TV just got good again

With Lost, 24, Prison Break and all missing in action, I thought it was going to be long, boring summer. But not only has Rome and the prospect of Heroes on HD helped me survive, but a couple of new US dramas on the off-the-radar channels have really perked me up.

FX's Dexter is sheer class and is frightening addictive after just one episode. Focusing on a blood-splatter obsessed forensics guy with a nice sideline in serial killing, Dexter could have turned out to be a mawkish morality tale. Although he only kills murderers who've managed to evade the law, there's no attempt to soften just how horrifically Dexter kills his prey and the audience is incriminated in his bloody crimes. What Dexter does is wrong, but neither the writers or Dexter himself try to justify any of it. It makes a startling change to the often judgmental CSI vehicles where murderers only seem to target models, gamblers and anyone else with loose morals. The writing is top-notch, as is the acting. Michael C Hall makes this solitary, emotion-free killer hugely likable. Backed up by Buffy's Julie Benz as his damaged shell of a girlfriend and Oz's Lauren Vélez providing some light relief as a comely cop with a crush on Dex.

Meanwhile on Five US, the first episode of Dirt did descend into a mawkish morality tale, but there's still plenty to enjoy. The main problem is the decision to make Courteney Cox's trashy magazine editor another one of those Sex and the City girls who, despite having a brilliant job, just wants to find a man and have babies. When an aggrieved actor she'd double-crossed pointed out that she'd never be able to love anyone, instead of just saying "I don't care", we were treated to a poignant musical interlude. Still, Ian Hart's schizo paparazzo more than made up for the needless humanising of Courteney's character. And I'm sure once we see more of Shannyn Sossamon and Carly Pope things will pick up. Dirt's problem may be that it just isn't shallow enough, and it needs to take some lessons from Nip/Tuck on that matter.