EXCLUSIVE: Showtime’s flagship drama Dexter opened its sixth season on Sunday with a stellar 2.2 million viewers, up 24% from last year to mark the hit series’ highest-rated premiere ever and Showtime’s best original series opener in at least 14 years. But the prospects of the hit drama going to a seventh season are now uncertain as negotiations between Dexter star Michael C. Hall and Showtime have broken down. I hear that the two sides reached an impasse yesterday, the same day Dexter‘s big Season 6 premiere ratings came out. Hall’s contract for Dexter is up after the current sixth season, which is about to wrap production. He has been negotiating with Showtime for a while, but I hear talks broke down after the two sides couldn’t bridge a $4 million gap in proposed salary for a new deal, with Showtime offering $20 million for two more seasons and Hall’s team asking for $24 million. Either figure would make Hall one of the highest-paid actors in cable. Sources indicate that the network brass remain hopeful about reaching a deal, with signing Hall for one more season vs. two also an option. Hall jumped on Dexter immediately after finishing Six Feet Under and, after working on a TV series for 10 straight years, the actor had been looking to do other things, including a Broadway musical. He won a Golden Globe for his role on Dexter last year.
'Dexter' Stalemate Between Michael C. Hall And Showtime Puts Show's Future In Limbo
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So basically, they offered him just under one million per episode and he wants an even mill… So 50 cents for each viewer on a channel that’s not even ad supported. What a ridculously greedy douchebag!
Bring back Julia Stiles and write a GREAT ENDING and wrap the series up this season! It’s probably a perfect place to end the series. Don’t give him more money. No No No No No!
He fulfilled his contract. He has every right to ask for more money.
Greedy? Not one of us would turn down a raise. Many of us have asked for a raise; I sure have.
Why shouldn’t he? He should. They have no obligation to meet his demands.
No one can replace him. No one. If the show ends this season then it has been a “great run.”
Maybe they should just replace him with Ashton Kutcher?
LOL!
I dunno. I think Charlie Sheen would make a convincing serial killer…
good choice for a replacement, though I hope Michael C Hall stays on as Dexter….
HAH! That just made my day.
Nope, Chuck Testa.
Mike’s comment made me LOL too.
Man, I didn’t know Showtime paid that kind of coin. I’m doing my next series for them!!
How bout changing the show to “Debster” and let Jennifer Carpenter play the lead?!
uh, how ’bout no?
I don’t see that ever happening. Debra is vital to the show and to Dexter’s development. And Jennifer is fantastic. Hate all you want but she’s staying.
Whoops. Misread your post(FAIL on my part). I thought it was another irrational Deb hate post. I’d watch the hell out of a “Debster” spin-off. LOL.
Jennifer Carpenter is every better as essential to the show as Michael C. Hall. She’s quietly giving one of the best performances on TV today.
every bit*
AMEN! I love her (both character and actress).
Agreed! She is the series’ unsung hero. It’s a travesty she has never been recognized by the television academy. Season 5 was superb and she rocked it. How on earth anyone can be nominated in that category in place of her is anyone’s guess. It’s just crazy.
2.2 million viewers? And that’s considered a huge hit by Showtime? LMAO! No actor who can only pull in that many viewers is worth the kind of salary he’s asking for. The reason actors on network shows rake in the big bucks is because they pull in a hell of a lot more viewers than 2.2 million. He ought to be grateful if they give him $10,000 an episode in exchange for those pathetic numbers.
Dude, the 90s called. They want their business models back.
Funniest comment on the Internet all day.
Still works for Glee tho
Excuse me mayor of moronville how many viewers do you draw with your episodes?
Since you are dumb enough to be on reality tv you could be the next jersey shore cast member so maybe you can top Dexter’s numbers.
Dude, the 90s called. They want their business models back.
That just made me laugh! :D Nice one!
One neat thing about cable is that it doesn’t make money the same way that broadcast networks do. For example, with broadcast networks, income is generated when a large number of people in the demographic (or “demo”) watch the TV show, which allows the network to ask advertisers for more money in exchange for placing ads.
Showtime, like HBO, is funded primarily by subscriber revenue. People pay money to have a Showtime subscription. So although a show only has 2.2 million viewers, if many of them are paying on a monthly basis to have a Showtime subscription just to watch the show, and if the show is promotionally useful to the network, it can be very lucrative.
Now that you know how broadcast networks and cable works you won’t need to make comments like the one you just made anymore.
Also, there are DVD sales, foreign distribution, video games and tons of merchandise with Michael C Hall’s face plastered all over it. All of this is making Showtime money.
