True Blood

Dracula living in a trailer park instead of a castle. NOSFERATU out on the bayou. THE LOST BOYS hangin' out down by the Chattahoochie with a keg, instead of in an underground lair with a beachfront view. A great dinner of catfish, blackeyed peas and rice and cornbread, served up with a tall, warm, bubbly bottle of...BLOOD.

However you want to describe it, TRUE BLOOD is not only unlike any vampire story that's been done before, it's not like any series that's on right now. It's DARK SHADOWS-meets deep-fried Southern Gothic, and only Alan Ball, the creator of SIX FEET UNDER, would dare stick his neck out to bring it to you.

Based on the novels of Charlaine Harris, which I've never read, (but certainly will after this!), BLOOD takes place in the not-too-distant future. It's been two years since the world got a shock it never expected: vampires came "out of the coffin" as a race. We suspected they always lived - and fed - amongst us, but now it's official, and just as before with race relations and as it is now with GLBT people, the reaction across the board is the same - fear of change and fear of the unknown influences most people's feelings about it. And it doesn't seem to matter much that vamps now opt for finding nourishment from a bottled beverage made of synthetic plasma called - wait for it - "TRU BLOOD", rather than from the warm, breathing, two-legged receptacles called Everybody Else.

Sookie Stackhouse, however, has her own unique take on the whole deal. Sookie (X-MEN'S Anna Paquin) lives and works as a waitress in Bon Temps, LA, at a roadhouse restaurant called Merlotte's, the center of most of the series' action. She serves up pitchers of beer and sweet tea, and will give you a piece of her mind, once she has a piece of yours...though you'll wonder how she knew what you were thinking. Sookie is a telepath, and unfortunately for her, she can't turn off the constant flow of other peoples' streams of consciousness...most of which offers way too much information.

The only minds she can't read are vampire minds, something she discovers when she encounters Bon Temps' first vamp, the courtly and smoldering Bill Compton (Brit actor Stephen Moyer in a bravura performance). They are taken with each other on first sight - Sookie, who is not afraid of the unusual since she herself fits that category all too well, and Bill because he cannot figure her out - is she mortal, or something more?

Looking on this blossoming romance in various stages of curiosity, disgust or outright disapproval are Sookie's brother, Jason (Ryan Kwanten), a walking hormone on two legs whose IQ matches his boot size; headstrong, opinionated Tara (Rutina Wesley), Sookie's childhood BFF; Sam Merlotte himself (Sam Trammell), Sookie's boss, who's got it bad for her and wears his heart on his sleeve on and off the clock; Lafayette Reynolds (Nelsan Ellis), the boldly out, proud and randy cook who serves as Greek chorus, instigator and confidante to Merlotte's employees, but most especially to Sookie, and her 'Gran', Adele Stackhouse (the marvelous Lois Smith), who couldn't be happier that Sookie is romantically involved with somebody...even if he is undead.

Not a single opportunity is wasted here to explore every nuance of mixing the ordinary with the extraordinary, in a way that even a series as outstanding as BUFFY could only get close to. Passion burns, secrets abound, betrayal, murder and things even worse lurk around every corner. It's what you've hoped for but never gotten from every soap opera that couldn't show you what was REALLY going on...until now.

Best of all, TRUE BLOOD is like the best songs that come from Mississippi Delta blues. It has an irresistible melody and a driving beat that pulses with sex, muscular sensuality and undeniable heat, with an undertone of menace lurking just beneath, ready to explode without warning...and sometimes even without provocation.

As with 6FU, Ball and his crew are firing on all cylinders here in the first two episodes I've seen. I sure hope they can keep it going...With the early renewal for a second season, HBO sure seems to agree, and so do the fans. Especially this one.

Sookie Stackhouse (Anna Paquin) is a waitress at Sam Merlotte (Sam Trammell)'s bar and grill in Bon Temps, Louisiana. She is secretly a telepath. Two years before the start of the show, vampires reveal themselves to the world after a new blood substitute True Blood had been invented. Sookie falls in love with vampire Bill Compton (Stephen Moyer). Her best friend is Tara Thornton (Rutina Wesley). Some of her other friends over the years include the gay cook Lafayette Reynolds (Nelsan Ellis) and fellow waitress Arlene Fowler (Carrie Preston). Her parents are dead and her brother Jason (Ryan Kwanten) is a womanizing fool. Andy Bellefleur (Chris Bauer) is the town's sheriff. Eric Northman (Alexander Skarsgård) is the Sheriff of Area 5 for the Vampire Authority and the owner of a vampire bar called Fangtasia. His progeny and second-in-command is Pam De Beaufort (Kristin Bauer).

This started as one of the best vampire shows around and there are lots of them these days. It creates a terrific world of vampires and humans. It's sexy and even sexual. It has its campy side. It's gory but not scary. It's a lot of fun. Each season, the show adds in a new supernatural aspect. However, each reveal reaps a diminishing return. There is an overall decline in the show but it never gets too bad. By the last few seasons, it is mostly a matter of staying with the show for the characters. One falls in love with them. Nevertheless, it is still one of the better vampire shows.

Set in modern times, vampires roam the earth and are humans mortal enemies. However, a substitute has been found for human blood, a substitute that vampires can consume with the same effect as human blood. This is True Blood. Now humans and vampires can coexist in harmony, and even form relationships. But there will always be rogue elements on both sides ready to exploit the uneasy truce.

Superb, for the first few seasons. Original, uncompromising and highly engaging. Great character depth, clever, intriguing plots, interesting relationships and good performances. For 5 seasons this was fantastic.

However, the producers didn't know when to quit. The writing was already starting to feel a bit jaded, with retreads of previous plots and characters and, especially, different life-forms being introduced just to give the illusion of originality. The final two seasons were mediocre, at best.

The final season, Season 7, was particularly bad. No originality and the writers and actors seemed to be just going through the motions. Watching became a chore, something I had to do so I could finish the series rather than watching because I enjoyed it. Season 7 may well be the worst final season in the history of TV, especially when compared with what came before.

Another interesting, entertaining, and slightly on the odd side series from HBO that should have more than enough sex and blood for those more discerning fans of our mythical long toothed friends, the vampires.

On the other hand, some may find it little more than an "R" rated soap opera with teeth.

I'm more forgiving. I liked the first episode, thought it had a fairly strong cast, and the story held my interest, even though some of the southern accents sounded a bit strange. Still, having a lead character who is wound a little too tight, there's a reason for that, is a fresh enough idea and Anna Paquin, as Sookie Stackhouse...you heard that right, is well cast.

I'm looking forward to the next episode. Maybe this new show will reach right out and bite you.

I absolutely loved True Blood. If you like vampire and supernatural shows then this is a must watch. It's one of the better supernatural shows that's ever been made. I really can't overstate how good it is. Like any supernatural show that's on for more than a few seasons some of it is corny but still entertaining. The only negative I can say is the ending was awful. It seems like it's hard to end a good show, most end in disappointment and this is no different. Having said that, it still doesn't take away from it being a great show. I'm actually watching it for a second time through now and I'm still as entertained as when I first saw it. It's a must watch for any vampire/supernatural fan.