I'm starting a new thread for viewers new to "Dexter" (or veterans from the uncut Showtime or DVD versions) that are catching the show for the first time on CBS. The only caveat is that I'd like to keep this thread spoiler free for viewers that haven't caught any of the developments that have gone on "Dexter" over the past two seasons. If you'd like to comment on "Dexter" with spoilers please do it on the ongoing 'Dexter on SHO' thread.
I just finished watching the pilot of "Dexter" on CBS (WCBS-DT OTA with 5.1 Surround) and considering how many ways this could have gone wrong I'm pleasantly surprised. There were very minor edits in gore/violence from the original episodes that only Showtime/DVD veterans would recognize (mostly the body twitching/blood from the first victim Dex puts under his drill). Plenty of shots of the bodies, cut body parts (including a very bloody foot!) and even the head thrown at Dex's car from the ice truck made it to CBS relatively intact. Alternate lines of dialogue is where its clear "Dexter" came from premium cable, with way too many "freaking" words replacing curse words. At one point Sgt. Doakes (after Dex points out in Laguerta's office that the killer in the case Doakes is solving isn't who he thinks) turns to Dex and says threateningly 'I'm watching you mother lover' (I kid you not!).
I laughed so hard at that I probably woke up the neighbors.
I'd be very curious to hear reactions from "Dexter" newcomers about what they thought of the show's premise, execution, acting and overall results. This show really feels at home in the network of "CSI," "Without A Trace" and "Cold Case" except for the twist about the protagonist being both the villain and the "hero." Even edited for broadcast the best attributes of "Dexter" came through, IMHO.
Sound was phenomenal on CBS. I only got a subwoofer late last year in time to watch a few episodes of "Dexter" Season 2 with 2.1 surround, so to hear the pilot shake my humble little apartment was a trip. PQ was as good as you'd expect from the network of "CSI Miami." Some dark shots looked oversaturated on my 47" 1080p LCD (the shot when the party crowd were smashing shrimps on a table), but the daytime shots were dynamite. Little-to-no compression on my OTA feed from WCBS-DT. Only when Dex and his sister were eating some fish in an outdoor restaurant did the picture look somewhat pixelated, but only briefly (milliseconds).
Overall I'm pleased CBS seems to be treating "Dexter" with the respect its unique premise deserves. The pilot started at 9:57PM and had limited commercials for a network show to accomodate its original cable running time. And even though I've seen these Season 1 episodes three times already (twice on Showtime HD and once in SD On Demand) I'm gearing up for a fourth viewing assuming the ratings are good-enough for CBS to air all 13 episodes. Whenever "Dexter" airs (even as edited-for-TV repeats) there's simply nothing else better on the boob tube to watch.
I just finished watching the pilot of "Dexter" on CBS (WCBS-DT OTA with 5.1 Surround) and considering how many ways this could have gone wrong I'm pleasantly surprised. There were very minor edits in gore/violence from the original episodes that only Showtime/DVD veterans would recognize (mostly the body twitching/blood from the first victim Dex puts under his drill). Plenty of shots of the bodies, cut body parts (including a very bloody foot!) and even the head thrown at Dex's car from the ice truck made it to CBS relatively intact. Alternate lines of dialogue is where its clear "Dexter" came from premium cable, with way too many "freaking" words replacing curse words. At one point Sgt. Doakes (after Dex points out in Laguerta's office that the killer in the case Doakes is solving isn't who he thinks) turns to Dex and says threateningly 'I'm watching you mother lover' (I kid you not!).
I laughed so hard at that I probably woke up the neighbors.I'd be very curious to hear reactions from "Dexter" newcomers about what they thought of the show's premise, execution, acting and overall results. This show really feels at home in the network of "CSI," "Without A Trace" and "Cold Case" except for the twist about the protagonist being both the villain and the "hero." Even edited for broadcast the best attributes of "Dexter" came through, IMHO.
Sound was phenomenal on CBS. I only got a subwoofer late last year in time to watch a few episodes of "Dexter" Season 2 with 2.1 surround, so to hear the pilot shake my humble little apartment was a trip. PQ was as good as you'd expect from the network of "CSI Miami." Some dark shots looked oversaturated on my 47" 1080p LCD (the shot when the party crowd were smashing shrimps on a table), but the daytime shots were dynamite. Little-to-no compression on my OTA feed from WCBS-DT. Only when Dex and his sister were eating some fish in an outdoor restaurant did the picture look somewhat pixelated, but only briefly (milliseconds).
Overall I'm pleased CBS seems to be treating "Dexter" with the respect its unique premise deserves. The pilot started at 9:57PM and had limited commercials for a network show to accomodate its original cable running time. And even though I've seen these Season 1 episodes three times already (twice on Showtime HD and once in SD On Demand) I'm gearing up for a fourth viewing assuming the ratings are good-enough for CBS to air all 13 episodes. Whenever "Dexter" airs (even as edited-for-TV repeats) there's simply nothing else better on the boob tube to watch.
