Dexter, the Showtime drama starring Michael C. Hall, is set to make the move to its sister network CBS, according to CBS President and CEO Les Moonves. Dexter, which is about a Miami forensics worker who, in his free time, is a serial killer. At a CBS investor conference today, Moonves declared his intentions to repurpose some Showtime series on CBS as the writers’ strike wears on. In regards to Dexter, Les Moonves said, “Dexter is probably the first one to go on — with some edits. It fits with our crime shows.” Network television is pretty lenient when it comes to violence, so airing Dexter shouldn’t pose too many issues. Hey, if A&E can air The Sopranos, anything is possible.
The repurposing of cable shows to the networks is a trend TV viewers are likely to see a lot of in the upcoming months, especially if the writers’ strike continues unresolved. NBC already brought Law & Order: Criminal Intent back from cable, and we can expect more of the same. NBC and CBS are really the only two major networks with a big pool of additional scripted content to plunder. CBS has Showtime and NBC has its stable of cable networks (Sci-Fi, USA, and Bravo).
Weeds and The Tudors are the other likely candidates to make the trek from Showtime to CBS. Both would need to be edited, but that’s easier than people think. As for NBC, it’s bothered fans of a long time, but Battlestar Galactica is sitting there, ready for prime time. Not much editing is needed, and the potential for ratings is through the roof. Sure, it could be a flop with network audiences, but isn’t it worth a try amid the strike? Monk and Burn Notice are other cable to NBC possibilities.
-Oscar Dahl, BuddyTV Senior Writer
Source: Hollywood Reporter
(Image Courtesy of Showtime)
Senior Writer, BuddyTV
