 Showtime began developing the series at the start of 2005, planning for it to be based on the novel by Jeff Lindsay. By February, Emmy-winning writer James Manos, Jr. (a writer for The Sopranos) was on board to write the pilot script with John Goldwyn, with Sara Colleton as executive producer. By June 13, 2005, Showtime had given the show a green-light to be aired for the next year. The premise of the episode follows the same storyline as Jeff Lindsay's novel Darkly Dreaming Dexter, the first in the series of novels on which the television show is based, albeit with many additional elements and altered characters. Dexter was released on Showtime as part of a batch of new programs for the network, along with Brotherhood, This American Life and a reality TV series called Sexual Healing.
