Tuesday 21 October 2008

Dexter: renewed for two years

Tuesday 21 October 2008
Showtime have ordered two more seasons of Dexter, meaning it will reach season 5 by 2010. The serial-killer drama is currently airing its third season in the US, having attracted more than 3 million viewers to its premiere.

Robert Greenblatt, Showtime's Entertainment President, commented:

"Dexter's enormous success is a tribute to the great achievements of its cast, the producing team, the author of the original book, and the gifted Michael C. Hall. I thought at best we would attract a devoted cult audience but soon realised that, ironically, this show is so thematically rich and layered with humanity that audiences of all kinds have flocked to it."

This is a welcome show of support from the cable network, but considering season 3 is already looking fatigued, I'm nervous about Dexter's long-term quality. I actually think there's mileage left in the premise, but I also feel that familiarity has already dampened the edginess I was originally drawn to. Season 3 has yet to get anywhere near the compelling quality of season 1 and 2, so what will season 4 and 5 be like?

What do you think? Can Dexter go the distance? Should they have called it a day after season 2? Will the producers make a deal with Showtime, and build towards a big, definitive finale in 2010?