14 DAY TRIAL // Showtime is not among the networks that carry shows and series that would get, as a rule, ratings in the multi-million viewers range, they often say. In recent months, though, Showtime has managed to do the unthinkable and take everyone by surprise with the ratings it pulled with its killer series “Dexter.” The episode before last, airing this past weekend, marked a new record for the network, Broadcasting Cable informs.
“Dexter” is a (police) drama that shifts the focus from the typical “hero” in that it proposes a serial killer for the part. Dexter Morgan is a blood spatter analyst with the Miami Police and he doubles at night as a serial killer, hunting down those who escape justice through loopholes in the system. The show’s fanbase has started to expand with season 4, with the season premiere setting a new record – that the penultimate episode just took down the other day.
“The penultimate episode of Showtime’s ‘Dexter’ drew 2.1 million viewers during its first airing at 9 p.m. Sunday, December 6. In addition to being the most-watched episode of the series, it was also Showtime’s most-viewed telecast since Oct. 23, 1999 when the pay cabler aired a boxing match between Mike Tyson and Orlin Norris. That includes all original series, acquired movies and sports specials. The momentum carried over to ‘Californication’ at 10 p.m., which drew 913,000 total viewers during its first airing, also a series record,” Broadcasting Cable informs.
Season 4 of the series has managed to generate considerably more hype than the previous seasons, mostly because it presents a side of Dexter that fans were not privy to before. The killer has now added a new responsibility to his already impressive list, being also a father of a newborn and two already grownup kids, after getting married. Being a full-time dad, a forensic specialist and a serial killer surely must take a toll on a man, no matter how able or intensely trained he is for it, as Executive Producer of the show, Sara Colleton, was also saying a while back.
“In other words, can Dexter have it all? Which is something all of us grapple with every day of our lives. So we’re taking something that is a very human dilemma and putting it through the prism of Dexter’s special needs. [The antagonist] will illuminate a lot about Dexter’s life and force him to make some tough choices. All the way through the season, Deb – in her need to know her father more – is going to get closer and closer to figuring out who Dexter’s mother was and her relationship with her father,” Colleton said.