Bad guys have it good

Showbiz has always had a thing for hookers with hearts of gold. Now, it’s got a taste for a serial killer with one. He’s the star of Showtime’s darkly comic “Dexter,” which made history Thursday when it became the cable network’s first contender for Emmy’s top drama series prize. The series, which wrapped its second season in December, scored five nominations overall including one for lead actor Michael C. Hall. Executive producer Sara Colleton may have been more surprised by the series recognition than anyone else. “We always felt like ‘Dexter’ was an acquired taste,” she says. “It defies every instinct as a human to root and feel genuine affection and identification for someone who is a killer.”

Hall says Dexter’s voice-overs, weaving the audience in and out of his thoughts, “makes them complicit in the how and why of his crimes. It makes it easier to sympathize.”

And bad behavior seems to be the theme among the top acting contenders: Bryan Cranston is up for his work as a chemistry teacher-turned-crystal meth cook in AMC’s “Breaking Bad,” and Glenn Close landed a nomination for her role as a diabolical high stakes litigator in “Damages.”

-- Denise Martin