'Dexter' returning early for 8th season

Dexter is coming back earlier than you think.

The Showtime hit is moving to summer for what could be its final season. Dexter season 8 will debut June 30 at 9 p.m. to serve as a lead-in for Showtime’s new series Ray Donovan, which stars Liev Schreiber as a professional “fixer” for the rich and famous.

Showtime entertainment president David Nevins assures that the Dexter team will still have plenty of time to create a strong season. “They had a lot of advance warning [that this was happening] and they know where they’re going,” he said. “No less production time; a little less vacation time.”

The executive also declined to confirm whether Dexter will end this year. “I’m not making any announcements today about when Dexter will end,” Nevins said. “I will clarify that before Dexter goes on the air. There’s a clear end game in place but I can’t talk about it just yet … the decision is ultimately a creative decision… Dexter is to Showtime what Batman is to Warner Bros. I want to take care of it.”

Showtime also announced that the acclaimed thriller Homeland will return for its third season Sept. 29 and will be paired with the new Masters and Johnson period drama Masters of Sex.

More 2013 dates from Showtime: Shameless, House of Lies and Californication start tomorrow night; Nurse Jackie and The Borgias April 14; The Big C: Hereafter will conclude the series starting April 29. Web Therapy will be on sometime this summer. Episodes will return early 2014. Here’s a video preview of Ray Donovan and Masters:

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