How to Create a Cuddly Psycho-killer

My friend and I want to write a crime story for TV.

We are both screenwriters. He has mostly written comedies, I've written family dramas, but we both love the crime genre. We have been talking about a variety of existing villains and protagonists, including the obvious ones from shows like Breaking Bad and Ozark.

My friend gave me an example of a psychopath from the Japanese novel Out, by Natsuo Kirino.

Last year, after reading a bit from the novel, I began writing an e-mail to him explaining that I wouldn't like to write a psychopathic protagonist. It is so hard to empathize with a psychopath, because well, they don't have anything to empathize with. The "urges" they have don't exist in the majority of our audience.

How can a writer write a character if they can't actually find the traits and feelings of that character in their own heart?

Stories are about emotion. If your character doesn't feel love, fear, sadness, or anger, how do you make your audience feel something?

Then I stopped in my tracks because I suddenly remembered something.

Dexter.

I'd watched Dexter only two years prior so it was still fresh in my memory. I typed it in Google and what do I see? Showtime has announced that there would be a new season!

"New Limited Series Coming Soon He's smart. He's lovable. He's Dexter Morgan, America's favorite serial killer."

I was filled with joy reading that! Like most of its fans, I hated the finale and for me, that story was not finished. Dexter lived in my mind and I missed him. I wanted to see more of him!

That meant I'd been missing something about psychopathic characters. They can and do awake emotions in the audience. Even in me!

***

When I began watching the first season, the show was 12 years old. I can't say it was outdated. It was fun and exciting; I was hooked right away. There was still something that said "old" about it which I can't put my finger on. It could be anything from hairstyles and fashion, everyday technology, old cellphones, the look or feel of the show. I don't know.

Of course, I was mainly curious about how they handled the most difficult part: how they managed to make a psychopath likable as a protagonist. The fate of every story depends on how much we care about the protagonist.

Yes, unlikable characters can be great protagonists, like Dr. House who is mean to everyone. If he is saving lives like a superhero, of course, he is allowed to treat people as shitty as he likes. We know his heart is golden.

But a serial murderer who wraps his victims in shrink wrap, tortures and kills them? He has to be more or less perfect everywhere else.

And do we love perfect characters? Of course not. We want human characters who make mistakes, who mirror our own imperfections. And Dexter is not exactly human. So how exactly did they handle that?

Actor

They used a great actor who is aware of these challenges. Michael C. Hall is easy on the eye and he is sweet like a teddy bear. He can smile in the most innocent, childlike naughty way. Even when you know what his character really is, he has the ability to melt your heart with that smile. This effect of course doesn't come solely from the actor. He is supported well by great storytelling and masterfully written scenes.

Backstory

Dexter is given a tragic backstory which makes it impossible not to sympathize with him.

Punishment

He is constantly punished by difficulties. He is always on the brink of getting caught. As the audience, we feel the nonstop tension and pressure on him about doing what he does and being a good family man. We experience his fear and pain- even when he doesn't have these feelings himself, we place ourselves in his shoes, we feel fear and pain, so we still empathize with him.

Others' perspectives

Dexter is loved by his family, especially by kids. This tells us that 'they must be feeling his essence', thus he must be good in the core. Even though we know that he doesn't feel any love for anyone, seeing him from these characters' perspectives helps us like him.

Morality

His "code" gives him a moral compass. His actions end up protecting the innocents and punishing murderers and as the audience, we are convinced that when something really bad happens, it's not because of him.

Other characters

Dexter is surrounded by highly emotional characters. Apart from his monster/victims, every character seems to be emotional. Even the skeptical ones like Doakes or Quinn show their emotional vulnerabilities. Well, maybe Masuka not so much. The portrayal of emotions on screen makes us feel them too.

As a result of these considerations, Dexter has turned out to be one of the most loved characters of TV history.

It takes a great deal of storytelling to balance the horrible nature of murder, but it is definitely doable. We can give our characters any trait we want as long as we are willing to do the deep work.

I am open to psychopathic characters now. And finally enjoying Dexter's new season, New Blood!