We can confirm that the upcoming eighth season of our groundbreaking series DEXTER^® will be its final one. Today’s announcement coincides with the release of an exclusive tease from the premiere of the series’ eighth and final season, which debuts on Sunday June 30th at 9 p.m. ET/PT . The series premiered on October 1, 2006 and has grown its loyal audience every season since its debut. DEXTER was the recipient of the prestigious Peabody Award, as well as 25 Emmy and 10 Golden Globe Award nominations, and was twice named one of AFI’s top ten television series. 

“When it debuted in 2006, DEXTER redefined the genre, by taking the anti-hero to new heights and pushing the boundaries of the television landscape,” said Matthew C. Blank, Chairman  and CEO, Showtime Networks Inc. “DEXTER paved the way for the next generation of award-winning hit SHOWTIME series, and its cultural impact will be felt for years to come.”

“DEXTER is a landmark franchise for our network, and we cannot wait to unveil the conclusion of this series, as we know it, to the millions of passionate fans who have supported the show season after season,” said David Nevins, President of Entertainment, Showtime Networks Inc. “We’d like to thank Michael, Jennifer, and DEXTER ‘s indomitable cast, executive producers, writers and crew for eight incredible seasons.”

The exclusive tease from DEXTER ‘s eighth and final season premiere gives fans a sneak peek into the mindset of Dexter and Debra Morgan after LaGuerta’s death in season seven. To watch the clip, go to: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dy6u5rXqN5o.

DEXTER stars Michael C. Hall in his Golden Globe and SAG Award-winning role as Dexter Morgan, a complicated and conflicted blood-spatter expert for the Miami police department. Season eight begins six months after LaGuerta’s murder – and Dexter is still managing life as a dad, brother, and serial killer. As Deb (series star Jennifer Carpenter) struggles to deal with the consequences of her actions, a mysterious woman comes to work with Miami Metro, offering first-hand information on Dexter’s past. The series also stars Desmond Harrington, C.S. Lee, Aimee Garcia, David Zayas, Geoff Pierson and James Remar. 

Please help us wish a VERY Happy Birthday to Homeland’s Claire Danes!

In case you missed Emmy Rossum singing the National Anthem at Mets Opening Day last week, then check this out. 

ICYMI: Check out Edie Falco on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon. Season Five of NURSE JACKIE premieres this Sunday at 9 PM! 

A beautifully moving must read: 

daxtumbler:

My father, Dave Robert Shepard Sr., died on either December 30th or December 31st, depending on what time zone you were in. I received the call on the 30th at 11:30PM in Los Angeles, but the caller, positioned in Detroit, was two hours deep into the 31st. He was dead at 62 years old. Small cell…

Get ready for season four of GIGOLOS! It’s back to Vegas when the series returns on Thursday, April 18th at 11 PM ET/PT on SHOWTIME.  This season we catch up with fan favorites Nick, Vin, Brace and Ash, and introduce a new cast member Bradley, an ex-Marine and self-professed “cougar magnet.”  With a new gigolo joining the crew — and the guys facing their most outrageous client requests yet — this promises to be one wild season! 

Emmy Winner Allison Janney Will Guest Star On The New SHOWTIME^® Drama Series MASTERS OF SEX

Emmy Award-winning actress Allison Janney will guest star on the new one-hour SHOWTIME drama series MASTERS OF SEX.  Janney, who will appear in five episodes and will play the role of Margaret Scully, the wife of Beau Bridges’ character, University Provost Barton Scully.  Production on the first season is currently underway in Los Angeles and will premiere on SHOWTIME, Sunday, September 29^th at 10 PM ET/PT.