Plus that 2.2 number is ONLY for the season premiere episode. If you add in all the viewers who will watch the replays of the episode, all the people who will be watching it on demand, all the people who watched it on Sho.com, even all the people who illegally downloaded it, Dexter has a MUCH bigger audience than 2.2 million.
Don’t forget it’s syndicated on Bravo and broadcast on movie networks in other countries as well.
It’s premium pay cable. Yes, those are big numbers.
Do a search on Dexter’s DVD sales and you’ll see why they’re shelling out that kind of money.
Not everybody gets Showtime. So yeah, that is a good number.
Free tv is different from paid tv silly.
PAY THE MAN his 24 million… it’s only 1.2 million per episode.
Don’t bring the crew into this… they have a union and will find more work.
Don’t bring the crew into this? Talk about silly! Since when did being in a union guarantee anyone employment? I guess you also forgot that most actors are members of a union, too, and I don’t see most of them working. Any actor, writer or director whose position/character is essential to his/her show and has even the least bit of compassion would consider the entire production, cast and crew, when negotiating a contract for the future of the show.
Jersey Shore cast earn $10,000-$20,000 per episode and that show draws 7 million viewers a week.
The Jersey Shore cast is paid according to their talent. That’s the difference between scripted and non-scripted.
Actually, Snooki gets more than 40k an episode, sadly.
And it’s $10 mil a season, not an episode. A slight difference.
2.2 MILLION IS VERY GOOD FOR SHOWTIME IT IS A PREMIUM CHANNEL, IF IT WERE ON CBS,NBC,ABC,OR FOX RATINGS WOULD BE THROUGH THE ROOF 25 MILLION OR MORE.MANY AMERICANS CHOOSE NOT TO PURCHASE SHOWTIME OR HBO $$$$$ TUFF TIMES. BASIL SOUNDS TO ME YOU DONT HAVE SHOWTIME. YOUR LOSE
Okay we get it, but ow–my eyes, sir.
the reason that 2.2 million is a big deal is because its on showtime. 2.2 million on a network isnt a big deal but thats 2.2 million viewers who are paying every month just for that one channel.
someone needs to get their facts straight cuz this show isnt on NETWORK TV?! it on cable! and pay/premium cable at that! so 2.2 million viewers is extraordinary!
and didnt u pay attention to the article?! it was Showtime’s highest rated premiere ever. Plus, it has significantly gained in live viewers every single season for 5 straight years.
but regardless, whatever u un-TV-educated people may think, Michael C Hall is worth every penny! the show is HIS show. its not an ensemble show?! it wouldnt be a success without him.
Hey smartass, not everyone has cable. These “network” actors are paid more because majority of America have these channels.
What you guys may not understand about him getting paid handsomely is:
Dexter is THE main reason, or at least the best reason, people still subscribe to Showtime, and Showtime knows it. I don’t think a lot of people are still subscribing to premium movie channels for just “movies atleast 1 year removed from the theatres”, like showtime/hbo are without all the original programming.
Dexter is THE flagship product that helps build and sell the showtime brand, like Sopranos did for HBO, like Howard Stern on xm radio.
Sure by themselves their shows aren’t going to afford the big time contracts to their actors, but the whole company needs those cornerstone programming to build around.
M C Hall is in the unique position of knowing his face, and his near one-man show is selling the subscription to a lot of people.
Besides, Dexter makes a ton of money on dvds/rentals, streaming and being shown on cbs, when cbs has a string of bad ratings, the pull this out. & Dexter is on in how many countries?
Dexter’s great, but competing with HBO is hard, being they simply the best programming bar none, & HBO makes a ton of money overseas. While showtime seems teetering on survival comparatively.
I can name 8+ current/new series on hbo honestly worth paying for, and say it’s amongst the best there is on tv. I can name 1 for showtime, how about you? (& I can name 1 on AMC easily better than dexter.)
I agree and the 1 on AMC is one of the best shows I’ve ever seen. Dexter falls into that category of a superior tv show, not regurgitated drivel like the alphabet networks broadcast.
2.2 million viewers for a commercial free cable channel one has to PAY for to see is actually HUGE. Think about it. You cannot compare subscription channels to network TV. 2.2 million viewers for a show on say NBC is bad because there are much higher costs involved. It’s just totally different.
Musical, huh? Which one- Sweeney Todd?
Big Fish, actually.
Though Sweeney Todd would definitely be an awesome transition.
Hey Michael C Hall – you got it right! Who cares about the hundreds of people working as Dexter’s crew!
Go get those millions! 20 is never enough!
Those people have their jobs because MCH does such a great job as Dexter. Dexter wouldn’t have the same popularity or longevity without MCH. They, along with Showtime, should be thanking him.
