Dexter

Given the near perfection of season one of "Dexter," season two seemed doomed to disappoint. As Dexter himself might say, in a wink-wink voice-over while a villain writhes helplessly on a gurney before him, the first cut is the deepest. Turns out "Dexter" is one of the rare exceptions to that rule of TV (and love), which demands that returning series never quite recover their first blush. The Showtime drama about the serial killer who kills serial killers is back tomorrow at 9 in fine form, followed by the return of a still resonant "Brotherhood" at 10. From the brilliant performance by...

The storehouse of unreleased jazz concert recordings seemingly goes on forever. The "new" one from Dexter Gordon is a masterpiece. "Night Ballads, Montreal, 1977," culled from four nights at The Rising Sun, showcases the tenor saxophonist's prowess on slow numbers. Gordon's quartet — with pianist George Cables, bassist Rufus Reid, and drummer Eddie Gladden — uses four standards ("Lover Man," "You've Changed," "Old Folks," and "Polka Dots and Moonbeams") as vehicles for improvisation.

It’s creepy-funny how “Dexter’’ and Showtime have turned Rita’s bathtub into a promotional icon. The blood-filled ivory tub, like a tureen of watery tomato soup, is a wink-wink reference to the shower scene in “Psycho,’’ the Hitchcock thriller whose hero, like Dexter, was an adult child. It’s creepy-funny, which is true to the tone of the show itself. “Dexter’’ is a masterfully creepy-funny serial-killer series, and it continues to both frighten and amuse as it enters its fifth season on Sunday at 9. We’re used to hybrid TV shows that...

AUGUSTA, Maine - The killings last June of a mother and her two children in Dexter underscores the need for legislation addressing bail in domestic violence cases, lawmakers were told yesterday. But even as the Criminal Justice and Public Safety Committee took testimony on the bail proposal, it was told that Governor Paul LePage is planning next week to unveil his own package of domestic violence measures that will complement the bill presented yesterday. Meanwhile, several groups raised questions about the bill prompted by the shotgun killings last June of Dexter kindergarten...

It's not a stretch to imagine the crime scenes in "Dexter" as a Vanity Fair photo spread. This fiendishly excellent new Showtime series turns blood spatter into a pop art form, like Jackson Pollock meets Annie Leibovitz . Always framed by pristine white walls, the carefully displayed gore has the cool, sterile feel of an AIDS-era still life. From its early shot of the moon in a pool of red, "Dexter" makes one thing loud and clear: It employs the most audacious set designers on TV right now. They illustrate this pulpy story of a serial killer who kills serial killers with a...

LUTHER Starring: Idris Elba, Ruth Wilson, Warren Brown, Dermot Crowley, Paul McGann, Nikki Amuka-Bird On: BBC America Time: Tonight, 10-11 The first season of "Luther" has become legendary. Like the early years of "Dexter," it was a terrifying thriller, a morally playful character study, and a darkly stylish vision. With the unique cat-and-mouse rapport between Idris Elba's Detective John Luther of London and Ruth Wilson's brilliant murderer Alice Morgan, the six-episode series was a riveting game of high stakes wit. Rent that baby, if you...

By day, he's an Average Joe, fashionable stubble on his chin and emotional armor under his vest. Just like most American men. But by night, he dons a mask of righteous fury and rids Miami's dark alleys of its vermin. Watching Dexter Morgan on Showtime's amazing "Dexter" has been like watching the unfolding back story of a Batman-like superhero. A childhood scarred by parental death, an uncontrollable need to fight evildoers, a secret identity - all the classic comic-book elements have fallen into place across the seasons.

Dexter 9 p.m., Showtime 2 I was disappointed with the finale, which Showtime 2 is reairing tonight. I generally like the way the writers are moving Deb closer to a conscious awareness that her brother is a killer. “Dexter’’ is becoming Deb’s story, as much as Dexter’s. But the finale left too many plot holes wide open. Everything having to do with Quinn was shamelessly fudged. He never would have been let off the hook for Liddy’s death, given his phone records, his fingerprints, and his signature on the surveillance equipment.

