James Doakes, the funniest character to ever air on TV. The strong expressions used to express his distrust and suspicion have made it the basis for a perfect meme. With the first episode of Dexter launched in 2006, it's been one of the internet's favorite memes for two decades now.
The first detective meme to go viral is the famous "Surprise Motherf*****r" line. It was one of the first viral clips posted on YouTube in 2008 and amassed millions of views. Since early 2025, many memes have been surfacing around Detective Doakes' face looking suspicious, usually captioned with "When you know ... but you just can't prove it". With so many situations where people suspect things without being able to prove it, it's no surprise that 'just can't prove it' memes often get tens of millions of views across TikTok, Instagram, and X.
