OK, Here's One Good Thing to Come Out of the Strike

By Barry Garron

Regardless of how you feel about the writers' strike and all of its spinoff issues, such as whether Jay Leno has a God-given right to come up with his own monologue, we can all agree that, so far, very little good has come of it. The strike, that is.

Though the writers' cause may be as just as the civil rights movement, there's simply no getting around the collateral damage: more reality shows on TV, less business at Nate & Al's and the possible loss of the Golden Globe telecast. And, oh yeah, there are also those tens of thousands of people fired or laid off as production slowly grinds to a halt.

While the news that CBS will repurpose "Dexter" can't begin to offset all of that, it is at least one of the rare positives to emerge from all of this.

"Dexter," starring Michael C. Hall as a serial killer with a conscience, is one of several programming gems on Showtime and an important reason why the premium cable channel is considered by many to have caught and maybe overtaken HBO in original programming. But that's an argument for another day.

What's important for now is that CBS, beginning Feb. 17, will expose "Dexter" to a vast, new audience, including millions of viewers who scarcely know it exists. Of course, CBS will edit it for network standards but that won't matter. In "Dexter," there's far less nudity than violence, which makes it perfectly acceptable to the FCC and, indirectly, to CBS.

Putting "Dexter" on CBS is good for viewers. It shows them just how clever TV can be when it's not busy choosing the next supermodel. It offers an example of drama that is both entertaining and throught-provoking.

It's good for Showtime because it provides, in effect, a free trial for potential subscribers. At least a few visitors are likely to be so impressed with "Dexter," they'll want to check out the other shows Showtime has to offer. Meanwhile, the superb but largely unheralded cast will get the attention it deserves.

So you see, there's a little good in everything, even a prolonged strike and a fictional serial killer.