Showtime president David Nevins was on hand at today's TCA (television critics association) tour to provide some updates on the cable network's upcoming slate. Perhaps most significantly, they have designed the premiere dates for their two most popular shows, Dexter and Homeland, to "harness their strength" in order to usher in the next generation of programing for Showtime.
For the first time ever, Dexter will be moved up to a summer premiere, and will act as a springboard for the series premiere of Showtime's new Hollywood-set crime drama starring Liev Schreiber, Ray Donovan. Dexter will premiere on Sunday June 30, at 9 pm followed by Ray Donovan at 10 pm.
"Dexter is to showtime is what Batman is to Warner Brothers," Nevins said. "I want to take care of it in a way that is respectful to the franchise, and takes care of the fans."
When asked if this will indeed be the final season for the popular series, Nevins would not confirm, saying, “We’re not making any announcements today about when Dexter will end. I think I will clarify before Dexter goes on this season. We have a clear end game in place, I can’t talk about it just yet.”
Nevins added, "Dexter's end is a creative decision, and ultimately will be made for creative reasons." Nevins did promise that he would be announcing details on the series' close in the near future.
As far as the renewed energy of this season, Nevins agreed that adding a trajectory toward a conclusion did infuse the series with a creative burst. "I do think the ending and the bringing of Deb into Dexter's private torment and turmoil and story is what revitalized the show."
Nevins has continued to dodge confirming that Season 8 will be the final one for the series since last summer, when Dexter executive producer Sara Colleton said that the series "absolutely would be" ending this year. It's hard not to wonder if Dexter's ever-rising viewership has the network trying to find a way to keep the series alive for just a bit longer, past the point the producers had intended. We saw a network make a similar decision this year when CBS decided to renew How I Met Your Mother, even as it seemed to be approaching the end. Nevins, however, did stress that the quality of the programing is essential to their plan.
Showtime's other hit show, Homeland, will return this fall on Sunday, September 29 at 9 pm followed by the premiere of the new drama series Masters of Sex -- starring Lizzy Caplan and Michael Sheen -- at 10 pm.
Roth Cornet is an Entertainment Editor for IGN. You can follow her on Twitter at@RothCornet and IGN at Roth-IGN.
Source : ign[dot]com
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