The pilot episode, which aired in the USA on October 1, 2006, attracted more than a million viewers, giving Showtime its highest series ratings in nearly two years. Due to a dearth of original programming as a result of the 2007–08 Writers Guild of America strike, CBS began broadcasting Dexter in edited form on free-to-air television on February 17, 2008, thus making Dexter the first program in two decades to air on a national broadcast network after being shown on a premium cable channel.
The pilot episode, which aired in the USA on October 1, 2006, attracted more than a million viewers, giving Showtime its highest series ratings in nearly two years. Due to a lack of original programming as a result of the 2007–08 Writers Guild of America strike, CBS began broadcasting Dexter in edited form on free-to-air television on February 17, 2008, thus making Dexter the first program in two decades to air on a national broadcast network after being shown on a premium cable channel.