You are right! The ENTIRE reason the show is so good is because of Michael C Hall! Not the writers, producers, directors, crew! What a bunch of crocks!
He is the ONLY ONE who should get credit! The ACTOR!
What a joke.
Well, first, he is amazing in the role. It’s not a role most could pull off, and he’s shown up and delivered in amazing ways season after season. He’s able to deliver the amazing scene work and character work the amazing writers concoct week after week — because the writers know he’ll step up to almost any challenge they offer. So, yeah, he’s worth a lot to the show.
Second, who the heck made this a zero sum game? What are you? HIgh? Or bitter about something that has nothing to do with the machinations of the deals on this show?
In the case of this particular show, yes, the lead actor is disproportionately the reason why it is such a success. The writing has gone in the toilet, so it sure can’t be that. There are many other shows where you could cast another actor in a role without much harm, but this ain’t one of them.
Honestly, I hope Showtime and Hall don’t come to an agreement and they wrap up the show this season or next. The premise was never one that was going to last for endless seasons. They’re already struggling for ways to avoid repeating themselves. Some show premises just need to end after five or six seasons, or even less. Dexter has been an excellent show, but don’t drag it out until it becomes a joke just because people will still watch it for nostalgia or inertia.
MCH is the face of the show. The audience isn’t sitting there thinking while Dexter kills someone, “I wonder if the 1st A.D. eating peanuts from craft services as they film?”
you idiot.
Crew belong in a UNION… they are well paid and will find other work.
You make a bunch of black and white statements like he is “the ENTIRE reason the show is so good” and he is the “ONLY ONE who should get credit” and then act like I’m the one saying those things. What a joke.
The show is a collaborative effort, but to act as though Dexter could be played by anyone is just absurd. MCH owns the role and much (not all) of the show’s success is because of him. Most of the “hundreds of people working as Dexter’s crew” are replaceable, MCH is not. The important people (actors, writers, directors, producers) are paid well. Sorry if you’re not happy with your PA wages.
To a poster who expresses concern that Showtime will pay for his Above the Line salary raise by taking resources or food services from below-the-line crew and/ or other stars, Hall is likely to be tuned in to any attempt at this and the fact is that others on the show are more likely to be inspired by him and follow suit. I don’t want to imagine Dexter without Vince Musuka or Deb, for example. And the support crew has their own unions to speak for them.
Dex and Deb are the only vital characters. The others can all be replaced without disrupting the core story.
The bigger issue is how many seasons the premise has left in it. They’re already dragging things out and quality is suffering. I hope they wrap it up in one or two seasons.
From what I saw of the last season, Deb is primed to become *part* of Dexter’s vigilante exploits. I’m expecting things to turn fast in a new direction. At least I hope so!
Those are great numbers for PAY CABLE. Also, Dexter and Dead Like Me brought Showtime out from the shadow of HBO to atleast give it a flagship series on which they’ve built a ton of other shows and now have a decent following. I for one think that Michael C. Hall deserves his pay and has brought ratings as well as critical acclaim to the network. It would be worth it especially given his awards history thus far on the show.
Who remembers Dead Like Me?
Another great show that died before it’s time. The premium cable networks do produce some great quality shows compared to the broadcast networks. Unfortunately, DLM was still being judged by the free tv business models when it aired. I think that today, it might have had a longer run.
Lots & lots of people remember ‘Dead Like Me’. I think there are more of them that watched it on DVD than watched it on Showtime. I have recommended it to many and have always gotten a big ‘Thank You’ after they started watching it. It is a completely different type show than ‘Dexter’ so I won’t compare them. But it was, in it’s venue, as good and as popular then as ‘Dexter’ is now.
Basil, you realize that 2.2 million means 2.2 million people PAYING to see the channel?
Exactly what I was going to say. People like Basil gas off without knowing enough about how it all works. “Stars on network TV pull in more viewers”? Lol! A total of 2.8 million watched on Premiere night, 2.8 million PAYING customers. The man deserves his 24 million.
He deserves every penny. Like Hamm and AMC, he has helped Showtime brand themselves as a quality channel. (Leap Years, anyone?)
It’s Cranston and amc
Christ, you SO don’t understand how premium nets work.
How much is the SHO making off the series? We’re only getting one side of the money issue here.
‘Debster?’ I’d watch that! Deb is a fasciniating character and I think she could carry a series. The question is, how many other Dexter fans feel that way – not many, I’m guessing…
LOL. I’d watch that too to be honest.
Maybe it could be a spin off. Just kidding.
This show needs to be placed on Dexter’s kill table.
After the abortion that was season 5, if season 6 doesn’t measure it the ratings will tank.
