serial killer

This is fantastic news. According to Reuters, Showtime has given Dexter the greenlight for season two. I can't even begin to say how excited I am about that. Dexter has quickly become a favorite here at TV Squad -- Keith and myself can't stop raving about it. However, this does set a bit of a different tone for Showtime's president Robert Greenblatt. If you recall, Greenblatt gave the go ahead for season two of Huff before the show even premiered. Huff has since been canceled and it would appear that Greenblatt is being a bit more cautious this time around. But at this point, the 12-episode renewal for season two makes sense. The ratings and reviews of Dexter have been been nothing short of excellent and I'm sure season two will continue that trend. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go do some sort of celebratory jig or dance.

(S01E03) I know I've said it the past two weeks now, but wow. Showtime has a serious hit on their hands here. It's killing me (no pun intended) that I could go out and buy the book Darkly Dreaming Dexter, read it all, and know what's going on with this show. I'm not so sure I can hold out for nine more episodes. The mystery of The Ice-Truck Killer is just too good. Who is he? What does he want? Does he like Fudgesicles?

(S01E02) This show is just too cool. Everything about it is just so smooth and flashy and slick. Very slick. Just look at the opening title sequence. This is new since it wasn't attached to last week's pilot. It looked great. The way it incorporated blood into every aspect of Dexter's life? He wakes up being bitten by a mosquito. He cuts himself shaving. For breakfast, he even juices a very ripe blood orange. See? Slick.

(S01E01) "Takes life. Seriously." What a great tagline. Just a simple play on words and it tells you everything you need to know about the show. I'm worried though. Dexter is good. In fact, it's really good. That's why I'm worried. Why? Because Showtime has a nasty little habit of canceling great shows. There was The Chris Isaak Show. Then Dead Like Me. The most recent casualty? Huff. All three of those shows were spectacular. And you know what? Dexter is better than all of them. So, yeah... I'm worried.

I think I'm reading too much into this, but it's still fun. Pictured above is some desktop wallpaper from Showtime's new original series Dexter. I was looking at it and wondered if there were any hidden clues about the upcoming premiere season. I know CSI did something like that to pump last year's season finale but that was an actual promo poster and this is just plain ol' wallpaper. Regardless, there's still a lot going on in the picture. There's a guy in the second floor window, the three women gathered around something (someone?), police lines blocking off the sidewalk, and what appears to be a couple of shirtless men to the far right. You can see the full size image here. Anyone else think there might be something more to this? It just looks like one of those pictures that has some kind of hidden message...

Edward Furlong will have a recurring role on CBS' CSI:NY this season. He'll play Shane Casey, a young man who is somehow involved in the investigation of a serial killer. The description of the actual storyline makes me think the CSI writers have lost their minds: "where a serial killer uses trendy t-shirts as inspiration for his grisly murders." Do they mean those innocuous t-shirts from American Eagle, etc. that are either retro or don't mean a damn thing? How will a vintage Miami Vice t-shirt have a role in a murder?

In case you're wondering who Edward Furlong is... he had a brilliant role a few years ago as Edward Norton's hateful younger brother in American History X, but you may also recognize him as a young John Connor in Terminator 2. Oh, and he was arrested in 2004 for freeing lobsters from a restaurant tank.

Furlong's first CSI:NY episode airs Wednesday, Oct. 11.

Just a reminder that the acclaimed British series Life on Mars - which Martin has been reviewing here - is now being shown on BBC America. It airs Monday nights at 10pm, as well as other times during the week.

I caught the first episode last night, and I have to say it's a terrific show. The premsie: a Manchester detective chasing a serial killer in 2006. His co-worker/girlfriend Maya is kidnapped by the killer, and while he's investigating it, he gets hit by a car and wakes up...in 1973 Manchester! Is he dreaming this in a coma? Is he really back in 1973? Can going back in time help him solve the crime?

I didn't think the premise would hold up, but it does, and it's really intriguing. Catch it.

I'm trying to imagine being in Allison Dubois' shoes, trying to feel what she would feel. If my husband thought me a danger to my own children. If I came home disconnected from reality, having let my groceries melt in the back seat as I smoked, watching a girl, seeing her through the eyes of the killer. If my children were whisked away one night to friends' and relatives' houses, out of fear I might injure them. If I, so entranced, spent hours writing over and over again on a pad of paper, It was ME. It was ME.

The fact that I can see this so clearly is testament to the continuing spell that Medium has me under. That I never saw the ending to the story, until the very ending, is testament to the writers' skill and creativity. That I couldn't watch some of the scenes, though, is worrisome. Medium has such a strong audience, it's clear, in my demographic - the 25- to 55-year-old women, or some such. Must the show also appeal to the men in that age group, and then reach out to the younger demo, with all that blood, gore and horror?