season 4 of the Netflix show has begun filming, with speculation of a release between October 2022 to October 2023 (if the showrunners continue with a pattern of keeping each season a year or two years apart.) Joe Goldberg first hit the screen in 2018, but he is not the first serial killer to grab viewers' attention in recent years. Since the early 2000s, crime show fans have viewed various serial killers on the small screen.
These characters are feared for their violent and manipulative actions and show tragic backstories with unpredictable personalities. Whether they are portrayed in a police procedural or a series solely dedicated to their story, television has offered a wide array of serial killers for decades. Viewers watch these antagonists (or anti-heroes) dive into a dark obsession, senselessly taking lives, leaving viewers stunned. They are always cunning, and one step ahead of everyone else. Their horrifying habits lead them to take far too many lives before they are brought to justice.
Gormogon (Bones): 6 Kills
Known for taking the bones from his victims to make his skeleton prize, The Bones antagonist left his mark from his long reign of terror throughout the show's run time.
He not only committed senseless killings but left his mark on the main characters more than most criminals in the show. Audiences were left stunned learning that he got inside the head of one of the show's most lovable and innocent characters. This killer's ability to get into the heads of each protagonist while they witness the aftermath of his crimes makes him a true menace.
Edmund Kemper (Mindhunter): 10 Kills
This fictionalized version of the real-life Edmund Kemper is truly terrifying. The way he describes his methods of murder in season 1, episode 3, using the phrase "ear to ear" left viewers wanting to never smile wide again. He left viewers terrified with his eery lack of emotion and fascination with the main character, detective Holden Ford.
What makes Kemper set apart from most television serial killers is that the terror comes solely from the conversation. The viewer thinks, that surely someone could not commit an act so evil more than once, then the viewer finds out he did it so many times. The fact that his cringe-inducing conversations alone left viewers unable to sleep at night is a testament to his status as an iconic television serial killer.
Kieran Wilcox (Scream): 12 Kills
Kieran Wilcox is one of the many individuals to don the Ghost Face mask in Scream. With his romantic connection to season 1's killer Piper Shaw, he is encouraged by her to embrace his violent and psychopathic tendencies, leading to his first kill of the season, Rachel Murray.
As a secret antagonist in season one and the main antagonist in season 2, Kieran is a great example of someone who killed "from the inside". He too packs a more emotional punch because he wasn't an outsider for the police to track down. Kieran was a friend and his betrayal hurt viewers as much as his murders.
Joe Caroll (The Following): 12+ Kills
Joe Caroll is charismatic and intelligent, creating a cult of followers to complete his murders by proxy. His targets were mainly female students who attended the university where he taught at.
His ability to persuade his loyal followers to complete at least 55 killings on his behalf makes him beyond horrifying. Caroll was able to leave the audience feeling endlessly on edge and terrified about who would fall victim to his crimes next. This feeling is accompanied by the dread the audience feels from watching his followers continue his murders.
Villanelle (Killing Eve): 42 Kills
Villanelle's official title is an assassin but her lust for blood and obsessive tendencies make her one of television's most fascinating serial killers. Viewers get a glimpse into how truly evil she is during season 1, episode 2 when her soon-to-be victim, Filip Petrova is begging for his life. He asks her "why are you doing this?" she simply answers, "I have no idea" before firing the final deadly shot.
Her obvious lack of emotion and value for human life is what makes her a truly memorable television serial killer. To Villanelle, she finds her identity in how many people she can successfully kill. With each murder she commits, the audience sees how she finds entertainment in her work, many times leaving the crime scene with a smile on her face.
Hannibal Lecter (Hannibal): 60+ Kills
Also known as "The Chesapeake Ripper", Hannibal Lecter uses his profession as a forensic psychiatrist to evade suspicion while working for the FBI. The small-screen version of Hannibal Lecter is cunning and gruesome, with over 60 victims. His victim number does not include the dozens of death Hannibal is responsible for by proxy.
Not only is he a gruesome killer on his own, but his obsession with individuals such as Will Graham has him influencing individuals to carry on his devilish murders. His charm and intelligence leave viewers entranced and horrified at the same time. The audience is always left wondering where his obsessions will lead Hannibal next.
Red John (The Mentalist): 70 Kills
Red John is the main antagonist during the first five seasons of The Mentalist's run time. Hiding in plain sight as the Napa County Sheriff, Thomas McAllister maintains a successful killing spree for decades. During the CBI's investigation to bring McAllister to justice, they are wrapped in solving multiple murders, riddles, and red herrings.
What makes Red John so terrifying is his ability to remain a mystery for so long while staying five steps ahead of everyone else. The viewer is left grieving for Patrick Jane's loss and also s him in his obsession to see this serial killer brought to justice. With every kill Red John commits, an increased sense of urgency is created. The audience knows he will not stop this cat and mouse game of killings until he is unmasked and caught for good.
Thomas Yates (Criminal Minds): 101 Kills
Thomas Yates appears in Criminal Minds throughout the show's run. Making his first appearance in season 7 of the show, he is known as the Womb Raider and the enemy of FBI profiler David Rossi. Thomas Yates channels his trauma from his abusive past from his Grandmother by targeting young women of various backgrounds, completing gruesome murders.
He intends to make his victims suffer the way his Grandmother made him suffer. Each murder comes from his true distaste for women and his desire to see them all killed. Criminal Minds viewers are left wondering if Yates had a different upbringing, would he have lived a better life? The mixture of sympathy and horror the audience feels makes him a television serial killer that will not soon be forgotten.
Dexter Morgan (Dexter): 144 Kills
The anti-hero of the modern era, Dexter's mission was to rid the world of killers that escaped the justice system. His desire for killing began when he witnessed his mother's murder at the young age of three. Morphing his violent desires with his hope of seeing justice served, Dexter becomes a vigilante.
He can remain above suspicion for quite some time. Dexter carries out meticulously done murders while leaving hardly a trail of evidence. Unlike the other killers on this list, viewers have more sympathy for his character. In Dexter's mind, he is doing the world a service. With each kill, Dexter commits, he believes he is making the world a safer place.
The Trinity Killer (Dexter): 250 Kills
Complex, successful, and truly terrifying, Arthur Miller is one of the most sinister tv killers of all time. His persona of the ideal American family man allows Arthur to successfully kill for years with minimum suspicion. Arthur is brutal and without remorse.
Arthur's persona is even more horrifying when viewers that his character is modeled after the real-life BTK killer. He leaves the audience feeling disgusted, but many Redditors agree that his time on the show was the peak of Dexter's show run. Viewers cannot think about Dexter without thinking about The Trinity Killer, making him the best serial killer on modern television.
