Dark Knights

Dexter,however,isn’t the only good-bad guy who is making television viewing pleasurable these days. Dr Gregory House,from the series House on AXN,and Patrick Jane,from the drama The Mentalist on Zee Cafe,are two other examples. House is a doctor and Jane is an amateur detective — professions that have a certain thrill attached to them. While House,Jane and Morgan might save the day at the end of each episode,there is no denying that they are not your regular neighbourhood friendly heroes. There’s none of Superman’s big-heartedness,but definitely a lot of Batman’s cynicism.

Why is it then,that shows with morally ambiguous protagonists have found such widespread acceptance? Star India’s senior VP,Saurabh Yagnik,says,“Dexter raises questions in everyone’s mind: ‘Is he a sinner or a saviour?,is it right and justified what he does,and are we right in liking him?’” Reel-life characters like these bridge the gap between fiction and reality,and between the actor and the character — bringing them closer to real life,yet keeping them emotionally unattainable. Rohit Bhandari,senior VP for AXN India,points out that flawed characters are easier to relate to than ‘perfect heroes’. “Saas-bahu shows,with their saccharin overdose,are too good to be true. But having a do-good hero,with some character flaws is something that a lot of people can relate to,” he explains.

Actor Suchitra Pillai is one of the avid viewers of such shows. She watched all seasons of Dexter before they aired in India,and finds the vices of the protagonist to be the main draw. “Even though the protagonist is a villain,you want to find out what he does next because of this mysterious air around him. What he’s doing may not be right,but you still want to side with him because you know he doesn’t mean any harm,” she says.

Like Dexter,House has acerbic wit and is enigmatic. “His team barely tolerates him. But because of his genius deductions,you are willing to overlook his faults,” says TV host Meiyang Chang about Dr House. The same can be said about Dr Lightman of Lie to Me,which was recently aired on Star World. Adman Prahlad Kakkar looks at these men as riddles,which the audience has fun solving. “Most of these protagonists are self-absorbed and eccentric,but they are allowed to be that way.” And this is probably what we envy.

The trend of the maladjusted male protagonists,with a troubled or secretive past,is not new. Shows such as 24,Monk,Californication and The X-Files,have charming protagonists sharing a love-hate relationship with their cast members,while dealing with a secretive past. Dr Nimesh Desai,director of Institute of Human Behaviour and Allied Sciences,New Delhi,calls them “geniuses with a fatal flaw”. He says,“With high intelligence,there is always a tendency to do something different,as in the case of Dr House or Patrick Jane. These urges are not always compatible with their daily routine,and therefore they become frustrated with the set norm,or come up with completely bizarre methods to reach different conclusions.” It’s these bizarre solutions that the writers play on to produce material that will set these shows apart from the rest. After all,there haven’t been many heroes in popular culture who harbour immense hatred for humankind like House does,or take to extreme vigilantism for justice like Dexter does.

But in India — where popular cinema heroes are perfect sons,brothers,lovers and citizens — will these anti-heroes leave a mark? Even though many feel these shows are too graphic,and the response has been inconclusive,Yagnik is positive. “Our viewers have always responded well to crime shows. Unique shows with crime as the backdrop will definitely do well.”