'Dexter' back to kill again on Showtime

"Dexter" will bring his own brand of justice back to Showtime for another season.

The premium network said Thursday that it has ordered a second season of the drama series, which centers on Dexter Morgan (Michael C. Hall), a likable forensics expert for the Miami Police Department who moonlights as a serial killer.

Production on 12 hourlong episodes is set to begin in the spring, with a premiere date targeted for summer.

In making the announcement, Showtime president of entertainment Robert Greenblatt cited critical acclaim and viewership tallies as reasons behind the decision to renew the show.

" 'Dexter' is a home run for us, both critically and in popularity — the show was launched at the height of all the broadcast networks' fall launches and instantly became our highest-rated show," he said. "People seem fascinated by the moral ambiguity of Dexter."

"Dexter's" cumulative viewership tally stands at nearly 2 million viewers a week across all of its runs. The show premiered Oct. 1, drawing 603,000 in its first run at 10 p.m., which made it the second-highest-rated premiere for a one-hour drama on Showtime, behind only "The L Word." "Dexter" will air its season finale Dec. 17.

"Dexter," based on the novel "Darkly Dreaming Dexter" by Jeff Lindsay, is executive produced by John Goldwyn, Sara Colleton and Clyde Phillips. The series also stars Jennifer Carpenter, Lauren Velez, Julie Benz, Erik King, David Zayas and James Remar.