"Homeland" is completely hot, and "Dexter" isn't. Also, good new Woody Allen documentary coming on PBS. Come and ask questions or comment about anything TV-ish. Talk TV with critic Matthew Gilbert -- Thurs., Nov. 17, at noon

Police say four bodies have been found inside a central Maine home hours after gunshots were reported fired. Maine State Police spokesman Steve McCausland says the bodies of a man, a woman and two children were found Monday afternoon in a Shore Road home in Dexter. He didn’t identify the victims. Police surrounded the home Monday morning after reports of gunfire when a Dexter officer went to check on a family living there when the woman didn’t show up to work and the children didn’t arrive at school.

Abner Logan Jr. of Brookline's Dexter School has signed a letter of intent to attend the University of Maryland on scholarship next school year. He is a 6-1, 225-pound linebacker from Cambridge.

By Seth Lakso, Globe Staff Dexter football player Abner Logan Jr. has verbally committed to the University of Maryland for the fall of 2012, according to head coach Casey Day. Logan, a running back and linebacker that stands 6-foot-1 and weighs 212, was one of the state's top uncommitted recruits in the class of 2012, according to Rivals.com. In his final season at Dexter, a Brookline prep school, Logan rushed for more than 1,100 yards and 18 touchdowns in eight games. On the defensive side of the ball, Logan amassed 42 tackles (nine for a loss)

A judge has finalized an uncontested divorce between Michael C. Hall and his "Dexter" co-star Jennifer Carpenter. Court records show Superior Court Judge John Sandoz finalized the divorce on Friday in Los Angeles. Carpenter filed for divorce nearly a year ago, citing irreconcilable differences. Hall and Carpenter married in December 2008. Court filings state the details of the division of property will remain confidential. Hall plays Dexter Morgan, a serial killer who targets other murderers on the hit Showtime series, which is now in...

"Homeland" is completely hot, and "Dexter" isn't. Also, good new Woody Allen documentary coming on PBS. Come and ask questions or comment about anything TV-ish. Talk TV with critic Matthew Gilbert -- Thurs., Nov. 17, at noon

Globe TV critic Matthew Gilbert chatted with readers last Thursday on Boston.com. Here are excerpts. Q. They can't kill off Walt on "Breaking Bad," right? A. Not this season, but I don't rule it out for the end of the series. He was dying to begin with, because of the cancer. He may finally die from the cancer or face some kind of retribution, from his enemies or from … karma? God? Etc.? Creator Vince Gilligan just might want to make Walt pay for his sins, unlike David Chase on "The Sopranos.

Dexter Sunday at 9 p.m., Showtime This sounds like a doll set with our hero in a tuxedo: Dexter Goes to His High School Reunion. I can imagine a line of Dexter dolls, with props including little rolls of plastic, a miniature hypodermic needle, and a teensy box of slides. One doll set comes with a boat, a small roll of duct tape, and plastic bags filled with different doll body parts. Another comes with a spool of crime-scene tape and cellophane sheets with blood-spatter patterns on them.

LOS ANGELES - John Lithgow was going to pass on the chance to play serial killer vs. serial killer on “Dexter,’’ with an Italian vacation, a cruise, and his son’s wedding awaiting him. He made it to the ceremony but postponed the trip, and he credits his understanding wife of 28 years, Mary Yeager Lithgow, with pushing him into the plum job. “She’s the one who said, ‘No, you’ve got to take the role,’ ’’ Lithgow recalled....

LUTHER Starring: Idris Elba, Ruth Wilson, Warren Brown, Dermot Crowley, Paul McGann, Nikki Amuka-Bird On: BBC America Time: Tonight, 10-11 The first season of "Luther" has become legendary. Like the early years of "Dexter," it was a terrifying thriller, a morally playful character study, and a darkly stylish vision. With the unique cat-and-mouse rapport between Idris Elba's Detective John Luther of London and Ruth Wilson's brilliant murderer Alice Morgan, the six-episode series was a riveting game of high stakes wit. Rent that baby, if you haven't seen...