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True Blood
Genre	Drama
Created by	Series: Alan Ball Books: Charlaine Harris
Starring	Anna Paquin Stephen Moyer Sam Trammell Ryan Kwanten Rutina Wesley Chris Bauer Nelsan Ellis Jim Parrack Adina Porter Carrie Preston Michael Raymond-James William Sanderson Alexander Skarsgård Lynn Collins Lizzy Caplan Lois Smith Stephen Root
Opening theme	"Bad Things" by Jace Everett
Composer(s)	Nathan Barr
Country of origin	United States
Language(s)	English
No. of seasons	2
No. of episodes	24 (List of episodes)
Production
Executive producer(s)	Alan Ball
Running time	approx. 55 min.
Broadcast
Original channel	HBO
Original run	September 7, 2008 – present
External links
Official website

True Blood is an American television drama series created and produced by Alan Ball. It is based on the Sookie Stackhouse book series (also known as The Southern Vampire Mysteries) by Charlaine Harris. 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.^[1] It premiered on September 7, 2008. The show has been renewed for a second 12-episode season, which will reportedly begin in June 2009.^[2]

True Blood details the co-existence of vampires and humans in Bon Temps, a fictional small northern Louisiana town. The series centers on Sookie Stackhouse (Anna Paquin), a telepathic waitress at a bar, who falls in love with vampire Bill Compton (Stephen Moyer).^[1][3]

The series has been critically acclaimed and won several awards, including one Golden Globe, for its first season.

Contents 1 Production 1.1 Development 1.2 Music 1.3 Viral marketing campaign 2 Plot summary 3 Cast and characters 3.1 Main characters 3.2 Supporting characters 3.3 Deceased characters 4 Reception 5 Ratings 6 Awards and Nominations 7 Off-Beat Awards 8 International distribution 9 DVD Release 10 See also 11 References 12 External links

[edit] Production

[edit] Development

Series creator Alan Ball had previously worked with premium cable channel HBO on Six Feet Under, which ran for five seasons. In October 2005, after Six Feet Under's finale, Ball signed a two-year agreement with HBO to develop and produce original programming for the network. True Blood became the first project under the deal, after Ball read the first book in Charlaine Harris' Sookie Stackhouse series, Dead Until Dark.^[4]

Ball was early for a dentist appointment one day when he was browsing through Barnes and Noble and came across the book. Enjoying it, he continued reading the series and halfway through the third entry, Club Dead, became interested in "bringing Harris' vision to television."^[4][5] Ball then contacted Harris about adapting the material and both thought that television was the ideal medium for the series. Ball has said, "The scope of Charlaine's books really lent itself to a series more than just a movie … [because I felt that condensing] it into two hours would do it a disservice." Additionally, Harris had previously been approached by others about adapting the books as a film, but declined due to creative differences. She agreed to go work with Ball, however, because she "became convinced that he understood the agenda of the books … and that he would do [them] justice."^[5]

The project's hour-long pilot was ordered concurrently with the finalization of the aforementioned development deal and was written, directed and produced by Ball.^[1][4] Cast members Paquin, Kwanten and Trammell were announced in February 2007 and Moyer later on in April.^[6][7] The pilot was shot in the early summer of 2007 and was officially ordered to series in August, at which point Ball had already written several more episodes.^[1] Production on the series began later that fall,^[8] with Brook Kerr, who portrayed Tara Thornton in the original pilot, being replaced by Rutina Wesley. Two more episodes of the series had been filmed before the 2007-08 Writers Guild of America strike shut production of the 12-episode first season down until 2008.

[edit] Music

Gary Calamar, the music supervisor for the series, said his goal for the soundtrack to the show that is to create something "swampy, bluesy and spooky" and to feature local Louisiana musicians.^[9]

Composer Nathan Barr writes the original score for the series which features cello, guitar, prepared piano and glass harmonica among other instruments, all of which he performs himself.^{[citation needed]}

The main theme song is "Bad Things" by country music artist Jace Everett, from his 2005 self-titled debut.^[10].

