Dexter, Oz Origins

This is probably our new favorite show, Showtime's Dexter. Sunday’s episode, the series' fourth, was particularly good – it just gets better and better. Seen in the photo: Julie Benz as Rita, David Zayas as Angel Batisa, James Remar as Harry, Michael C. Hall as Dexter, Lauren Velez as Lt. Laguerta, Jennifer Carpenter as Debora, and Erik King as Sgt. Doakes from Showtime's "Dexter.” Why are we putting this up? Because we were wondering if the casting peeps and exec producers were culling from Oz: Zayas, Velez and King all were regulars on Oz.

Dexter (Hall) has long fought the demons of his killer-instincts (and we don't mean that in a colloquial way, we mean it literally). Thanks to his father Harry (Remar) he has learned to control his urges, or rather, re-direct them. Dexter, who is a forensic scientist for the police, moonlights as a serial killer himself. But Dexter has made it his mission to go after the un-punished guilty. Harry has trained him to carefully research and investigate -- to ensure that the perceived guilty (who are let "loose" by the system) are indeed such.

Initial (admittedly creepy) concept aside, this is an excellently produced, thoroughly entertaining series. That's not to say there aren't some wholly gruesome difficult-to-watch moments. But in the four episodes Showtime has aired, they've have expertly profiled the characters. We're hooked.

BeansTalk on Showtime: Showtime redeemed itself to us when they aired the brilliant "Dead Like Me," and when it was canceled, we were ready to do some of our own cancelling -- by getting rid of Showtime. Then they aired "Weeds," which until the last three episodes of the most recent season, we loved. They also turned around their early-in-cable reputation for sleaze into legitimacy, with the excellent "Sexual Healing." If you missed SH check it out on On Demand, ifyou have it.