Julie Benz

"Dexter" premieres tonight at 10 PM on Showtime.

She plays Rita Bennett, the girlfriend of serial killer Dexter Morgan (Michael C. Hall). Dexter is a forensic expert, working with the police and a serial killer who murders bad people.

Target audience: Hannibal Lecter devotees

Cult classic? And then some. Gruesome and gripping, laced in bloody, dark humor, this macabre gem (not for the squeamish) stars Six Feet Under’s Michael C. Hall, who’s electrifying as Dexter, “a very neat monster.” He’s an oddly likable vigilante serial killer who fakes human emotion as a forensics blood expert when he’s not stalking bad guys to kill.

My score: 8