 2006, was the network's highest-rated original series, says Stuart Zakim, a Showtime spokesman. Nearly 2 million viewers a week watched each episode of "Dexter" during its first season. Showtime has 14.5 million paying subscribers. The second season begins Sunday.
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