After a season that garnered three Emmy nominations, it might seem hard for Showtime's "Dexter" to keep killing the competition. But with it's stellar cast, including a few key additions, the serial killer drama intends to stay a cut above. "Dexter," which begins its fourth season Sunday at 9 p.m., centers around the exploits of Dexter Morgan, a blood spatter analyst for the Miami Police Department, who in his spare time is also one of America's most prolific serial killers.
And while many struggle with the idea of rooting for a cold-blooded killer, it's his victims that make the decision easy.
Dexter, played by the Emmy-nominated Michael C. Hall, does not hunt the
innocent, he hunts the guilty. He secures justice for the bad guys who
slip through the cracks.
But still, rooting for a serial killer?
"We can all relate to what it's like to carry secrets," said the show's star, Michael C. Hall in a recent Washington Post interview. "And I think people relish being given permission to identify with a character like Dexter, who lives in a really gray area from an ethical standpoint."
This season, after battling the Ice Truck Killer (who turned out to be his brother), a guy who skinned his victims and a district attorney who got a little too close, Dexter finds himself as a
new father and a
husband to Rita, who is completely in the dark about her hubby's secret
hobby.
Julie Benz, who plays the mom of three (two from a previous marriage) is just fine with that. "I love not knowing," Benz said in recent interview with Fanboy. "I think as an audience you're just waiting for the rug to be ripped out from under her. And the more they become meshed in each other's lives the more of a fall she's gonna take if she ever finds out. And they are pretty meshed at this point."
But as season four looms, could Rita be harboring a secret of her own?
"Yeah, we knew Rita had been married before, but now there is this possible second previous marriage," said Benz. "I have no idea where they are going with that."
Adding to the mix is the return of Keith Carradine as Special Agent Frank Lundy, who unsuccessfully tracked down the Bay Harbor Butcher in season two and it's a good thing too, seeing as the Butcher was Dexter himself.
Lundy returns to hunt for a serial killer played by John Lithgow, who joins one of the already strongest ensemble casts on television.
As Arthur Mitchell, who Hall refers to as "a straight-up psychopath," Lithgow's character is also known as the "Trinity Killer."
"He kills in threes," Lithgow said in a Showtime press release. "He has secrets which get rolled out in the course of 12 episodes and I don't want anybody to know what those secrets are, needless to say. So I'm not going to tell you."
Lithgow, who has a long and illustrious career in acting, says he was bowled over by the character from the get go.
"I had the fortunate experience of getting an entire detailed pitch from (executive producer and head writer) Clyde Phillips," says Lithgow. "It's an incredible story. So I feel like the cat who ate the cream."
And as for Sunday night's season premiere? Look for Dexter to begin adjusting to life in suburbia as he seeks his next "project." "And don't miss the first five minutes," said an excited Lithgow. "Because that'll keep you watching for the next 12 episodes.
With at least one more season planned for the series, you can be sure we'll stay tuned much longer than that.
For more on the new season of "Dexter" plus the new "Dexter" book and video game, yep, video game, check out Chris Bridges' 24/7 blog.
But still, rooting for a serial killer?
"We can all relate to what it's like to carry secrets," said the show's star, Michael C. Hall in a recent Washington Post interview. "And I think people relish being given permission to identify with a character like Dexter, who lives in a really gray area from an ethical standpoint."
This season, after battling the Ice Truck Killer (who turned out to be his brother), a guy who skinned his victims and a district attorney who got a little too close, Dexter finds himself as a
new father and a
husband to Rita, who is completely in the dark about her hubby's secret
hobby. Julie Benz, who plays the mom of three (two from a previous marriage) is just fine with that. "I love not knowing," Benz said in recent interview with Fanboy. "I think as an audience you're just waiting for the rug to be ripped out from under her. And the more they become meshed in each other's lives the more of a fall she's gonna take if she ever finds out. And they are pretty meshed at this point."
But as season four looms, could Rita be harboring a secret of her own?
"Yeah, we knew Rita had been married before, but now there is this possible second previous marriage," said Benz. "I have no idea where they are going with that."
Adding to the mix is the return of Keith Carradine as Special Agent Frank Lundy, who unsuccessfully tracked down the Bay Harbor Butcher in season two and it's a good thing too, seeing as the Butcher was Dexter himself.
Lundy returns to hunt for a serial killer played by John Lithgow, who joins one of the already strongest ensemble casts on television.
As Arthur Mitchell, who Hall refers to as "a straight-up psychopath," Lithgow's character is also known as the "Trinity Killer."
"He kills in threes," Lithgow said in a Showtime press release. "He has secrets which get rolled out in the course of 12 episodes and I don't want anybody to know what those secrets are, needless to say. So I'm not going to tell you."
Lithgow, who has a long and illustrious career in acting, says he was bowled over by the character from the get go.
"I had the fortunate experience of getting an entire detailed pitch from (executive producer and head writer) Clyde Phillips," says Lithgow. "It's an incredible story. So I feel like the cat who ate the cream."
And as for Sunday night's season premiere? Look for Dexter to begin adjusting to life in suburbia as he seeks his next "project." "And don't miss the first five minutes," said an excited Lithgow. "Because that'll keep you watching for the next 12 episodes.
With at least one more season planned for the series, you can be sure we'll stay tuned much longer than that.
For more on the new season of "Dexter" plus the new "Dexter" book and video game, yep, video game, check out Chris Bridges' 24/7 blog.
For anyone who has suffered the consequences of a real-life serial killer, this unfortunate choice by Showtime, and the News Journal, is anything but entertaining.