Following his headline appearance as Det. Jimmy McCarron on the second season of L.A. Dragnet (2003–2004), Harrington starred on the short-lived ABC sitcom Sons & Daughters (2006), which drew attention for its use of improvisation and absence of a traditional laugh track.[9][10] He then joined the cast of the Showtime crime thriller series Dexter in its third season, playing "Joey" Quinn, a smart-mouthed detective. During his five years on the show (2008–2013), he was nominated on four occasions—along with his co-stars—for the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Ensemble. Between 2009 and 2012, Harrington played the recurring role of Jack Bass, an irresponsible businessman, on the CW's Gossip Girl.[11]
In March 2012, Harrington guest-starred in the season three premiere of the neo-Western drama series Justified, playing Fletcher "the Ice Pick" Nix. In his review of the episode for Entertainment Weekly, Ken Tucker commented, "In a very nice performance utterly unlike anything he does on Dexter, Harrington let his hair get all bed-heady and spoke in a mumble-mouth drawl as he set up his favorite sadistic game: He lays a gun on a table, and has someone count down from 10. At "1," you're invited to reach for the gun, but that's when Ice Pick earns his nickname: He pulls out an ice pick, stabs your hand to the table, picks up the gun, and shoots you".[12] Next, Harrington featured in a small but pivotal role in Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight Rises (2012),[13] co-starred as Alan Shepard—the first American astronaut to travel to space—in the CBS miniseries The Astronaut Wives Club (2015), and appeared as Jack, a lecherous photographer, in Nicolas Winding Refn's critically divisive arthouse thriller, The Neon Demon (2016).[14]
^Vice, Jeff (October 26, 2001). "Film review: My First Mister". Deseret News. Retrieved March 25, 2024. (That's not meant to slight veteran comic character actors Kane, Michael McKean, Mary Kay Place and John Goodman, as well as newcomer Desmond Harrington, all of whom lend able support.)
^"Wrong Turn review". Total Film. June 27, 2003. Retrieved March 25, 2024. And while there's a smattering of bad dialogue and the obligatory emphasis on pert breasts straining in tiny tops, the two leads (Desmond Harrington and Eliza Dushku) emerge as intelligent, capable characters, consistently exhibiting resourcefulness to outwit their pursuers.
^Gingold, Michael (February 17, 2003). "Review: Love Object". Fangoria. Retrieved March 25, 2024. Most crucially, he and Harrington maintain a level of empathy for Kenneth; for all his social awkwardness, he's a likable guy at first, and the understanding the director and actor build for him keep the audience rooting for his and Lisa's relationship to work out.
^"Love Object". Pressman Film. Retrieved March 25, 2024.
