CBS eyes "Dexter" for edited broadcast

By Georg Szalai and Nellie Andreeva

NEW YORK (Hollywood Reporter) - As the Hollywood writers strike enters its second month with no end in sight, recycling cable series on broadcast networks is becoming a reality.

CBS Corp. president and CEO Leslie Moonves said that CBS is planning to run some series that air on its Showtime cable unit, including the breakout hit "Dexter."

"'Dexter' is probably the first one to go on -- with some edits," Moonves told reporters at UBS' Global Media & Communications Conference in New York. "It fits with our crime shows."

The edgy, offbeat "Dexter," which has become a critical and ratings success for Showtime, stars Michael C. Hall as a Miami police forensics expert who moonlights as a vigilante serial killer.

CBS, of course, is the leader in the forensic crime drama genre with the "CSI" franchise.

Moonves didn't specify when "Dexter" would launch on CBS beyond saying it should come "in the near future."

Now in its second season on Showtime, "Dexter" has broken ratings records for the premium cable network. Its November 18 episode ranked as the most-watched in Showtime history.

In addition to "Dexter," CBS also is considering Showtime's racy period drama "The Tudors," which originally was developed for CBS, and the critically praised dark comedy "Weeds," about a marijuana-peddling soccer mom. However, both will need heavy editing to make it to broadcast primetime.  Continued...