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Showtime renews 'Dexter'

Network picks up drama for two more seasons

By DANIEL FRANKEL

CBS showed 'Dexter' episodes briefly during the writers strike to offset a shortage of original programming, increasing the skein's exposure.

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Showtime has picked up a fourth and fifth season of drama series "Dexter."

Production on season four is set to begin in L.A. in the spring and each campaign will span 12 episodes.

Skein stars Michael C. Hall as a Miami blood splatter expert who moonlights as a serial killer. Its Sept. 28 season premiere drew 1.2 million viewers, a 20% uptick over its season-two bow. Counting encore runs and other viewing, "Dexter" -- Showtime's highest-rated show last year -- garnered an aud of more than 3 million for its third-season premiere week.

Certainly, the additional exposure garnered by its brief CBS run in February didn't hurt these ratings, with the Eye airing "Dexter" to offset a shortage of original programming during the writers strike.

Skein nabbed an Emmy nom for drama series earlier this year while also winning a Peabody Award.

Season three of "Dexter" is exec produced by John Goldwyn, Sara Colleton, Clyde Phillips and Charles H. Eglee.