Networks Looking To Cable To Fill The Strike Schedules

The Hollywood Reporter says that Dexter and other Showtime series could soon land on CBS if the writers strike continues into the new year. CBS president and CEO Leslie Moonves said at an investor conference Tuesday in New York that CBS is planning to air some Showtime programs. “Dexter is probably the first one to go on – with some edits,” he told reporters afterwards. “It fits with our crime shows.” Dexter, a racy critical and ratings hit for Showtime, stars Michael C. Hall as a Miami police forensics expert who moonlights as a vigilante serial killer.

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’s history. In addition to Dexter, CBS also might consider Showtime’s racy period drama The Tudors, which was originally developed for CBS, and critically praised comedy Weeds, about a weed-peddling soccer mom. However, both will need heavy editing to make it to broadcast primetime.

NBC has been rumored to be looking at a potential a second window on the network for such cable series as USA’s Monk and Burn Notice and Sci Fi’s Battlestar Galactica. NBC already exercised its option to repurpose Law & Order: Criminal Intent, which moved from the broadcast network to USA in the fall.