[edit] Viral marketing campaign

The premiere of True Blood was prefaced with a viral marketing/ARG campaign, based at BloodCopy.com. This included setting up multiple websites,^[11][12][13] encoding web address into unmarked envelopes mailed to high profile blog writers and others, and even performances by a "vampire" who attempted to reach out to others of their kind, to discuss the recent creation of "TruBlood", a fictional beverage which is featured in the show.

A MySpace account with the username "Blood"^[14] had, as of June 19, uploaded two videos;^[15] one entitled "Vampire Taste Test - Tru Blood vs Human",^[16] and one called "BloodCopy Exclusive INTERVIEW WITH SAMSON THE VAMPIRE".

A prequel comic was handed out to attendees of the 2008 Comic-Con. The comic centers around an old vampire named Lamar, who tells the reader about how TruBlood surfaced and was discussed between many vampires before going public. At one point, Lamar wonders if TruBlood is making the world safe for vampires or from them.

Several commercials featured on HBO and Facebook.com^[17] aired prior to the series premiere, placing vampires in ads similar to those of beer and wine. Some beverage vending machines across the US were also fitted with cards indication that they were "sold out" of TruBlood.

Thousands of DVDs of the first episode were handed out to attendees of Midnight Madness, a special screenings event of the 2008 Toronto International Film Festival.

Blockbuster Video provided free rental of the first episode of True Blood several days before it was broadcast on HBO. The video had a faint promotional watermark throughout the episode.

[edit] Plot summary

Thanks to a Japanese scientist's invention of synthetic blood, vampires have progressed from legendary monsters to fellow citizens overnight. And while humans have supposedly been removed from the menu, many remain apprehensive about these creatures "coming out of the coffin." Religious leaders and government officials around the world have chosen their sides, but in the small Louisiana town of Bon Temps, the jury is still out.

Local waitress Sookie Stackhouse (Anna Paquin), however, knows how it feels to be an outcast. "Cursed" with the ability to listen in on people's thoughts, she's also open-minded about the integration of vampires — particularly when it comes to Bill Compton (Stephen Moyer), a handsome 173-year-old living up the road. But as Sookie is drawn into a series of mysteries surrounding Bill's arrival in Bon Temps, that tolerance will be put to the test.^[18]

The first season's plot revolves around the murders of young women in the town of Bon Temps. The likeliest suspect is Jason, Sookie's brother, who has had sex with several of the victims and has developed an addiction to V-juice (vampire blood). At first, Sookie wonders if her brother is guilty, but then thinks he is not; at the urging of her grandmother, she begins to use her gift to try to solve the mystery. As Sookie attempts this, her grandmother is also murdered. Her boss, Sam, acts suspiciously and Bill, her vampire love interest, is also a possible suspect. As Sookie investigates the murder, she wavers between loving Bill the vampire, and her boss Sam. She finds out that Sam is a shapeshifter and can turn into a dog.

The murderer turns out to be Rene, a man who works with Jason and frequents the bar at which Sookie waits tables. He has been killing women he suspects of sleeping with vampires, including his own sister. Sookie stumbles on to this information after being driven home by the murderer. There is a chase during which Sam the shapeshifter attacks Rene in dog form, and Bill the vampire goes out in daylight to try and save Sookie, even though he nearly burns to death. Both of these heroic efforts fail, and Sookie herself kills Rene with a shovel left in the graveyard.

The season ends with the arrival of an immature vampire named Jessica, whom Bill sired, coming to live with him against his wishes, and the discovery of a body found in the car of local detective Andy Bellefleur. At the end of the first season, the body has only been identified as an African-American with brightly painted toe nails. It is likely, though not necessarily, that of short-order cook, Lafayette Reynolds.

In a separate storyline, Tara, Sookie's best friend, begins a sexual relationship with Sam. Tara is led to believe that she suffers from possible demon contamination; she has been traumatized by her upbringing by an alcoholic mother.

