TVSquad

I'm always fascinated by the ad campaigns that the networks come up with to sell or promote TV shows. I remember in 2004 when Fox debuted House, they created a magazine insert DVD of the pilot. It was a great way to get TV fans to try the show, and I -- for one -- bought Entertainment Weekly and watched the show.

Giveaways are one way to drive awareness -- and sample the product -- but another is with a print ad campaign. Recently, Gossip Girl came up with a savvy set of posters and advertisements to call attention to the naughtiness of the show.

Now comes a new, original campaign for Showtime's Dexter in which the Michael C. Hall's character is imagined on the cover of magazines. Dexter on Esquire, The New Yorker, GQ, Wired; high-profile magazines that have a distinctive look, reconfigured for serial killer hiding in plain sight, Dexter Morgan. The ads look amazing and will be seen in all variety of magazines and plastered up as posters all over the place.

(S03E01) Now that I gave you an early look about this episode, and you had a chance to watch it yourself, let's talk about what happened during the season premiere of Bones.

The main thing is that we are introduced to a serial killer storyline that will probably last throughout the entire season. This isn't your run-of-mill serial killer, though. If it was, then we wouldn't be seeing him or her on this very television show. This killer actually seems to, um, gnaw on some of the bones of his victims a bit after he kills them. That's right, not only is he a serial killer, but a cannibal as well. A perfect fit for Booth, Bones and the other Squints at the Jeffersonian!

(S03E14) I was really looking forward to this week's episode for the simple fact that Eric Stoltz would be the guest star. In the world of TV, I think he counts as a pretty good get. And he didn't disappoint, although, I think the writers did a little bit.

Obviously, this is the Allison show. I get that and we know going in that this world revolves around her. My one complaint with the episode was that while they went out of their way to get someone like Eric Stoltz, they didn't really use him a whole lot.

I was pretty happy with the episode overall, but I think it could have been that much better if something had been lost to make room for a little more of the creepy Sonny Troye. The roommate murder would have been a good place for it. We spent an awful lot of time with the wrong roommate. I would have even gone for getting to see Sonny's end of those phone conversations with Allison.

(S03E06) I think that most people probably thought of Red Foreman when they saw Kurtwood Smith in the previews for this episode. Any actor that does a role for that long is going to be tied to it to some degree. Especially if it is something like That 70's Show which is in syndication so you are constantly stumbling over it. But it is a credit to Kurtwood that while I was secretly hoping for him to call someone a dumb-ass the whole time, he made Edward Cooper something completely different.

Cooper is an interesting character. At once the hero, and the villain. I suspected going in that there would be some butting of the heads as his clinical studying of the evidence clashed with Allison's visions. And we did get some of that. It was made even better with the first round going to Cooper. He was so smarmy and confident as he shot Allison down again and again. It seemed to set up perfectly for Allison to eventually be proven right and get the "I told you so" moment that she wanted so badly.

(S02E11) I don't want to call this the best Criminal Minds episode ever. There's only been 33 episodes thus far, so who knows what's in store. I'd like to say it was the best. But how about this instead:

This was far and away my personal favorite Criminal Minds episode yet. I can't say a bad thing about it.

It prominently featured Reid, had a great and well thought out case, and it marked the reunion of Anton Yelchin and Paget Brewster. Yelchin... man, this kid can act. Checking out his IMDb page, and I'm ticked that I missed an episode of Law and Order: Criminal Intent that he guested in a few months ago. If he turned in half the performance he had here then it would have certainly been worth watching.

(S01E08) Despite the fact that I think pretty much everyone was sharing the same hunch about who the real Ice Truck Killer is, how cool was that final scene? I'm so pumped for the rest of this season now. We'll come back to this though.

One of the big things I really loved about this episode is that Dexter seems to finally be realizing that in order to make it, he needs to start humanizing himself a bit more. He needs to start giving into the things that once made him feel powerless and accept that fact that even he needs to find a real connection with someone. Clearly it's Rita and the fact that Dexter was finally willing to have sex with her (and she didn't find him to be "empty" in bed) was a big step. He definitely cares about this woman, despite what his inner monologue says, and the only thing that worries me now is what happens when she finds out what Dex does?

(S01E07) OK, so here goes. It's not that I disliked this episode. It just got me very frustrated... angry actually. This is a such a smart, intelligent show and I'd like to think it's attracting viewers of the same caliber. So why go and and have an episode such as this one where anyone with half a brain could see right through it? Every other fan of Dexter has to know what I'm referring to.

From the very second they suggested it, there was never a second where you were going to get me to believe that Neil Perry was the Ice Truck Killer. If they answered that question at the half-way point of the season? I'm not sure I'd be too excited for the rest of the season then. The entire time I was waiting for the one moment where Neil and Dexter come face to face and Neil has no idea who he's looking at. We got it as the final scene of the episode. But c'mon... you knew that was coming. This was just filler and ultimately all it sets up is the scenario that Dexter has wanted anyway. He now has the freedom to hunt the Ice Truck Killer on his own because as far as LaGuerta and Co. are concerned, they got their man.

