When we last left off with Showtime’s hit drama series Dexter, the titular serial killer was caught in a rather precarious position.  Though season six as a whole left much to be desired, the cliffhanger hinted that producers were taking the show in an exciting direction for season seven.  The upcoming season may or may not be the second to last installment of new episodes for the series (producers are keen on ending the series after season eight, but Showtime is hoping they’ll stretch things out to nine), so fans are hoping for some major developments in the new season.  The first poster and a batch of new images from season seven have been released, with the tagline on the poster offering a tantalizing clue as to where things may be headed.  Though a certain romantic subplot has me wary about how the story might play out, I’m hopeful that producers can bring the long-running series to a strong conclusion.

Hit the jump to take a look at the poster and images, which give us our first look at new cast members Yvonne Strahovski, Ray Stevenson, and Jason Gedrick.  Dexter season 7 premieres on Sunday, September 30th at 9pm EST on Showtime.

With HBO putting Luck out of its misery earlier this year, that leaves one of the series’ stars to travel to another cable network for a high profile role. Showtime has announced that Jason Gedrick, who can also be seen in films like Iron Eagle, Promised Land and Backdraft, has landed a multi-episode arc in the forthcoming seventh season of Dexter. Though we don’t know the specifics of the story this season, Gedrick will play the manager of a Miami-area gentlemen’s club that becomes linked to a high-profile murder case. This comes after Ray Stevenson has been cast in a role that will likely turn out to be some sort of adversary for Michael C. Hall as everyone’s favorite serial killer.

Hopefully this summer we’ll find out more about what Dexter will be encountering this season after the conclusion of the sixth season really shook things up between Dexter and his sister Deb, and will likely test the bonds of the brother and sister duo at the Miami Metro Police Department. Stay tuned for more updates on Dexter and our eager anticipation of the season premiere on September 30th at 9/8c. Check out the full press release after the jump.

When you look at the caliber of talent behind the pilot for the horse racing drama Luck, it was pretty much a foregone conclusion that HBO would order it to series.  Michael Mann directed the pilot from a script by Deadwood creator David Milch, with a cast toplined by Dustin Hoffman.  See what I mean?

According to The Live Feed, the cast is rounded out by Dennis Farina, John Ortiz, Kevin Dunn, Richard Kind, Jason Gedrick, Ritchie Coster, Ian Hart, Tom Payne, Kerry Condon, Gary Stevens, and Nick Nolte.  Production begins this fall, so Luck should debut on HBO sometime next year along with the fantasy series Game of Thrones.  Meanwhile, the Martin Scorsese-directed first episode of the Prohibition-era gangster series Boardwalk Empire premieres September 19th on the network.