Showtime has opted to kill two morally bankrupt murderers birds with one stone, picking up Dexter for two more seasons, it was announced on Tuesday.

Seasons 4 and 5 will consist of 12 episodes each, with production to commence this spring in Los Angeles.

“Dexter’s enormous success is a tribute to the great achievements of its cast, the producing team, the author of the original book [Jeff Lindsay], and the gifted Michael C. Hall,” says Showtime president of entertainment Robert Greenblatt. “I thought at best we would attract adevoted cult audience but soon realized that, ironically, this show is so thematically rich and layered with humanity that audiences of all kinds have flocked to it.”

Hall is a two-time Emmy and Golden Globe nominee for his portrayal of Dex, while the series itself was nominated this year for five Emmys, including Outstanding Drama Series.

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CBS is bringing cable’s favorite serial killer to broadcast TV. Starting Feb. 17, the first season of Showtime’s Dexter will air Sundays at 10 on the Eye network. Dexter will become the first pay cable show ever to get a full-season broadcast run on CBS, as the network’s supply of scripted programs is being depleted by the WGA strike.

Dexter stars Emmy-nominated Michael C. Hall as a Miami police forensics expert with an uncontrollable urge to kill. The series recently delivered a series-high 1.4 million viewers with its second season finale on the CBS-owned Showtime, which is available in 15 million homes. CBS will edit the 12 episodes of the first season to meet broadcast television content standards.

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Unresolved romances and a long-simmering film project finally bear fruit in the fifth season of THE L WORD, returning January 6th, 2008 to SHOWTIME. Dreams come true and new life paths are forged for many of the show’s beloved characters this year – but not without the The L Word’s trademark provocative storylines, sizzling sexuality, and heart-rending emotion. The series stars Jennifer Beals, Leisha Hailey, Laurel Holloman, Mia Kirshner, Katherine Moennig, Daniela Sea, Rachel Shelley and Pam Grier. Season five’s new guest stars include Kelly McGillis and Wallace Shawn, alongside returning special guest stars Cybill Shepherd, Marlee Matlin, Kristanna Loken, Jane Lynch and, returning to a role that earned the program acclaim and controversy, Rose Rollins as Tasha, an Iraq War veteran concealing her sexuality from the military.

Season five’s major plot developments include a “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” investigation of Tasha Williams (Rose Rollins), a closeted soldier whose moving romance last season with the out-and-proud Alice Pieszecki (Leisha Hailey) earned the show an award from the Servicemembers Legal Defense Network.

Series creator and executive producer Ilene Chaiken is proud of the attention her series is bringing to the lingering but still-unresolved issue of gay military service. “I hope Tasha’s story will shed light on the military’s untenable policy of institutionalized discrimination again gay men and lesbians who sacrifice to serve their county,” Chaiken says. “Tasha’s experience with ‘Don’t Ask Don’t Tell’ only skims the surface of the battles gay servicemembers face everyday. We’re grateful to have had the opportunity to tell her story and hope that it sparks consensus, rather than controversy, on the need for policy reform.”

Debuting as the tough veteran Colonel Gillian Davis, who is charged with prosecuting Tasha’s case, is Kelly McGillis, star of such blockbuster motion pictures as Witness and Top Gun. McGillis brings grit and panache to a role that, like so many in The L Word, is less one-dimensional than it might be first assumed.

McGillis isn’t the only exciting fifth season guest star. Chaiken reveals that, “In addition to Jane Lynch and Holland Taylor, we’re delighted by the return of Cybill Shepherd and her real-life daughter, Clementine Ford, to play the mother-daughter duo of Phyllis and Molly Kroll.” Molly, who insists that she is straight (in contrast to her recently out mother) proves an unexpectedly stalwart foil to legendary heart breaker Shane (Katherine Moennig). Chaiken hints, “As for Shane…let’s just say she’s back and better than ever, but also more self-aware and prepared to deal with the girl drama she invites.

