How both talented actors approached voiceover in totally different ways.
TV shows today are starting to feel more and more alike, and that’s partly due to a noticeable lack of fresh ideas. Another major factor is actually the growing habit of borrowing familiar elements from older or successful series and repackaging them into new ones. Among us Dexter fans, one of the most recognizable examples of this trend is the internal voiceover of a serial killer protagonist, something that became central once again with Netflix’s You.
After running for five seasons, You officially came to an end in April 2025. As director and executive producer Marcos Siega recently confirmed, the decision to conclude the series was tied directly to Penn Badgley, who felt he could no longer continue playing Joe Goldberg. The show’s ending actually brought renewed attention to its comparisons with Dexter, especially among people who had followed both series closely.
For several years, You functioned as a temporary fix for many Dexter fans who had finished binge-watching Dexter and were looking for something to fill that familiar void. The voiceover narration and the fact that both main characters are serial killers made the connetcion feel natural. Still, beyond those surface similarities, it was always obvious that the two shows...didn’t share much else in common when it came to storytelling, or overall identity.
What many of you may not know is that the voiceover in You exists because of Dexter. Marcos Siega, who served as an executive producer on both shows, recently confirmed this during an interview on The Dark Passenger Podcast. While discussing the early days of You, Siega explained that when he joined the first season as an EP, he kept getting the same question over and over again: “How do you do the voiceover on Dexter?” He went on to add, “Because it’s an art. Because that’s what we need. Because it is, you have to figure that out.”
Siega then revealed that despite both shows relying heavily on internal monologue, the way voiceover is handled for Penn Badgley on You is completely different from how Michael C. Hall approaches it as Dexter Morgan. This difference has been consistent throughout the original eight seasons of Dexter, Dexter: New Blood, and now Dexter: Resurrection.
As Siega explained, “Michael and Penn are very different. Michael does not want anyone reading the voiceover. He does it in his head. He knows every line, and all the timing is on him.”
By contrast, You uses a more external method to guide performances on set. Siega noted, “On You, we have a reader, so that all the actors are hearing the voiceover. They know in that uncomfortable silence that there is voiceover happening.” This approach actually creates a very different on-set dynamic, shaping how scenes are truly paced and how actors react during moments that appear silent to the audience.
While both Michael C. Hall and Penn Badgley are very skilled and respected actors, this comparison proves just how immersive Hall’s approach to Dexter truly is. His performance actually depends entirely on internal rhythm, timing, and restraint, with no external cues to lean on.
Those iconic Dexter monologues don’t stand alone of course, as they require precise facial expressions and physical control during moments that are technically...silent on set, even though viewers are hearing Dexter’s thoughts out loud. It is a subtle but also powerful distinciton, that is enough to explain why Dexter’s voiceover remains the gold standard and continues be an influence to shows like You years later.