Showtime is jumping on the Dexter train. Yet again. Two more times, in fact.  The network has just announced that it has renewed Dexter for two additional seasons, which means the show will see a seventh and eighth season.

Considering the show is currently in its sixth season, its ratings are pretty solid for the cable network.  Showtime says that "season-to-date, the series is averaging 5.12 million weekly viewers on all platforms (including On Demand, replays and DVR), making it the highest rated season yet".

David Nevins, president of entertainment at Showtime said "Dexter's enormous success is a real tribute to the great achievements of its cast, producers, and the powerhouse performance of Michael C. Hall.  The series is bigger than it’s ever been in its sixth season, both in terms of audience and its impact on the cultural landscape.  Together with Michael, the creative team on the show has a very clear sense of where they intend to take the show over the next two seasons and, as a huge fan, I’m excited to watch the story of Dexter Morgan play out.”

The sixth season of Dexter is currently airing on Sunday nights.  The season 6 finale will air on December 8, 2011.  Based on past precedent, the seventh season of Dexter will likely premiere towards the end of September 2012.

Dexter Renewed for Two More Seasons

On Sunday, September 25, Desperate Housewives will return for its final season.  In the season 7 finale, Carlos killed Gabriell's stepfather to protect her from him and the other women were all involved in covering up his crime.  The season 8 premiere of Desperate Housewives opens with the group disposing of the body.

But burying the body won't solve their problems.  Carlos, in particular, will feel extremely guilty for killing the man, while Gaby will desperately be trying to reach out to him and pull him from his depression.  Lynette will have to deal with her impending separation from Tom, which her family will have to deal with this season.  Susan will start pulling away from her loved ones due to her guilt.  Bree will be walking a tightrope between her relationship with Detective Chuck Vance and keeping the crime a secret.  Meanwhile, a new neighbor moves to Wisteria Lane - Ben Faulkner - and he immediately catches Renee's eye.

Guest stars for the season 8 premiere will include Joshua Logan Moore as Parker Scavo, Darcy Rose Byrnes as Penny Scavo, Michael Blaiklock as Father Benson, Sam McMurray as Father Dugan, Wendy Benson as Mrs. Henderson, Richard Keith as Jeff, Emily Happe as Ally and Tony Plana as Alejandro.

Below are five sneak peeks from the season premiere.  You can also view photos from the premiere episode here.

Desperate Housewives' eighth season premieres on Sunday, September 25 at 9:00 p.m. ET on ABC.

Desperate Housewives Season 8 Sneak Peeks

Desperate Housewives will return for its eighth and finale season premiere on Sunday, September 25.  In the episode (which is scheduled to run an extra minute long, so adjust your DVRs), the group must deal with the outcome of Carlos committing murder.  In the season finale, Susan, Gaby, Bree and Lynette were all involved in Carlos killing Gaby's stepfather in order to protect his wife. In the season premiere, they work on disposing the body without getting caught.

But soon the entire group is suffering from guilt.  Susan deals with her guilt by withdrawing from her family and friends.  Gaby tries to reach out to her husband, who is depressed about his role in the incident.  Lynette not only has to deal with her own guilt (which results in her making some wrong choices), but also has to deal with her impending separation from Tom.  Bree is also put in a delicate situation when she has to ensure her role and the actions of her friends is hid from her new boyfriend, Detective Chuck Vance.  Wisteria Lane is also getting a new character: sexy Ben Faulkner arrives in town and he catches Renee's eye immediately.

Below is a sneak peek from the season premiere of Desperate Housewives.  You can also click the arrows above to view photos from the premiere.

Desperate Housewives Photos & Sneak Peek: Season 8 Premiere

The eighth season of Grey's Anatomy will be premiering on Thursday, September 22 with a special two-hour episode.  Thanks to ABC, we've got details about the upcoming season premiere.

Episode 8.01 “Free Falling” (9:00-10:00 p.m.):  The fifth-year residents return to work for a year that could make or break their careers.  Meredith must suffer the consequences of her actions last season and will be terminated from Seattle Grace for tampering with Derek's clinical trial.  April, who has been appointed the new Chief Resident, will try to prove that she's worthy of the job as the residents deal with a giant sinkhole in the middle of Seattle.  Cristina and Owen's relationship continues to be tested as they are "still at odds over their drastically different feelings for their unborn child."