I’m afraid the ratings won’t tank. Otherwise, why did people stick with it thru the S5 snoozefest? It might take Hall to finally just pull the plug for the sake of the show and wrapping things up well vs draaaaging it out until it becomes a complete joke. I’d like to see two seasons at most and then done.
So he pretty much wants $1million an episode, I’m sure he’ll get it.
$24M/12 episodes = $2M per episode…
Its 24 million for two seasons, not for one season.
$24 million for two seasons…
The $24M is for TWO seasons.
$24M/2 seasons/10 episodes per season = $1.2M per episode. After 6 seasons as the lead on SHO’s flagship show, that is not out of line.specially since I doubt he was paid well for the first six years.
12 episodes per season, not 10.
Each season is 12 episodes.
Obviously you don’t understand how Showtime & HBO work. Moron
Why don’t you explain it instead of continually calling people morons..
Simple. A person watching an ad on broadcast is worth less than the same person watching an ad and providing some subscription revenue on basic cable, who in turn is worth less than the same person providing a hefty chunk of subscription revenue on premium cable.
The more viewers are worth, the fewer of them there needs to be, in order to work out to the same bottom line. And that’s not even factoring in international revenues, DVD revenues, licensing, etc.
Apples and Oranges man.
Hall will be replaced by Charlie sheen, the only one capable of headlining a show as gratuitous, and scuzzy as Dexter.
And do you seriously think Sheen would work for less tha Hall is asking for???
As someone who is a die-hard fan of the show. This is one instance where I would have to say that this show IS MICHAEL C. HALL. He simply makes the show what it is, and the show wouldn’t be Dexter without him. The show is wildly popular, the crew is extremely talented, and there are stories left to be broken. I know the goal of a business is to make money, but sometimes you need to pay the lightning rod to keep it attracting the right storms.
So after taxes, agent take, manager take, publicist take and so forth, that is about 4 to 7 million?
He’ll get to keep only 1/6 of the total pay?
That is exactly correct. 4-7 million tops.
That’s per episode… 12 million per episode minus the taxes and “team” he has to pay… nets $4-7 million for him.
Hall wants $24 million, Showtime are offering $20 million, how about calling it $22 million and quits? Please, there’s no need to thank me.
Ripsnorter, thats wayyyy to easy. We all know actors like to be way more difficult than necessary.
Get the hell out of here with your logic. It has no place here.
I was just thinking after watching the first episode of Season 6, that in say 20 years’ time we’ll probably see the debut of “Harrison: Season 1”!
In the novels Cody and Astor actually had been abused enough by their biological father that Dexter recognizes signs of future pathology and begins to train them after he realizes the neighbor’s dog has been killed by Cody. They’ve done well avoiding that thread, but likely something will happen with a priest and Harrison in the church-run school and THAT will cause his pathology, true.
Seems ridiculous for Showtime to balk over $4 Million when they’re offering $20 Million. I agree call it $22 Million and let the crew split the other $2 Million! Well, that’ll never happen. So, call it $22 Million and let the crew relax knowing they have another 2-years work.
Although I would hate to see DEXTER end, Michael C. Hall is worth every penny he is asking for! According to what I’ve read, he has been on the same contract for 6 seasons. As he wasn’t well known when he signed on to DEXTER, he has probably been significantly underpaid compared to other series leads. He is an amazing actor and the only reason I subscribe to SHOWTIME.
Actually, though I agree that he is worth the money Michael C. Hall was actually very well known when he sign on to Dexter having finished the very popular series Six Feet Under as a character that is actually the opposite of Dexter.
This kind of publicity is great for the series as it gives the premise that this may be the last season, thus enticing more people to watch.
However, I’m sure all will be worked out in the end.
A side note to Showtime – Dexter is the only reason I subscribe to your network. Just saying. No Dexter, No Larry in NoHo. And I’m sure I’m not alone.
Maybe a publicly drawn out drama over $20M v. $24M makes MCH seem greedy? That may not be good for the show.
Perpetuating a show endlessly isn’t his job. He has a contract to renegotiate, and maybe it is better to keep quiet or maybe the pressure from audiences and continued success of the current season will make the difference. Maybe season 6 will have a semi-final ending. We don’t have to see Dexter caught. Maybe Deb finds out, as she does in the books. They have held off on a lot of plot points and drawn it out quite well. But Hall isn’t playing an idealist. So there’s no image to tarnish. And it is business. As long as Showtime knows he is viable outside of the series, he will continue to have value. It may become too expensive to keep producing the show. But that is inevitable. Twelve million per year for two years is reasonable to keep Hall committed to a show that is peaking in popularity. He may very well be a factor of quality control as well. Nobody will blame him for heeding the advice of his team to let his price go up.
Same here, would not have showtime without Michael C. Hall.