Dexter season 3

Dexter
Season 3
DVD cover
Starring
No. of episodes12
Release
Original networkShowtime
Original releaseSeptember 28 (2008-09-28) –
December 14, 2008 (2008-12-14)
Season chronology
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Season 2
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Season 4
List of episodes

The third season of Dexter premiered on September 28, 2008,[1] and ended on December 14, 2008.[2] "Our Father", the season premiere, attracted 1.22 million viewers in the United States, making it Showtime's highest-rated drama season premiere since Nielsen Media Research began compiling ratings in 2004.[3] The season finale "Do You Take Dexter Morgan?" attracted 1.5 million viewers.[4] Season three was watched by an average of 1.1 million viewers a week.[4]

In this season, Dexter kills a man in self-defense and initiates a friendship with the man's brother, Assistant District Attorney Miguel Prado (Jimmy Smits).[1] In the meantime, Rita discovers that she is pregnant, and Debra investigates the murders of a new serial killer called "The Skinner", hoping to gain a promotion to detective.[5] In addition to Smits, Dexter's third season introduces two recurring characters: Desmond Harrington as Det. Joey Quinn, who becomes Debra's partner when he is transferred from the narcotics department to homicide, and Anne Ramsay as Ellen Wolf, a defense attorney whom Miguel detests.[6]

It received largely positive reviews from critics, which ranged from being praised as "truly and incredibly exciting television" in the San Francisco Chronicle,[7] to "lack[ing] the crackling tension the drama had supplied in previous years" by the Chicago Tribune;[8] the aggregate site Metacritic scored the season at 78 out of 100 based on 13 reviews.[9] Smits and Hall received Emmy nominations for their roles as Miguel Prado and Dexter Morgan respectively, while the show as a whole also received a Best Drama Emmy nomination.

  1. ^ a b McDuffee, Debra (September 28, 2008). "Dexter: "Our Father" (season premiere)". TV Squad. Retrieved August 8, 2009.
  2. ^ Goldman, Eric (December 15, 2008). "Dexter: "Do You Take Dexter Morgan?" Review". IGN. Retrieved March 21, 2009.
  3. ^ Mittovich, Matt (October 2, 2008). "Ratings: Dexter Slays Last Season's Premiere". TV Guide. Retrieved February 18, 2009.
  4. ^ a b Frankel, Daniel (December 16, 2008). "Dexter kills for Showtime". Variety. Retrieved March 21, 2009.
  5. ^ McDuffee, Debra (October 12, 2008). "Dexter: "The Lion Sleeps Tonight"". TV Squad. Retrieved August 8, 2009.
  6. ^ del Castillo, Valerie Anne (August 28, 2008). "Dexter Executive Producer Talks About Upcoming Season's Supporting Characters". BuddyTV. Archived from the original on February 14, 2009. Retrieved March 21, 2009.
  7. ^ Goodman, Tim (September 26, 2008). "Dexter takes a stab at normalcy". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved August 14, 2009.
  8. ^ "The Watcher: Brace yourselves, Dexter fans: The new season's not pretty". Chicago Tribune. September 26, 2008. Archived from the original on December 14, 2009. Retrieved August 14, 2009.
  9. ^ "Dexter Season Three (SERIES: Showtime, Sunday 9:00p)". Metacritic. September 28, 2008. Retrieved August 14, 2009.