“Also new to season five is the incredible Wallace Shawn as the wily financier of Jenny’s movie,” reveals Chaiken. When Jenny’s undaunted persistence resurrects her autobiographical movie project Lez Girls with money from a hedge-fund billionaire (Shawn), the polarizing writer soon finds herself behind the camera directing the film, as well as wooing the hot new “It Girl” actress Nikki (Kate French) to star. “The production of Lez Girls is bringing a wealth of new talent to The L Word,” says Chaiken, who also cites guest stars Malaya Rivera Drew, who plays Jenny’s disturbingly devoted assistant Adele, and Patricia Velasquez as Begonia, a self-possessed actress appearing in Jenny’s film. “We are having an absolute blast with Jenny this year as she takes on Hollywood with her movie and its ‘fictional’ account of the friends’ lives,” Chaiken laughs.

Another significant story line for season five is the arrival of Dawn Denbo (Elizabeth Keener) and her lover Cindi (Alicia Leigh Willis), a pair of Florida party-girl emigres who open a new establishment to rival longtime hangout The Planet, setting into motion a rivalry with The Planet’s owner Kit (Pam Grier) that starts benignly but quickly turns bitter.

Then there are Bette and Tina, the former couple whose on-again, off-again romance remains, for many fans, the heart of The L Word. Despite Bette’s continued serious involvement with artist and professor Jodi Lerner (Marlee Matlin), her feelings for Tina seem to be gradually simmering into “on-again” mode, and the feeling could be mutual. The characters’ tortured passion will have viewers taking sides and glued to the screen.

When discussing the rollercoaster ride that is Bette and Tina, the executive producer chooses her words carefully. “I am certainly moved by how much the story of Bette and Tina resonates with viewers,” Chaiken asserts. “I won’t confirm or deny anything just yet but will say that everyone behind the show approached season five with a completely open mind. My personal hope is for Bette and Tina to find happiness, whether as friends and co-parents, or as a couple. We’ve seen them play both of those roles over the past four seasons and I believe they’re ready for resolution. But you’ll have to watch to find out which path they chose.”

Chaiken has a few more twists and turns planned for the new season, but says that the return of The L Word’s characters to the extended family vibe of the early years is the theme that really shapes the new episodes. “Some of our favorite scenes to write and shoot at The L Word have always been the big group scenes – those gatherings at The Planet, or get-togethers at Shane and Jenny’s or one of our famous dinner parties,” she relates. “If anything defines season five it’s a return to the magical friendship among our ladies and the humor it brings to their lives and our stories. At the same time, our characters are growing up and their core relationships to each other and as a group are shifting. In season five, I wouldn’t be surprised to see friendships take unexpected, dangerous, heartbreaking…or even romantic detours.”

The L Word is one of Showtime’s most popular series, generating a large and loyal audience, as well as critical praise for its provocative, sexy storylines, the engaging and nuanced performances of its principal cast, and its appeal to celebrated directors and guest stars. Premiering Sundays at 9 p.m. PT/ET with several multi-plays during the week and available on the ever-growing Showtime On Demand, the groundbreaking series follows a group of Los Angeles-based friends as they navigate careers, families, friendships, inner struggles and romantic entanglements. Since its debut in January 2004, The L Word has become part of American popular culture, spawning dedicated fan websites and blogs, and even branded products such as perfume, jewelry and books.

I can’t wait! Here are some pictures from the upcoming season!

Those who feared that The L Word’s Jenny (Mia Kirshner) may have drifted out to sea for good can now stop guessing. Jenny is back and ready to start production on her movie “Les Girls.” She’s hooked Wallace Shawn — best known as Vizzini in The Princess Bride — as the financier of her “fictional” flick. Shawn, who will play William Halsey at the start of Season 5, has a four-episode story arc on the Showtime drama.

Also joining the cast as a recurring guest star is Top Gun’s Kelly McGillis, who will appear as a military lawyer handling a “Don’t ask, don’t tell” case. The L Word returns in January. (I can’t wait!)

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How many of you guys watched Dexter last season? Tell me what you thought! I LOOOOOVE Michael C. Hall ever since Six Feet Under. So I was really excited to see him in another cable drama.

He’ll charm fellow officers with a doughnut, wile away a Sunday with his girlfriend Rita, or chop up a victim and package their body parts in plastic bags. Hiding beneath the mundane exterior and contrived façade of Dexter, a charming blood spatter expert for the Miami Police Department, is an obsession with meting his own twisted brand of justice: stalking and murdering the guilty.

