Talks between actor Michael C. Hall and Showtime to return "Dexter" for a seventh season have apparently stalled, according to Deadline.

Returning Sunday with 2.2 million viewers in tow, Season 6 of "Dexter" enjoyed a 24 percent increase in its audience compared to last year. That surge set a ratings record for a "Dexter" premiere and made it Showtime’s best original series opener in over a decade.

However, Hall’s "Dexter" contract is up this season, leaving the actor and the network to negotiate the show's future. According to reports, Hall is looking to pull in $24 million in a return deal, $4 million more than Showtime is offering.

Hall earned a Golden Globe for his role as Miami police forensics specialist Dexter Morgan last year.

The series centers on Morgan's hidden life as a serial killer who quenches his thirst for the kill by hunting criminals that he believes have escaped justice.

Spearheading much of the show's story arc in Season 6 is actor Edward James Olmos ("Battlestar Galactica"); he stars as a gifted and charming professor of religious studies. Joining him this season are Billy Brown (“Death Row,” "Southland"), Brea Grant ("Heroes," "Halloween II"), Colin Hanks ("The Good Guys") and rapper Mos.

"Dexter," which airs Sundays at 9 p.m. ET, also stars Jennifer Carpenter, James Remar, Desmond Harrington, C.S. Lee, Lauren Vélez, James Remar.