Q. What is it supposed to be on the show? A. A residential home. Q. Where is it supposed to be on the show? A. Somewhere in Miami. Q. When did we see it on the show? A. In Episode 5, of Season 7, "Swim Deep". LaGuerta is reopening the Bay Harbor Butcher case, hoping to prove that her friend, Doakes, didn't commit those murders. She decides to contact the families of victims in cases that fit the Bay Harbor Butcher profile, but where the victims went missing after Doakes' death. In this scene, she has persuaded Debra to help her investigate. (Debra wants to stay close, to make sure it doesn't lead back to Dexter.) And they both show up at a small green house. They are met at the door by the young son of one "victim", a murderous wedding photographer named Phillip Barnes (whom Dexter killed, years ago). The son is happy to cooperate, but he tells him that he is actually glad that his father is gone.  He says that he beat him and his mother, and that things got a lot better after he disappeared. He brings them a box of old wedding photos. LaGuerta says they should look at them, because Lundy had a theory that the Bay Harbor Butcher might be a cop.  If so, they might recognize a face in the photos. They dig into the box, and Debra finds a photo where Dexter can be seen in the wedding crowd.  She conceals it, and tells LaGuerta that she should really take them back to the station to look at them more carefully.  LaGuerta agrees. Later, Debra gives the print to Dexter, who burns it. Q. What is it actually in real life? A. A residential home - just not in Miami. Q. Where can I find it in real life?

A. This house is located at 525 Central Avenue, in Seal Beach, CA.


This marks the first time Dexter has filmed in Seal Beach, which is right across the border from Long Beach (to the east), yet which technically is in another county (Seal Beach is part of Orange County, Long Beach is Los Angeles County).


The house is on the north side of Central, just west of 6th Street.


When we first see Debra on the scene, she is walking west down Central, when LaGuerta shows up.


We don't see much of the home's exterior - just the front door.  (We actually see more of the next door neighbor's house.) Most of the scene is shot inside.


This house is about two blocks northwest of the Seal Beach Pier, and is less than a mile southeast of the dock where Isaak killed Louis on Dexter's boat.  It's about the same short distance from Schooner or Later, where they filmed the scene of Dexter & Isaak having a long-distance confrontation.





I shot the photo below in 2012.





[ Warning: This is a private home.  Do not trespass on their property, knock on their door,
or do anything else that might disturb the residents. ]

Q. How the heck did you figure out where it was?

A.  In the early seasons, I usually had to hunt down the locations after viewing the episodes, using clues from the various scenes.  By the now, though, I've developed a small group of fans, spies & tipsters who kept an eye out for Dexter filming in their neighborhoods, and would let me know in advance when something was about to film there.

Between those reports, my own personal reconnaissance around town, and a few new resources I discovered, by the time the first episode airs, I already know most (but not all) of the filming locations, and only need to watch the episodes and match up the scenes with the correct locations.

This group of helpful fans includes Rick, Ellen, Elaine, Mia, Joel, Susan, Eric, Jeff, Kerry & others. My thanks to all of them.

On Oct. 21, a Seal Beach fan, Gerry Trudel, sent me these photos of this house, and let me know they had been filming there:

(Thanks, Gerry!)