Guest stars for this episode includes: Mackenzie Astin as Danny, Amy Price-Francis as Susannah, and Robin Weigert as Karen.

View photos from the season premiere.

View sneak peeks from the season premiere.

Episode 8.02 "She's Gone" (10:00-11:00 p.m.): Meredith and Derek's relationship is currently unsteady after recent events and when news of this makes its way to Zola's adoption counselor, she wonders whether going through with the adoption is a good idea.  Alex is punished for ratting out Meredith when the rest of the group outcasts him for being a snitch. Teddy is alarmed when Chief Webber asks Henry to come in for a last minute surgery and Cristina is forced to make a tough decision about her pregnancy.

Guest stars for this episode includes: Mackenzie Astin as Danny, Amy Price-Francis as Susannah, Scott Foley as Henry, and Mitch Pileggi as Larry Jennings.

Below is a trailer for the new season. Don't miss the premiere of Grey's Anatomy on September 22.  For the premiere dates of all fall network shows, click here.

Updated: View photos from episode 3.03 (airing September 29).

Grey's Anatomy: Spoilers for the Season 8 Two-Hour Premiere

ABC presented its TCA panel today and confirmed the news that had been making the rounds since Friday: Desperate Housewives will be coming to an end in May 2012.

The eighth and final season of Desperate Housewives will be premiering on Sunday, September 25 at 9:00 p.m.  The network has released a few details and spoilers about the upcoming season.

At the end of season 7, Carlos had accidentally killed Gaby's stepfather in order to stop him from attacking Gaby.  Bree, Susan, and Lynette arrived in the aftermath of the murder and agreed to help the Solis' clean up the accident.  Season 8 will focus on the fallout from the murder.  Carlos will feel increasingly guilty and Gaby will be working hard to reach out to him.  Susan's guilt causes her to withdraw from her family and friends.  Lynette and Tom's marriage will continue to deteriorate and Lynette is "having trouble making the right choices ever since she participated in the cover-up".  Bree, meanwhile, will have to do a lot of side-stepping around her new boyfriend, Detective Chuck Vance, in order to keep the secret.

At today's TCA panel, Desperate Housewives creator Marc Cherry said that this was the right time to end the show and know that it will end will allow them to "end this in the classiest way possible."  Cherry promises season 8 will go back to its roots: "The mystery of what's going on this season harkens back to the first season [and the mystery of Mary Alice]."  Fans also shouldn't expect a spin-off in the near future.  Cherry wants to focus on retooling his pilot Hallelujah, which wasn't picked up for the 2011-2012 season but is being worked on for the future.

Desperate Housewives: Season 8 Spoilers & Details

Curb Your Enthusiasm and Larry David return this Sunday, July 10 at 10 P.M on HBO and it looks like we can look forward to more awkward situations from Larry when he brings the show to New York City.

Prior trips to the Big Apple for The Producers and for a role in a Martin Scorsese film have resulted in endless problems for Larry including issues with tipping and tourist interaction (played brilliantly by Stephen Colbert). This trip looks like it will be no different as Larry David returns to our screens nearly two years after the Curb season 7 Seinfeld reunion. So why the long gap between seasons?

Favourite Curb potty mouth Susie Essman (Susie Greene) spoke to Vulture and explained David's process when it comes to agreeing to do another season:

"Well, after every season, Larry says, 'That’s it, I’m not doing another season.' After every season. And then he’ll finish editing, and the show will air, and then I’ll get a call, and he’ll say, 'I’m not promising anything, but I am letting you know I’m working on a couple of outlines. But until I get at least eight outlines, I’m not promising. I’m just letting you know I’m working on it.' And then another couple of months later I’ll get another phone call: 'I’m still not promising anything.' And then finally he’ll call me and say, 'All right, we’re doing it.' So, you know, every season he says that, and we’re the longest-running series on HBO."

The freedom to not have to come back every year with a new season is probably what helps keep Curb fresh, giving David the chance to come up with new and more outrageous scenario's for Larry to become embroiled in, even if as an audience we know that the comedy will often come from Larry breaking polite social conventions. In fact one of my favourite things about this show is that you can see how Larry will get in to bother before it has even happened, but it is watching this unfold with the knowledge of what Larry is like that makes this show a joy (albeit an awkward joy) to watch.