(S01E06) Dexter did it again. Wowed me. Amazed me. Edge of my seat for the whole hour. Thank god Showtime already gave it a second season. Smart move.

Well it had to happen, because thus far things have been going way too smoothly for Dexter. The sh*t has finally hit the fan. Following Dexter's abrupt decision to also kill the smuggler's wife in last week's episode, we find out that the Ice Truck Killer is even more resourceful than we could have ever imagined.

Summoned to his own crime scene, Dexter is shocked to walk into the run-down trailer to find the body of the wife that he dumped in the ocean just hours earlier. That means the ITK had to dive down over a hundred feet to recover the corpse. Now there are certain levels of screwin' with people. Me? I'm a big fan of putting plastic wrap on the toilet seat. But this? This takes dedication.

This is fantastic news. According to Reuters, Showtime has given Dexter the greenlight for season two. I can't even begin to say how excited I am about that. Dexter has quickly become a favorite here at TV Squad -- Keith and myself can't stop raving about it. However, this does set a bit of a different tone for Showtime's president Robert Greenblatt. If you recall, Greenblatt gave the go ahead for season two of Huff before the show even premiered. Huff has since been canceled and it would appear that Greenblatt is being a bit more cautious this time around. But at this point, the 12-episode renewal for season two makes sense. The ratings and reviews of Dexter have been been nothing short of excellent and I'm sure season two will continue that trend. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go do some sort of celebratory jig or dance.

(S01E03) I know I've said it the past two weeks now, but wow. Showtime has a serious hit on their hands here. It's killing me (no pun intended) that I could go out and buy the book Darkly Dreaming Dexter, read it all, and know what's going on with this show. I'm not so sure I can hold out for nine more episodes. The mystery of The Ice-Truck Killer is just too good. Who is he? What does he want? Does he like Fudgesicles?

(S01E02) This show is just too cool. Everything about it is just so smooth and flashy and slick. Very slick. Just look at the opening title sequence. This is new since it wasn't attached to last week's pilot. It looked great. The way it incorporated blood into every aspect of Dexter's life? He wakes up being bitten by a mosquito. He cuts himself shaving. For breakfast, he even juices a very ripe blood orange. See? Slick.

(S01E01) "Takes life. Seriously." What a great tagline. Just a simple play on words and it tells you everything you need to know about the show. I'm worried though. Dexter is good. In fact, it's really good. That's why I'm worried. Why? Because Showtime has a nasty little habit of canceling great shows. There was The Chris Isaak Show. Then Dead Like Me. The most recent casualty? Huff. All three of those shows were spectacular. And you know what? Dexter is better than all of them. So, yeah... I'm worried.

I think I'm reading too much into this, but it's still fun. Pictured above is some desktop wallpaper from Showtime's new original series Dexter. I was looking at it and wondered if there were any hidden clues about the upcoming premiere season. I know CSI did something like that to pump last year's season finale but that was an actual promo poster and this is just plain ol' wallpaper. Regardless, there's still a lot going on in the picture. There's a guy in the second floor window, the three women gathered around something (someone?), police lines blocking off the sidewalk, and what appears to be a couple of shirtless men to the far right. You can see the full size image here. Anyone else think there might be something more to this? It just looks like one of those pictures that has some kind of hidden message...

Edward Furlong will have a recurring role on CBS' CSI:NY this season. He'll play Shane Casey, a young man who is somehow involved in the investigation of a serial killer. The description of the actual storyline makes me think the CSI writers have lost their minds: "where a serial killer uses trendy t-shirts as inspiration for his grisly murders." Do they mean those innocuous t-shirts from American Eagle, etc. that are either retro or don't mean a damn thing? How will a vintage Miami Vice t-shirt have a role in a murder?

In case you're wondering who Edward Furlong is... he had a brilliant role a few years ago as Edward Norton's hateful younger brother in American History X, but you may also recognize him as a young John Connor in Terminator 2. Oh, and he was arrested in 2004 for freeing lobsters from a restaurant tank.

Furlong's first CSI:NY episode airs Wednesday, Oct. 11.

Just a reminder that the acclaimed British series Life on Mars - which Martin has been reviewing here - is now being shown on BBC America. It airs Monday nights at 10pm, as well as other times during the week.

I caught the first episode last night, and I have to say it's a terrific show. The premsie: a Manchester detective chasing a serial killer in 2006. His co-worker/girlfriend Maya is kidnapped by the killer, and while he's investigating it, he gets hit by a car and wakes up...in 1973 Manchester! Is he dreaming this in a coma? Is he really back in 1973? Can going back in time help him solve the crime?

I didn't think the premise would hold up, but it does, and it's really intriguing. Catch it.