sentences:  The pilot episode, which aired in the USA on October 1, 2006, attracted more than a million viewers, giving Showtime its highest series ratings in nearly two years.Due to a dearth of original programming as a result of the 2007–08 Writers Guild of America strike, CBS began broadcasting "Dexter" in edited form on free-to-air television on February 17, 2008, thus making "Dexter" the first program in two decades to air on a national broadcast network after being shown on a premium cable channel.Eight seasons comprising twelve episodes each have been broadcast in the United States and abroad.