The Emmy-nominated drama Dexter has been picked up for two more seasons by Showtime, the network announced earlier today.
Dexter is currently in its third season, which premiered three weeks ago, and earned record ratings, surpassing three million viewers in its first week.
Seasons four and five will follow the 12 episode format, and production on season four will begin next 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, and the gifted Michael C. Hall,” said Robert Greenblatt, Showtime’s President of Entertainment. “I thought at best we would attract a devoted 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.”
Dexter stars Michael C. Hall (Six Feet Under) as Dexter Morgan, blood spatter expert and serial killer with standards, Jennifer Carpenter (The Exorcism of Emily Rose, Quarantine) as his sister and fellow police officer Debra Morgan, Lauren Vélez (Oz) as their lieutenant Maria Laguerta, Julie Benz (Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel) as Dexter’s girlfriend Rita, James Remar (Sex and the City, Jericho) as his dead surrogate father, and Jimmy Smits (NYPD Blue, The West Wing) as his new best friend Miguel Prado.
Dexter airs Sundays at 9 on Showtime.