For a while it looked like season 6 of Showtime’s hit original series, Dexter, could be its last. But everyone’s favorite serial killer with a code and one of Miami’s finest blood analysts is not ready to settle down quite yet.

It’s being reported that after some rough waters during the negotiation process, Showtime and star Michael C. Hall have come to an agreement on a new two-year deal, which means…you guessed it: two new seasons of Dexter!

Back in August Showtime announced that they would be airing a new dramatic series produced by Dreamworks Television based on Under the Dome, Stephen King‘s epic novel about the citizens of a Maine vacation hamlet forced to do battle with supernatural forces when their town becomes enclosed by a mysterious dome.

Now comes the news that comic book writer and Lost scribe Brian K. Vaughan has been hired to adapt the novel for the small screen.

Fans of the hit series Dexter without access to Showtime can now rejoice: the pay cable network has made the season six premiere episode available for free viewing online. You can watch the video below this article.

This is a nice gesture on the part of Showtime, but it’s also highly likely a ploy to attract potential new subscribers, hence the reason why this free version of the Dexter season premiere is edited for content. So it will be just like watching the show on a channel like, say, Bravo. Or A&E. Oh joy.

Showtime’s Dexter had a killer showing today at San Diego Comic-Con 2011. Ralph Garman introduced the panel, which included Michael C. Hall (as the titular Dark Defender), C.S. Lee (Forensic specialist Masuka), David Zayas (Detective Angel Batista), James Remar (who plays the ghost of Dexter’s dad, Harry Morgan), and this year’s guest star Colin Hanks (who plays newcomer Travis Marshall), along with executive producers John Goldwyn, Sara Colleton, Scott Buck, and Manny Coto.

The panel began with a preview of an upcoming Dexter-themed Facebook game, created by street artist/designer Marc Ecko. Then they played an exclusive preview of the season 6 trailer [watch it here below] featuring guest stars Colin Hanks and Edward James Olmos. There were loads of religious overtones to this year’s killings, and was set to Depeche Mode’s “Personal Jesus.”

These days, it feels like more people are diagnosed with cancer than people catch the common cold, and it’s about as depressing as anything can be. Just in this past few months, two stars of hugely-popular premium TV series announced that they were receiving treatment for the disease.

In January, star of the Showtime hit series Dexter, Michael C. Hall, was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma; two months later, Andy Whitfield, who is the star of the successful new Starz series Spartacus: Blood and Sand was given a Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma diagnoses.