Disney has its Marvel Cinematic Universe. HBO Max has its "Game of Thrones” spin-off in the works. Paramount has placed its bets on the Taylor Sheridan cinematic universe. Granted, it’s not quite as high-profile - plenty of folks may be scratching their heads wondering who Sheridan is at this point - but a streaming service has to play the hand it’s dealt. Sheridan is the creator of Paramount Network’s "Yellowstone,” which returns for its fourth season at 8 p.m. Sunday with a two-episode premiere that finds the Duttons still in the midst of a coordinated attack that began in season three. (Paramount Network did not make the season premiere available for review, suggesting a potentially momentous turn-of-events in the episodes.) But the rise of "Yellowstone” as cable’s most-watched drama series came before CBS re-merged with Paramount and the evolution of CBS All Access into Paramount . In advance of that seismic shift, Paramount Network sold streaming rights for "Yellowstone” to streaming service Peacock. Not wanting to make that mistake again, Paramount execs made all kinds of deals to get more of Sheridan’s work on streaming service Paramount , including the upcoming "Mayor of Kingstown” (Nov. 14) and "Yellowstone” prequel series "1883” (Dec. 19), about the Dutton family’s westward migration. Sheridan began his Hollywood career as an actor, often playing lawmen, including Deputy Chief David Hale on "Sons of Anarchy.” He then moved into writing (2015 movie "Sicario”) and directing (2017 movie "Wind River”) before taking on all three duties and showrunning the first season of "Yellowstone” in 2018. Taylor created "Kingstown” with Hugh Dillon, who viewers may best remember as the lead in the CBS 2008-12 Canadian import "Flashpoint” before he played Sheriff Donnie Haskell on "Yellowstone.” Dillon said the pair came up with the "Kingstown” concept - the McLusky family are power brokers in Kingstown, Mich., where a prison is the only thriving industry - a decade ago. Jeremy Renner and Dianne Wiest star in "Mayor of Kingstown” alongside Dillon and the series counts Homewood native Antoine Fuqua among its executive producers. "We like to call it the ‘Taylorverse’ sometimes,” said "Yellowstone” and "Kingstown” executive producer David Glasser during an August press conference as part of the Television Critics Association summer 2021 virtual press tour. "The Taylor universe is worlds that he creates. … He’ll have an idea on a Friday, and literally Monday morning I will get a draft of that script. … And I think as you see shows that come from him, he’ll constantly dive down a rabbit hole and come up with something different.” That includes fleshing out characters’ backstories well in advance of when that information gets conveyed to viewers. "If you actually spend 20 minutes with Taylor, he’ll take you back 20 years for that character, and it’s deep,” Glasser said. "He can tell you everything about that person, because he’s thought about it, and Hugh and him have sort of come up with it here [on ‘Kingstown’].” ‘Dexter’ "Dexter,” which ran from 2006-13 on Showtime, had one of the best first seasons of television ever with its tale of a title character (Michael C. Hall) who’s a serial killer but mostly only kills bad people. It probably should have just ended after season one - there was nowhere to go but down — but that’s not how the business of show works. Although "Dexter” was never as good as in its first season, season four featuring John Lithgow as the Trinity Killer probably ranks as the second-most memorable and well-executed season that culminated in the shocking death of Rita (Murrysville native Julie Benz), Dexter’s wife and mother of his son, Harrison. Then it was a long downward slide that culminated in the "Wait, that’s it?” series finale that saw Dexter’s sister, Deb (Jennifer Carpenter), killed and Dexter escape his murderous Miami setting for life as … a lumberjack in the woods of Oregon. Really? From the moment of that disappointing ending onward, Showtime executives have not been shy about wanting to revisit the series. So it’s no surprise that there’s now "Dexter: New Blood” (9 p.m. Sunday, Showtime), effectively a ninth season of the original series overseen by the show’s original executive producer, Clyde Phillips, who departed the show after season four. Producers have not said if this new season will provide closure and end the show once and for all but given the current Hollywood appetite for reboots, remakes and sequels, that prospect seems unlikely even though the lack of a fitting ending the first time around was the whole impetus for revisiting the show. Through four episodes made available for review, the new season hints at how "Dexter” might be able to continue without Hall in the lead role by bringing back a character that Showtime gives away in its trailer but seems like a twist worth preserving until viewers can see the show. So how is the new "Dexter”? Pretty much the same as the post-season-one old "Dexter.” Instead of living in Miami or Oregon, Dexter is now living in the small New York town of Iron Lake where he’s dating the chief of police (Julia Jones) and abstaining from murder. Of course, "Dexter” fans know that won’t last and pretty soon Dexter is once again trying to stay a step ahead of the authorities, led by his girlfriend, as he attempts to cover his tracks (he’s a little out-of-practice and blood is pretty obvious on snow-covered ground). Whether "Dexter: New Blood” offers a decent ending that the original run lacked remains to be seen, but for "Dexter” fans there will be comfort in the familiarity of this new iteration. Channel surfing NBC’s "Saturday Night Live” returns this weekend (11:30 p.m. Saturday, WPXI-TV) with guest host Kieran Culkin and musical guest Ed Sheeran. Jonathan Majors hosts Nov. 13 with Taylor Swift. Simu Liu hosts Nov. 20 with Saweetie. … Former Pennsylvania U.S. Sen. Rick Santorum, who used to be a political analyst on CNN, has joined Newsmax in a similar role. … Former WTAE-TV news anchor Brittany Hoke gave birth to a daughter, Lennon Kate, on Oct. 30. You can reach TV writer Rob Owen at rowen@triblive.com or 412-380-8559. Follow Rob on Twitter or Facebook. Ask TV questions by email or phone. Please include your first name and location.