Whilst the show was originally criticized for getting viewers to back a serial killer; and hope that not only does he manage to avoid capture, but that he claims more and more victims; it’s clear to anyone who has been following, that Dexter is not only a fantastically well written, suspenseful, and superbly acted, show, but that it’s here to stay; and so the news that it’s expected to be renewed for a sixth season, shouldn’t come as too much of a shock for anyone.
Whilst nothing is official just yet, it’s clear that the series is currently doing very well; despite putting a number of fans off by adjusting the format for the current season, and moving away from having one major villain a season for Dexter to eliminate, it’s picked up a great deal; and on Sunday, for the first time ever (in the crucial 18-49 age bracket), tied in the ratings with HBO’s Boardwalk Empire (with numbers that mark a 43% increase in viewership from the season premiere).
Despite the controversy of making a serial killer the hero of a popular drama, Dexter has always fared well with critics and audiences alike; Michael C. Hall (Gamer) has been Emmy nominated for his role as the mild-mannered serial killer that’s loved the world over, and has won a Golden Globe, Screen Actors Guild Award, and Scream Award, for Best Actor thanks to his visceral and engrossing performances over the past five years, in a show that itself has been nominated and won awards for Best Drama; and looks set to break another Showtime ratings record in the coming weeks.
With the fifth season finale set to air on December 12th in the U.S., current figures project that Dexter’s season closer will be breaking another viewership record for the Showtime network; just as the season four finale broke all of Showtime’s records for an original series, and was the network’s most watched telecast in more than ten years; and so it’s no shock that the network is expected to announce a sixth season within the next couple of weeks.
Unlike the 2008 announcement however; which saw Showtime confidently commissioning an extra two seasons of the popular show; the announcement of a sixth season is unlikely to come with any extra seasons attached, as a number of deals with people described as “key talent” need to be renegotiated before a seventh season can be confirmed.
