EMMY AWARDS

"Dexter"

Smooth ride for a serial killer

PRODUCING partners John Goldwyn and Sara Colleton have a history of successfully developing books into films, but "Dexter" was their first venture into television. Happily for them they encountered a classic case of beginner's luck.

Colleton found the book "Darkly Dreaming Dexter" by John Lindsay and immediately saw potential to do a detective-cop genre piece with a dark and unexpected twist: The hero is a serial killer who doles out vigilante justice.

She and Goldwyn developed a script and sent it to Bob Greenblatt, an executive at Showtime who had wanted to work with them. He loved it and suggested Michael C. Hall for the part of Dexter. The casting worked, the pilot got made and picked up. The show quickly garnered critical acclaim and those all-important Nielson ratings improved over every episode.

"As we got deeper into the world of television, we realized how lucky we were," said Goldwyn.

But the success of "Dexter" has less to do with luck and more to do with Hall. "He is so appealing and so captured by the role that he captures the audience," said "Dexter" show runner Clyde Phillips. "You can't take your eyes off him."

"He walks such a tight-wire act every week in terms of getting the character so pitch perfectly," said Colleton. "I've never seen a false move from him in all the dailies we've watched."

Last season the show explored questions of character — who is Dexter, where did he come from? In its second season, the producers say Dexter will have time to ponder the big questions of life. (They were purposefully vague. "There will be a big issue but we are under lock and key!" said Colleton).

And now it is time for the writers and creators to mimic Hall's dazzling tightrope act.

" 'Dexter' set the bar very high for the audience, and the audience expects a lot from the show," said Goodwyn. "As long as they remain fascinated and engaged in his pursuits, our audience will remain loyal."

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