Jimmy Smits steps into complicated "Dexter" role

By Lynn Elber The Associated Press LOS ANGELES — Jimmy Smits, a proven TV star in "L.A. Law" and "NYPD Blue," is looking like the go-to guy when a drama's juicy guest role demands leading-man heft. In the final season of "The West Wing," he was a Latino politician who becomes the first minority U.S. president. In the new season of "Dexter" (7 tonight on Showtime) Smits is a prosecutor who moves swiftly and dangerously to the center of Dexter Morgan's dark world. Assistant D.A. Miguel Prado is a man on the right side of the law, familiar territory for Smits. But there's a "variety of different notes" to play with Prado, the actor said, which drew him to the role and story that unfolds over the third season. "The character is something different than I've done before on television and what television audiences are used to... [read full story]