Howling fans of intrigue and murder packed Ballroom 20 today for a Showtime’s combo Homeland/Dexter panel.  We learned a new locale for Homeland, the dramatic thriller concerning a CIA officer (Claire Danes) and a soldier returning from enemy captivity who may be a threat to the U.S. (Damian Lewis).  And we also met a new face for Dexter.  The show, which will be entering its seventh season this fall, stars Michael C. Hall as the fan-favorite killer with a conscience.  Read more about terrorists and serial killers after the jump.

A new trailer for the seventh season of Dexter showed up just last week, and while there hasn’t been any new footage shown from the new season, it does hint at some big things happening between Dexter (Michael C. Hall) and his sister Deb (Jennifer Carpenter), especially following the cliffhanger ending last season. Hopefully we’ll get more of an idea of what this season will entail at Comic-Con next month, bot for now, we have some hints from executive producer Sara Colleton who not only details some of the plot points of the forthcoming seventh season, but also confirms that the eighth season will be the last for Dexter. More details after the jump.

The serial-killer drama Dexter is one of Showtime’s biggest earners of both ratings and critics’ praise. As one of the show’s many devoted fans, and given the totally game-changing finale of Season 4, I’m counting the days until it returns. And for all you other Dexter junkies out there currently bottoming out in the midst of the long slog toward September, we’ve got the fix. EW’s The Ausiello Files blog has an interview with Dexter executive producer Sara Colleton in which she drops a few interesting details on what we can expect to see in Season 5. If you don’t like spoilers, you’re going to want to steer clear. Otherwise, hit the jump for a taste of what’s in store for your favorite sardonic sociopath and his Dark Passenger.