The fourth-season finale of Showtime's "Dexter" was seen by 2.6 million viewers -- blowing away all modern records for the network.
The brutal "Dexter" closer was the most-watched original series episode ever on the network, and the most watched telecast since a Mike Tyson fight in 1999. "Dexter" was 54% higher than last yea's finale.
The season three finale of "Californication" was also a series high, 1.1 million viewers, though still dropping considerably from its lead in.
via Hollywood Review.
i have GOT to start watching Season 4.
obviously i’m a bit backwards…i gotta get it together for next season.
This was the best season yet, and last night’s episode was amazing.
GO DEXTER!
What a finale.
The endings to both finales were superb. They were exactly what these shows needed. So I’m very, very eagerly awaiting the return of both. Hopefully the great potential now set up isn’t squandered. And it’s nice to see ratings reflect quality once in a while. Good for both of them.
i just started to watch Californication this season and enjoed it
I enjoy Californication once in a while, but don’t really follow it. Dexter’s ending was just amazing, I hoped for a bang and got it. So it’s nice to see it pull those numbers, 2.6 million is 2-3 times what they usually got, maybe even more. Dexter as a bright future in front of him! Let’s hope they won’t screw up the next season.
The season finale of DEXTER was so mind blowing that i had t rewind it like 5 times. It was so well executed and the huge surprise was WAYYYY over the top. Just amazingly well acted and written. Glad to see the ratings reflect the quality of the show. Next season has a lot to live up too…
Californication SUCKED this season!!!!!!!!! Fourteen minutes fro the final tells you something?? They nust of changed writers because the toilet humor, and graphic in your face clitty humor was not funny but grotesque. War of the Roses b%$^h just made it all the more sophmoorish. I enjoyed season one and two except for the two JEW producers who had to take a swing at Catholicism in the beginning, but that is too be expected by ignorant trust funders who thinks a tampon in the toilet will keep us laughing. Now that the dip shits at Showtime has cancelled Brotherhood because they wouldnt put any money behind it instead choosing a serial kiler, I now have a reason to cancel the network for good. “Move along folks.. Nothing to see here, move along…” Dont worry this consumer is.
This was season 4 of Dexter and it was outstanding. Very few TV shows maintain that level of quality in season 4. Weeds did fall apart in Season 5 until its mindblowing finale. We’ll have to see how the next seasons of Dexter and Weeds do. These shows along with Mad Men and Burn Notice really show how shorter, 12-13 episode seasons make for compelling television. Less expensive to produce. Less taxing on the creative and technical staff which enables them to deliver better TV for more seasons. Audiences tune out when shows such as Grey’s Anatomy and Desperate Housewives air filler material when they try to fill a 24 episode season. Yes, there would need to be more 13 episode series for a September to May season, but to get “must see” scripted television, this might be a direction the broadcast nets should consider.
I am happy for Dexter too. I watched it and and enjoy it with a curiosity more than the fan of a well executed show. Micheal Hall is terrific! Julie Benz is cast well…..But that police station is the poorest collection of actors since Alf! Jennifer Carpenter seems to only have one emotion no matter the circumstance. Lauren Velez and David Zayes are so cold, removed and mono-tone they make a David Mamet movie seem saccharine sweet. (Is there an award for the worst on-screen chemistry) The Lt. Chiefs nonsensical abuse of his team is bizarre and this season saw the non-stop appearing of Harry. I assume this was a tool for the writers to ease the burden of understanding the motives of a character (Dexter) that cannot tell anyone his motives…
But it is fun to watch! Kudos for some risky casting of women on this series. Nice to see some unconventional (for TV) looking leading ladies. That girl that played Trinities daughter was just trippy… great guest casting as well. Carradine, Smits and Lithgow
Great season ender for Dexter… But I am not sure where else they could have gone to make an impact. As much as I hate to say it, the Dexter character and storyline is not an easy one to make interesting for a long run…
That was a great finale to a great season!
Both finales were excellent, imho, and arguably the best episodes of their current seasons.
With Dexter, you had that much hyped, “shocking” reveal which was indeed “game changing” and I don’t think anyone called it, even on the imdb boards. But imho, it was more symbolic than shocking, given the mythology of Dexter himself.
As for Californication, that reveal was bubbling under the surface since the pilot, so while it wasn’t a surprise, it was very well done although I have mixed feelings about the dialogue being drowned out by Elton John. David Duchovny acted his socks off last night.
When both shows return next Fall, it’ll be interesting to see what they do next as both Dex’s and Hank’s lives have been changed forever. The Showtime execs have to be very pleased with last night’s ratings and almost universal praise for both shows’ season finales.
I have to admit that in no way, shape or form did I see the ending in the Dexter finale coming.
This season was the best acting by John Lithgow since he was the bad guy in Cliff Hanger!
Excellent show that deserved the rating bump!
I am now dying of curiosity to see where the writers take it from here!
The season finale of DEXTER was MIND BLOWING! What a series!!!!
I love Dexter but the finale was pretty boring until the very end. then I was screaming at my tv. NO!
Californication’s finale ripped my heart out. It was fantastic. So moving and emotional.
Dexter and Californication are my favorite shows. Now what am I going to watch?
Mike I don’t know what show your watching but Jennifer Carpenter is likely to win an award this year for her acting on Dexter. She is excellent in that role.
Something spectacular must happen in the last two episodes of Dexter, because I’ve seen up to episode ten, and at that point, I’d definitely deem it the weakest season of Dexter yet. if not for John Lithgow’s character’s deviancy, it would scarcely be worth watching. I’m willing to be convinced of the finale’s excellence, though.
She is not my cup of tea. I think her acting is over-the-top and one dimensional…. That being said, she would not be the first actor to win an award for their craft who I thought could not act thier way out of a paper bag…. It would also not be the first time I was wrong…. today!
It is a chore to fill a character with strength and credibility when that character is the constant source of victimization. Gillian Anderson pulled it off….
The final scene of Dexter was shocking, disturbing, shocking and it’s something that they needed to do. Dexter was off his game all season long and he paid for it.
Season 1 is hard to top, but I think S4 is right on par with it as a season. Maybe not quite as good from start to finish, but close and the ending was certainly better.
S2 was also great and S3 was good, but the show never did anything like this.
Dexter is one of the few series where, at least for the first 4 seasons, pretty much every episode is excellent. I don’t have a favorite season because they’re all so good.
The ending last night was a kick to the stomach, no doubt about that. I thought the big twist was going to be Deb putting 2 and 2 together and realizing that Dexter was the BHB. Instead, we got what we got instead.
So, how many of you rolled back to the final scene with Dexter and Trinity and re-watched it after seeing the ending? It really puts their conversation on a whole new level.