In television, you use established hits to launch new ones. In the fall of 2011, Showtime used its big gun “Dexter” to help launch “Homeland.” Two years later, “Homeland” can comfortably stand on its own, and today Showtime announced (during David Nevins’ executive session) a 2013 schedule that will split the two dramas up so they can be used to launch a pair of new series, “Ray Donovan” and “Masters of Sex.”
“Dexter” will now air in summer, premiering June 30 at 9, leading into “Ray Donovan,” starring Liev Schreiber as a brutal Hollywood fixer and Jon Voight as his ex-con father.
“Homeland,” meanwhile, will slide to 9 p.m. in the fall, starting September 29, leading into “Masters of Sex,” a period piece starring Michael Sheen and Lizzy Caplan as pioneering sex researchers Masters and Johnson.
In other Showtime scheduling news (besides the returns of “Shameless,” “House of Lies” and “Californication” tomorrow night):
* David Steinberg’s “Inside Comedy” will return on Monday, February 11 at 11 p.m., with guest stars including Louis C.K., Steve Martin, Tina Fey and Will Ferrell.
* “Nurse Jackie” and “The Borgias” will return on April 14th, with “Jackie” at 9 (followed immediately by a repeat of the episode), and “The Borgias” at 10.
* “The Big C: hereafter,” a four-part, four-hour conclusion to the Laura Linney series will debut on Monday, April 29 at 10 p.m.