There is a brief encounter with the vampire hierarchy, including the sheriff of area five (which includes Bon Temps), Eric, and his second-in-command, Pam. In the last two episodes, a wealthy "social worker," who travels with a pig and has an unrevealed secret power, enters the story.

[edit] Cast and characters

[edit] Main characters

• Sookie Stackhouse (Anna Paquin), a telepathic waitress in a small-town restaurant.
• Bill Compton (Stephen Moyer), a vampire with whom Sookie falls in love.
• Sam Merlotte (Sam Trammell), the owner of the bar and restaurant called Merlotte's, where Sookie works. In the later episodes of the first season, it is revealed that he is a shapeshifter, often watching over Sookie in the form of a dog.
• Jason Stackhouse (Ryan Kwanten), Sookie's brother, road crew supervisor for Bon Temps.
• Tara Thornton (Rutina Wesley), Sookie's best friend, bartender at Merlotte's (played by Brook Kerr in the unaired pilot).
• Eric Northman (Alexander Skarsgård), Sheriff of one of the five vampire districts, he is very powerful in the vampire community.

[edit] Supporting characters

• Detective Andy Bellefleur (Chris Bauer), the detective investigating Jason Stackhouse.
• Arlene Fowler (Carrie Preston), a waitress working with Sookie.
• Hoyt Fortenberry (Jim Parrack), a friend of Jason and Rene.
• Sheriff Bud Dearborne (William Sanderson), the town sheriff.
• Pam (Kristin Bauer), assistant to Eric and bouncer in his bar; "made" (turned into a vampire) by Eric.
• Maryann (Michelle Forbes), a wealthy "social worker."
• Lettie Mae Thornton (Adina Porter), Tara's mother.
• Terry Bellefleur (Todd Lowe), cousin of Detective Andy Bellefleur, Iraq war veteran, and bartender at Merlotte's.
• Jessica (Deborah Ann Woll), a young girl "made" by Bill as a part of his punishment for murdering a fellow vampire.
• Lafayette (Nelsan Ellis), Tara's cousin, short order cook at the bar, a homosexual drug dealer and prostitute.

[edit] Deceased characters

• Rene Lenier/Drew Marshall (Michael Raymond-James), Arlene's "Cajun" boyfriend who works on the road crew with Jason Stackhouse.
• Longshadow (Raoul Trujillo), first bartender of Fangtasia
• Dawn Green (Lynn Collins), Sookie's co-worker and friend, Jason's girlfriend.
• Amy Burley (Lizzy Caplan), Jason Stackhouse's bohemian, drug-addicted love interest.
• Adele Hale Stackhouse (Lois Smith), Sookie and Jason's grandmother, nicknamed "Gran".
• Eddie Gautier (Stephen Root), a vampire supplying V for Lafayette.
• Maudette Pickens (Danielle Sapia), a local woman who videotapes sexual encounters with vampire Liam and with Jason Stackhouse.
• Malcolm (Andrew Rothenberg), Liam (Graham Shiels) and Diane (Aunjanue Ellis), vampire acquaintances of Bill Compton who live together in a "nest" and don't wish to mainstream.
• Mack Rattray (James Jean Parks) and Denise Rattray (Karina Logue), a lowlife couple who attempt to drain Bill Compton of his blood.
• Uncle Bartlett (Cheyenne Wilbur), Sookie's pedophile great-uncle.
• Neil Jones (Kevin Michael McHale), coroner's assistant and closet fangbanger.

[edit] Reception

This section requires expansion with: Clarify who said what about the show.

