The man who championed Dexter and helped define Showtime’s golden era, will be retiring.
Gary Levine, the longtime Showtime executive who helped shape the network’s signature slate of original programming, is officially retiring after more than four decades in the television industry.
Levine joined Showtime in 2001 and quickly became a driving force behind some of its most iconic shows. As Executive Vice President of Original Programming—and later as President of Entertainment—he played a pivotal role in developing Dexter.
When Dexter premiered in 2006, its premise—a vigilante serial killer as the main character—was considered risky and unconventional. But Levine believed in the show's creative potential. Despite initial skepticism, he championed it from day one, helping guide the series through eight gripping seasons. The show quickly became a pop culture touchstone, although its 2013 finale sparked widespread debate. Levine has openly expressed his disappointment with the original ending, once quipping that he was “out sick the day of the lumberjack thing.”
Years later, he helped revive the franchise with Dexter: New Blood, reuniting original star Michael C. Hall and showrunner Clyde Phillips. “We finally got to a place I can’t wait to show the world,” he said ahead of its premiere. The limited series, released in 2021, was designed to give fans—and Levine himself—the closure that had eluded them the first time around.
By early 2022, he expressed pride in how New Blood wrapped up Dexter’s story, though he stressed that any potential spinoff would need to be approached carefully. “We're still enjoying the closure,” he noted at the time.
Beyond Dexter, Levine played a key role in bringing to life other acclaimed series like Homeland, Shameless, Billions, and Yellowjackets, helping Showtime carve out a distinct voice in the competitive world of prestige television.
In recent years, as Showtime began integrating more closely with its parent company Paramount, Levine transitioned into an advisory role. His retirement marks the end of an era—one defined by bold storytelling, creative risks, and some of television’s most memorable characters.
Source: Variety