John Lithgow Explains the Dark Truth That Unites Dexter Morgan and Tony Soprano

The Dexter star once drew a bold line between Dexter Morgan and Tony Soprano, and he's right.

John Lithgow isn’t just throwing out hot takes, he’s always been hitting TV truths. The Dexter star once drew a bold line between Dexter Morgan and Tony Soprano, and he’s right. On paper, one’s a blood-spatter analyst with a secret life as a serial killer, the other’s a mob boss juggling crime and therapy. But dig deeper, and they’re cut from the same dark cloth as men who justify violence in the name of control, family, or twisted morality. Both are charming, broken, and morally messy, forcing audiences to root for the unrootable. Two antihero icons, one chilling mirror image.

Dexter and Tony Soprano? John Lithgow says they’re cut from the same dark cloth

John Lithgow didn’t just bring nightmares to Dexter, he brought a sharp perspective, too. The Emmy-winning actor, best known in Season 4 of Dexter as the terrifying Trinity Killer, compared Dexter Morgan to another iconic TV antihero: Tony Soprano.

In a chat with the Los Angeles Times in 2009, Lithgow called Tony Soprano “the great evil creation of the last 10 years,” alluding,

The great evil creation of the last 10 years has been Tony Soprano, and I see a lot of similarities between Dexter and Tony. Obviously, there are a lot of huge differences, but he’s a captivating character.

Both men live in dualities. Tony’s a mob boss with a soft side for his kids. Dexter, a blood-spatter analyst by day, serial killer by night. Lithgow nailed it:

Obviously, there are a lot of huge differences, but he’s a captivating character. You can’t get enough of Tony Soprano: even when he was slapping a Russian prostitute on the butt or killing people in the most gruesome manner, you’re still with him all the way.

That same twisted loyalty lives in Dexter fans. He didn’t stop there. Lithgow praised both Michael C. Hall and the late James Gandolfini, calling them “great, smart actors who understood that duality.” That dark charm, that uncomfortable pull, we couldn’t look away.

Dexter’s Code Worked Because One of the Most Underrated Characters Was His Ally Secretly

With Dexter: New Blood released in 2021, it brought Trinity back into the mix, and Lithgow’s insight hits harder than ever. Two complex men, one eerie truth: we never stopped rooting for them even when we probably should have.

John Lithgow didn't see the Harry Potter backlash coming

John Lithgow was ready for an eight-year magical ride, but not the heat that came with it. The Conclave star, who's set to join HBO's Harry Potter reboot, says the backlash over J.K. Rowling's involvement caught him totally off guard. Lithgow told The Times of London,

Of course, it was a big decision because it's probably the last major role I'll play...It's an eight-year commitment so I was just thinking about mortality and that this is a very good winding-down role.

But after a friend (and mom to a trans child) sent him an open letter urging him to walk away, and the tone shifted. As Rowling remains closely tied to the series, Lithgow's still "curious to talk to her" just not walking away.

You can now watch Dexter on Netflix & The Sopranos on Max & Prime Video.