<P> Dexter is an American television crime drama mystery series that aired on Showtime from October 1, 2006, to September 22, 2013 . Set in Miami, the series centers on Dexter Morgan (Michael C. Hall), a forensic technician specializing in blood spatter pattern analysis for the fictional Miami Metro Police Department, who leads a secret parallel life as a vigilante serial killer, hunting down murderers who have slipped through the cracks of the justice system . The show's first season was derived from the novel Darkly Dreaming Dexter (2004), the first of the Dexter series novels by Jeff Lindsay . It was adapted for television by screenwriter James Manos, Jr., who wrote the first episode . Subsequent seasons evolved independently of Lindsay's works . </P> <P> In February 2008, reruns (edited down to a TV - 14 rating) began to air on CBS in the wake of the shortage of original programming ensuing from the 2007--2008 Writers Guild of America strike, thus the reruns on CBS ended after one run of the first season . The series enjoyed mostly positive reviews throughout its run and popularity, including four consecutive Primetime Emmy nominations for Best Drama Series starting in season two . Season four aired its season finale on December 13, 2009, to a record - breaking audience of 2.6 million viewers, making it the most - watched original series episode ever on Showtime at that time . </P> <P> In April 2013, Showtime announced that season eight would be the final season of Dexter . The season - eight premiere was the most watched Dexter episode with more than 3 million viewers total for all airings that night . The original broadcast of the series finale--shown at 9 pm on September 22, 2013--drew 2.8 million viewers, the largest overall audience in Showtime's history . </P> <Dl> <Dd> For the seasonal plots, see Dexter (season one), Dexter (season two), Dexter (season three), Dexter (season four), Dexter (season five), Dexter (season six), Dexter (season seven), and Dexter (season eight). </Dd> </Dl>

When did the last season of dexter air