MASTERS OF SEX stars Michael Sheen and Lizzy Caplan, who will portray the real-life pioneers of the science of human sexuality, William Masters and Virginia Johnson.  The series chronicles the unusual lives, romance and pop culture trajectory of Masters and Johnson.  Their research touched off the sexual revolution and took them from a mid-western teaching hospital in St. Louis to the cover of Time magazine.  The series is an adaptation of Thomas Maier’s book Masters of Sex: The Life and Times of William Masters and Virginia Johnson, The Couple Who Taught America How To Love.  The pilot episode was directed and executive produced by Academy Award^® nominee John Madden (Shakespeare in Love, The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel), and also stars Caitlin Fitzgerald (It’s Complicated), in the role of Masters’ wife, Nicholas D’Agosto (Heroes)  and Teddy Sears (American Horror Story).  Emmy and Golden Globe^® award-winning actor Beau Bridges and Margo Martindale also appear. MASTERS OF SEX was created and executive produced by Michelle Ashford (The Pacific).  The series will also be executive produced by Carl Beverly, Sarah Timberman and Judith Verno.  Michael Sheen, Tammy Rosen and Thomas Maier will serve as producers.  MASTERS OF SEX is produced by Sony Pictures Television.

In case you missed it: check out an extended interview with HOUSE OF LIES’ DonCheadle on Totally Biased with Kamau Bell!

House of Lies + Les Mis = Les Mais (on de Lies)!

EMMY^® WINNER KYLE CHANDLER SECURES LEAD ROLE 

IN THE VATICAN ON SHOWTIME^®

 Acclaimed Actors Matthew Goode And Sebastian Koch Also Join The Cast

Emmy Award winner Kyle Chandler (Friday Night Lights, Argo, Zero Dark Thirty) has been cast in the lead role of the drama pilot THE VATICAN, a provocative contemporary genre thriller about spirituality, power and politics – set against the modern-day political machinations within the Catholic church. Chandler will portray Cardinal Thomas Duffy, the charismatic yet enigmatic Archbishop of New York, whose progressive leanings excite some and alarm others within the hierarchy of the Catholic Church. Acclaimed actors Matthew Goode (A Single Man) and Sebastian Koch (A Good Day to Die Hard) have also joined the cast. THE VATICAN will begin production in 2013 and is being produced by Sony Pictures Television in association with SHOWTIME for series consideration.

THE VATICAN will explore the relationships and rivalries as well as the mysteries and miracles behind one of the world’s most hidden institutions. Two–time Oscar nominee and three-time Emmy nominee Paul Attanasio wrote the hour-long script.  Master of modern day cinema and triple Oscar nominee and Golden Globe^®-winner Sir Ridley Scott will direct the pilot – marking his first ever for television.

A beloved actor on the small and big screen, Chandler is best known to audiences for his Emmy-winning role as Coach Eric Taylor on Friday Night Lights. His film credits include Super 8, The Day the Earth Stood Still, King Kong, Broken City, and two Academy Award^®-nominated films this year for Best Motion Picture, Argo and Zero Dark Thirty. His television roles include lead and guest starring roles on Early Edition, Homefront, What About Joan and Grey’s Anatomy. Chandler can next be seen in the feature film The Wolf of Wall Street, directed by Martin Scorsese.

Acclaimed actor Matthew Goode has been cast in the role of Papal Secretary Bernd Koch, the current Pope’s closest confidante – giving him a very powerful perch within the inner-circle of the Vatican. Goode’s feature film credits include Stoker opposite Nicole Kidman and Mia Wasikowska, A Single Man, Watchmen, Match Point, The Lookout, Brideshead Revisited and Chasing Liberty. He currently stars in the BBC miniseries Dancing on the Edge, which will air in the US later this year.

With appearances on stage, television and film, Sebastian Koch is one of Germany’s most successful actors, and will play Cardinal Marco Malerba, the Vatican’s Secretary of State. Malerba is informally known as the “dark prince of the Curia” for his proven abilities to ruthlessly wield power within the Church hierarchy. Koch’s credits include a lead role in the 2007 Oscar^® winner for Best Foreign Language Film The Lives of Others, as well as Sea Wolf, Paul Verhoeven’s Black Book, Camelot, and the action thriller A Good Day to Die Hard.