*****SPOILER ALERT: This article will include spoilers through episode 5 of the currently airing Dexter New Blood.*****

Have you ever had a TV show that you loved so much that it nearly became your entire personality?

Let me tell you when I love a TV show, I LOVE a TV show and the grip Showtime's Dexter had on me was tighter than a killer's hand around my neck.

I jumped in as season 3 was airing. I was 18-years-old and was dating a guy whose family watched it. I was instantly hooked on the story and the oddly charming character of Dexter, his foul-mouthed and witty sister Deb, and the wonderful cast of characters working for Miami Metro.

After finishing that season I bought the first two seasons on DVD (back in the day where streaming wasn't at one's fingertips) and binged my way through.

As season 4 (my all-time favorite season) ended I actually cried real tears after the shocking murder of Dexter's wife, Rita. Never had I been so punched in the gut over a TV death and I haven't since. (I also haven't been able to see John Lithgow the same since.)

Months after that I started my time at Southern Maine Community College. I'm not exaggerating when I tell you that I included Dexter in at least one class project in every class I could. I used Photoshop to create my very own Dexter bookjacket, a design for a bottle of "Blood-Be-Gone", even using Dexter as a topic for psychology and public speaking classes.

Then as the series ended I was disappointed like most fans. It wasn't the finale we wanted. At all.

And like a gift from the television gods something crazy happened.

Dexter was returning after nearly a decade off the air in Dexter New Blood.

As a fan, that was unbelievable news. "They listened?" "Michael C. Hall is on board?" "OMG, IT'S HAPPENING!!!"

For an entire year, I anticipated the release of Dexter New Blood and while it's still airing each week, thus far I am very happy.

Dexter New Blood takes place in the made-for-TV town of Iron Lake, New York. In the wintertime. A huge leap from the sunny days in Miami.

While Iron Lake, NY is fake, Shelburne Falls, Massachusettes is very much a real place. In that small town as well as a few other small towns in Massachusetts, Dexter New Blood was filmed.

I checked Google Maps, I could make a day road trip there and back. For a super fan like me, I imagine it would be like when I, as a Harry Potter fan, visited The Wizarding World of Harry Potter. It's incredible to immerse oneself in a fantasy world they've loved for years.

I'm still deciding if I'll make the trip but if you're a fan check out all the filming locations you can see in the flesh. Just keep your eye out for a guy named Kurt. Say no if he offers you a place to stay, and say, "Hey!" to Jim over at Fred's.

Dexter New Blood Fans Can Visit The Real Life Iron Lake in Western Massachusetts

For more filming locations, check out Atlas of Wonders.

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