From the four episode descriptions you can already try and figure out what might happen in the episode, episode 3 is one that stands out as one that will see the uncomfortable humor go off the chart. Here are the descriptions for the first four episodes of season 8:

Episode 8.01 "The Divorce" (July 10):

Larry learns his lawyer isn't kosher, and rescinds a cookie order from the Girl-Scout daughter of a beleaguered sports owner.

Episode 8.02 "The Safe House" (July 17):

Larry becomes an unlikely role model for battered women; Richard Lewis' relationship with a burlesque performer is put to the test; Leon survives a case of mistaken identity.

Episode 8.03 "Palestinian Chicken" (July 24):

Larry plays 'social assassin' to the hilt at a dinner party, on the golf course, and at a Palestinian restaurant with chicken to die for.

Episode 8.04 "The Smiley Face" (July 31):

Larry vows to topple a sacred dating taboo, and regrets making concessions to his new office neighbor; Jeff's alibi to get out of a dinner backfires.

Larry is indeed a 'social assassin' who will encounter many a famous face this season, from regulars such as Wanda Sykes and Rosie O'Donnell to new members of the Curbverse such as awkward humor pro Ricky Gervais, The Sopranos Aida Turturro and legend Michael J. Fox. Fans will also be happy to know that J.B. Smoove is back as Leon and will be venturing to the East coast with the rest of the regular cast.

What we don't know is whether Larry is back with Cheryl and if the divorce in the title for episode 1 refers to them. The Seinfeld reunion special that was the focus of season 7 was orchestrated by Larry to win Cheryl back, a ploy that looked like it had worked. Unfortunately for Larry he might have ruined the whole plan by finding out the Cheryl might not "respect wood", after she left a stain on his new coffee table, did this moment remind Cheryl of why she broke up with Larry in the first place? Or is another couple getting a divorce?

Below is the promo for season 8 which shows some of the mishaps that Larry will cause and be involved in with both the general public and with those nearest and dearest to him. There is also a behind the scenes look at season 8 featuring many of the seasons regular cast and guest stars, including my own personal favourite Marty Funkhouser (Bob Einstein).

Are you looking forward to season 8 of Curb Your Enthusiasm? Let us know in the comments below.

Be sure to tune in to HBO this Sunday, July 10 at 10 P.M. to catch the latest Larry David antics.

Curb Your Enthusiasm Season 8 Spoilers: News, Episode Descriptions and Promos

The long-running ABC show Grey's Anatomy will be entering its eighth season in the fall, but one of its stars is already looking to the future.  According to TV Line, Patrick Dempsey, who plays Derek (a.k.a. McDreamy), has told Italian Vanity Fair Magazine that he will be departing after season 8.

“It’s gonna be my last,” he told the magazine. “I do not know what’s going to happen to the other characters, but for me it’s done.”

This might not be surprising for a lot of viewers.  Grey's Anatomy creator Shonda Rhimes is actually expecting this news.  In fact, she's already told TV Line that other original cast members, including Ellen Pompeo, Chandra Wilson, Sandra Oh and Justin Chambers, could very well leave after season 8 is finished.  Rhimes is prepared that some or all of these cast members could be entering their final season and is prepared to set up storylines accordingly.

The question is how fans will respond when Dempsey leaves (and if the others leave as well).  Obviously Grey's Anatomy wouldn't be the first long-running show where the original cast members depart.  Look at The X-Files or various Law & Order spin-offs.  This will also happen to Glee in coming years as the current characters graduate and leave the school.  Sometimes the show continues and sometimes it doesn't.  But only time will tell for Grey's Anatomy.

Update: Dempsey's publicist has told EW that Dempsey was only talking about the end of his contract: “He was referring to the fact that his contract is up at the end of next season and we have no idea what the future holds.”  That doesn't actually contravene Dempsey's original statements and it's possible they're just trying to backtrack now.  In any event, we'll have to wait and see whether he resigns or chooses to leave.

clarissa @ tvovermind.com
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Grey's Anatomy's Patrick Dempsey: Season 8 Will Be His Last