The overall critical reception of True Blood has generally been favorable, but initial impressions were mixed, ranging from overwhelmingly positive to very negative. Many critics have praised the show for its originality, storytelling and aesthetics; others have criticized it for being "muddled" and resorting to stereotypes in its characterizations.^[19]

[edit] Ratings

True Blood debuted at a very modest 1.44 million viewers compared to the network's past drama premiers such as Big Love which premiered at 4.56 million, and John from Cincinnati which debuted at 3.4 million.^[20] However, by late November 2008, 6.8 million a week were watching: this figure included repeat and on-demand viewings.^[21]The season finale's viewership was 2.4 million. True Blood has reportedly now become HBO's most popular series since The Sopranos and Sex and the City.^[22]

[edit] Awards and Nominations

Year	Group	Award	Result	For
2008	Satellite Awards	Best Actor in a Supporting Role in a Series, Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television	Won	Nelsan Ellis
	Satellite Awards	Best Actress in a Series, Drama	Won	Anna Paquin
2009	American Cinema Editors	Best Edited One-Hour Series for Non-Com Television	Won	Michael Ruscio & Andy Keir for episode Strange Love
	Art Directors Guild	Episode of a One Hour Single-Camera Television Series	Nominated	Suzuki Ingerslev for episode Burning House of Love
	GLAAD Media Awards	Outstanding Drama Series	Nominated
	Golden Globe Awards	Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series - Drama	Won	Anna Paquin
	Golden Globe Awards	Best Television Series - Drama	Nominated
	Motion Picture Sound Editors	Best Sound Editing - Short Form Dialogue and ADR in Television	Nominated	For episode The Fourth Man in the Fire
	Writers Guild of America	New Series	Nominated	Alan Ball, Brian Buckner, Raelle Tucker, Alexander Woo, Nancy Oliver, & Chris Offutt
	Saturn Award	Best Syndicated/Cable TV Series	Nominated
	Saturn Award	Best Actress on Television	Nominated	Anna Paquin

[edit] Off-Beat Awards

True Blood won two 2009 awards at "Mr Skin's 10th Annual Anatomy Awards," which celebrate sex and nudity in motion pictures and television. True Blood won Best TV Show, and Lizzy Caplan won for "Best First-Time Nude Scene."^[23]

[edit] International distribution

Country	Date of Premiere	Channel
Canada	September 7, 2008	HBO Canada
Sweden Denmark Finland Norway	October 22, 2008	Canal+ Scandinavia
Spain	December 4, 2008	Canal+ Spain, Cuatro
France	December 23, 2008	Orange Cinemax
Portugal	December 23, 2008	MOV
Israel	January 6, 2009	Yes Stars Action
Brazil	January 18, 2009	HBO
Latin America	January 18, 2009	HBO Latin America
Belgium	February 1, 2009	be.tv
Czech Republic Slovakia Hungary	February 3, 2009	HBO
Bulgaria Croatia Romania Serbia Slovenia Montenegro Moldova	February 6, 2009	HBO
Poland	February 7, 2009	HBO
Asia	February 9, 2009	HBO Asia
Australia South Africa[24]	February 10, 2009	Showcase M-Net
Italy	March 2009	Fox Italy
United Kingdom	April 2009	FX (UK) followed by Channel 4
New Zealand	March 18, 2009	Prime

[edit] DVD Release

According to HBO's official online shop, the DVD and Blu-ray release of Season One is set for May 19, 2009.

True Blood: The Complete First Season
Set Details		Special Features
12 Episodes 5 Disc Set 1.78:1 Aspect Ratio Subtitles:English English

[edit] See also

• Artificial blood
• Vampire films
• Vampire literature

[edit] References

[edit] External links

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: True Blood

• Official site
• True Blood at the Internet Movie Database
• True Blood at TV.com
• True Blood France/Orange Cinema
• True Blood - HBO Latin America

v • d • e The Southern Vampire Mysteries / True Blood Novels Dead Until Dark · Living Dead in Dallas · Club Dead · Dead to the World · Dead as a Doornail · Definitely Dead · All Together Dead · From Dead to Worse · Dead and Gone Episodes Season one Characters Sookie Stackhouse · Bill Compton · Sam Merlotte · Tara Thornton · Jason Stackhouse · Eric Northman · Pam Writers Charlaine Harris (novels) · Alan Ball (TV series) Cast Anna Paquin · Stephen Moyer · Sam Trammell · Rutina Wesley · Ryan Kwanten · Alexander Skarsgård · Kristin Bauer