MUMBAI: US media conglomerate Viacom‘s subsidiary Showtime has ordered two more seasons of its drama series ‘Dexter‘, starring Michael C Hall.

The announcement was made by Showtime Networks president of entertainment David Nevins. On the heels of Hall and Showtime closing a new, two season deal for Hall to return to the series, production will begin on season seven in 2012 in Los Angeles. Seasons seven and eight will consist of 12 episodes each.

Nevins said, "Dexter‘s enormous success is a real tribute to the great achievements of its cast, producers, and the powerhouse performance of Michael C Hall. The series is bigger than it‘s ever been in its sixth season, both in terms of audience and its impact on the cultural landscape. Together with Michael, the creative team on the show has a very clear sense of where they intend to take the show over the next two seasons and, as a huge fan, I‘m excited to watch the story of Dexter Morgan play out."

Hall said, "On behalf of the entire ‘Dexter‘ family, we relish the invitation to delve ever deeper into Dexter‘s world."

Dexter stars Hall, who plays a complicated and conflicted blood-spatter expert for the Miami police department, who moonlights as a serial killer.