True Blood is an American television

drama series created and produced by Alan

Ball. It is based on the The Southern Vampire
Mysteries series of novels by Charlaine Har-
ris. The show is broadcast on the premium
cable network HBO in the United States. It is
produced by HBO in association with Ball’s
production company, Your Face Goes Here
Entertainment. It premiered on September 7,
2008.

The show’s second 12-episode season pre-

miered on June 14, 2009. On July 30, 2009,
HBO confirmed that True Blood will be re-
newed for a third season. The third season is
due to begin shooting on December 3, 2009.

True Blood details the co-existence of vam-

pires and humans in Bon Temps, a fictional
small Louisiana town. The series centers on
Sookie Stackhouse (Anna Paquin), a tele-
pathic waitress at a bar, who falls in love with
vampire Bill Compton (Stephen Moyer).

The first season received critical acclaim and

won several awards, including one Golden
Globe and an Emmy.
December 2, 2008 - Set in a world where
vampires are now known to be real, True
Blood’s creatures of the night survive on an
artificial substance called Tru Blood. How
society reacts and accepts these supposedly
reformed bloodsuckers is a whole other
story – and the basis for a damn entertain-
ing series.
Based on a series of books by Charlaine
Harris and brought to life by Alan Ball (Six
Feet Under), True Blood can be taken as a
statement about modern society. Many lines
of similarity can be drawn between the
struggle of the vampires and pretty much
any minority group throughout history. The
show’s deep south setting only helps accen-
tuate the pettiness and self-righteousness;
often the trashiest characters act high and
mighty because they, at least, are not affili-
ated with vampires.
people’s thoughts, but as the season pro-
gressed she evolved into a much more well-
rounded person. With her firm resolution to
treat vampires as equals, she brings trouble
to her family, but she also becomes stronger,
and more independent.
One of our favorite characters from the start
was Sookie’s grandmother (Lois Smith), a
kindly old woman who thinks only the best
of others. She’s a strong influence on both
Sookie and Sookie’s brother, Jason (Ryan
Kwanten), and a major development involv-
ing the grandmother affects the entire town.
Starting in the first episode, a murderer
haunts the townsfolk in their daily lives, tar-
geting women who’ve had encounters with
vampire men. This puts Sookie at consider-
able risk after she befriends her new (yet
very old) neighbor, vampire Bill (Stephen
Moyer).
Even though he’s a bumbling fool, Jason is
under suspicion for the local murders, since
he is close to all the slain women. Those who
know him, however, know he doesn’t have
the ability to plot anything further out than
whose bed he’ll keep warm that night. Still,
although he fails to be there for Sookie when
she needs him most, the family bond remains
intact.

Only a premium channel like HBO could

really do justice to this story; a great vam-
pire tale needs a lot of blood, sex, and
cursing. What’s most interesting is that in a
show about vampires living in society, it’s
the human characters who are most com-
pelling. The vampires are mostly inacces-
sible, but the rest of the cast is wonderfully
flawed and quite often likable.

Main character Sookie Stackhouse (Anna

Paquin) began the series as a slightly ditzy
waitress annoyed with her ability to hear
Sookie does have a support system in place,
as much as she insists she can take care of
herself. Her boss, Sam Merlotte is smit-
ten with her, but has secrets of his own that
keep him from getting too close. Tara, the
best friend, is truly enjoyable as a stubborn,
outspoken woman with troubles and infatua-
tions of her own. A definite fan favorite, the
flamboyant Lafayette is Tara’s cousin, and
Sookie’s co-worker and friend. We find out be matched by many current shows. We’re
that Lafayette has an entrepreneurial streak looking forward to seeing what the second
selling sex, drugs, and anything else some- season has in store.
one would want.
While the humans and their foibles often
hold our interest, when we are able to peek
To b
into the vampires’ lives, it’s always compel-
ling. While they are trying to fit into society, e con
they aren’t trying to pass as humans. They tinu
are predators who are no longer predatory,
and they are also vulnerable to human at-
e...
tacks. The entire vampire society also has
degrees of order, with governing rules and
consequences.
Real fun can be found in the way the vam-
pire mythology is rolled out. Do vampires
have fangs? Yes, and they’re retractable. Are
they affected by light? Yes, but it doesn’t
always kill them. While many
popular vampire myths are addressed,
not all are true. Beyond vampires,
other mythological creatures are
brought up – and while some are
discredited, it’s only fitting that
some would exist.
True Blood has elicited strong
love-it-or-hate-it fervor from
viewers – even within the
IGN offices. The series can
be a bit ridiculous at times,
but it has a lot of action and
a level of pure fun that can’t