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After spending time off battling cancer, Michael C. Hall is back for another season of Dexter. The show’s sixth season premiere is scheduled for Oct. 2 at 9 p.m. on Showtime.

Dexter Morgan is a serial killer who hunts down and murders other serial killers. Dexter’s victims must satisfy a strict set of requirements, which the Miami Metro PD bloodstain analyst verifies using police resources. He also has a family, including two step-children and a biological son. Dexter’s wife, Rita Bennett, was murdered by a victim he was pursuing in a shocking twist ending to season four.

Season five saw Dexter with a new acquaintance, Lumen Pierce, a woman who was kidnapped and raped by several men. While captive, Lumen witnessed one of Dexter’s killing rituals and upon discovering her, Dexter couldn’t bring himself to kill the innocent witness. The two teamed up to track down and kill each of Lumen’s assailants. At the end of the season, Lumen announced she could not continue their vigilante justice as her “darkness” had left her, a decision that left Dexter feeling abandoned.

If season six is as exciting as the previous five, there’s a lot to look forward to. There will be a strong religious theme to the season, with a number of new characters, including Brother Sam (Mos Def), a potential victim turned ally for Dexter; Professor Gellar (Edward James Olmos), and Travis (Colin Hanks), a teacher and protégé commiting crimes in the name of God. In addition, Dexter hires a new nanny in an effort to avoid exposing his young son Harrison to his darkness. The nanny happens to be the sister of Detective Batista, one of Dexter’s co-workers. Dexter’s step-children, Astor and Cody, will also be living with their murderous father, after spending time with their grandparents last season. All this leaves Dexter juggling his family life and his dark side.

While the plot line seems a bit Da Vinci Code-esque, producerClyde Phillips has shown time and again that the Dexter writers can make exciting TV. Whether the writers are flirting with Dexter being caught by his co-workers or with Dex’s targets going after his family, the show is exciting, smart, and at times gruesome. The suspense and mystery have kept viewers coming back in droves season after season, and the next won’t be an exception.