Few mainstream television shows can claim the critical acclaim that Showtime’s Dexter received in its standout first season. That’s because Dexter is anything but mainstream. Based on Jeff Lindsay’s Darkly Dreaming Dexter and Dearly Devoted Dexter, Dexter’s eponymous title character, at first glance, seems to fall into so many of TV’s current norms: a forensics expert, working with police to catch bad guys. Viewers have become accustomed to seeing gore-filled crime scenes, and look forward to seeing the perpetrator locked away in 60 minutes. Only with Dexter, our hero is often himself the perpetrator. Dexter is a serial killer.

Dexter isn’t our typical serial killer; as a blood spatter specialist for the Miami Police Department, he spends his days helping the police (including his foster-sister, Deb) put clues together to track killers and put them in jail. By night, he picks up where the police leave off: he stalks, catches and kills murderers who, for whatever reason, have escaped the system. He knows them so well because he is one, a trait seemingly brought on by a traumatic experience from his childhood. After finding young Dexter at a crime scene, Deb’s cop father, Harry, took him in. He quickly discovered Dexter’s penchant for torture, and his lack of “normal” feelings. Rather than turn his foster son over to a therapist, or the authorities, the two developed the “Code of Harry” rules that Dexter would live by to address his urges to kill and use them for good.

But Dexter, now on hiatus between its first season as a critical darling and highly anticipated second season, is so much more than an intelligent character study. Michael C. Hall’s portrayal of the title character, with all of his quirks, disdain, and self-restraint always sitting right at the surface of his half-smirking eyes, is flawless. He owns it in such a way that, like he previous character on Six Feet Under, you can think of no other actor embodying Dexter in all of his hideous glory. The success of Dexter very much rests on Hall’s shoulders, but the real achievement of the show is its ability to mix him into the pulpy, dark and often ridiculous world of Miami crime and punishment.

Hall is undoubtedly the show’s driving force, but what keeps viewers tuning in to see his real-world (often awkward, more often awkwardly funny) interactions with his meek, damaged girlfriend Rita. the brash, buff, and openly suspicious Sergeant Doakes, and his foul-mouthed foster sister (“If I had feelings, I’d feel something for Deb,” he says).

Deb wants desperately to be close to Dexter, her only surviving relative and confidant. Aware of the fact that he has a traumatic past, she excuses his inability to ever truly trust her while fighting the latent jealousy she feels about his close relationship with their father. Dexter makes up for his lack of emotion with professional support, guiding Deb through crime scenes with a real insider’s view. Their relationship is as fascinating as it is funny; some of the most ridiculous dialogue occurs when Deb is on screen, as the writer’s exploit the dichotomy between her tough talk and lack of confidence.

These relationships and mundane details are the real brilliance of Dexter. In the midst of murder, gore and body parts (the first season revolves around the chase for a serial killer who leaves bloodless victims), Dexter manages to use the popularity of the crime procedural, dark comedy and quirky characters to build a world where Dexter can, in fact exist. And that world looks oddly enough like the one that we live in ourselves.

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Dexter premieres this Sunday at 9PM ET/PT, followed by Brotherhood at 10PM ET/PT!

Can’t wait? You can watch the can watch the first episode before it premieres!

Here’s the link

Password: Killer Shows

I don’t know how many of you have Showtime, but if you don’t you should re-consider! I have just watched the first 4 episodes of the third season of “Weeds” and it is SO GOOD! If you don’t have Showtime, you can order it here. There have only been 2 episodes of Weeds so far, but I’ve seen 4 - and I’m telling you, they’re great!

Season 3 of Weeds brings out some pretty impressive guest stars! Joining Weeds this season will be Mathew Modine (yum, yum!), Mary-Kate Olsen, Carrie Fisher and Zooey Deschanel!! Personally, I can’t WAIT to see Zooey - she would be perfect on Weeds!

Weeds airs Monday night’s at 10:00PM.

Following Weeds is another great, new show “Californiacation“. I had an opportunity to watch the first episode, and it’s REALLY funny. I’ve always been a David Duchovny fan, and this role fits him like a glove! Californication airs Monday night immediately following Weeds at 10:30PM.

Make sure to check it out this Monday!

Showtime’s newcomer, Californication, has got off to a raging start in the US.

The new series staring David Duchovny has received rave reviews and is being touted as the “best new TV show in years”.

Californication is Showtime’s best scripted comedy debut ever, debuting on Monday 13 August at 10:30 p.m.

So basically Showtime is the place to be on Monday’s!