True Blood Review

After years of presenting the best series on television, from The Larry Sanders Show to The Sopranos to Curb Your Enthusiasm to Deadwood, HBO has seen its incredible run of great shows sputter to a grinding halt recently. While there have been a few good comedies (Extras, Da Ali G Show, Entourage), there hasn't been a new hit drama on the network in a good long while, due in part to their passing on Mad Men (HBO's loss was AMC's gain). So when Six Feet Under creator Alan Ball proposed True Blood, a series based on Charlaine Harris's Southern Vampire Mystery Series, HBO not only said, "Yes," "Please," and "Thank you," they threw the full weight of their marketing department behind the show.

So whether or not you subscribe to HBO, you have probably heard about this series by now. After The Sopranos concluded its run, we let our subscription lapse, figuring we could get all the movies and the remaining good series (my wife is a fan of Big Love) on DVD through Netflix. Then my wife started reading the Twilight series and got into the whole vampire mythos big time. Anxious to see True Blood, she asked if we could re-subscribe to HBO, and we did.

So far, the extra money has been worth it. The On Demand service is great, and True Blood is living up to the hype. Anna Paquin stars as Sookie Stackhouse, a cocktail waitress in Benton, Louisiana who can read people's minds and finds herself drawn to Bill, a 173 year old vampire palyed by Stephen Moyer.

In the reality of the series, vampires now walk freely among the living (after dark, of course), thanks to the development of Tru Blood, a synthetic blood substitute than is bottled like beer. They are pursuing equal rights under the law through the "VRA" (Vampire Rights Amendment), and any parallels between the civil rights, gay rights, and the women's movement are clearly implied.

Thing is, those groups don't suck your blood or rip your head off with their superhuman strength, so there is a great deal of opposition from humans, who mistrust the vampires for obvious reasons. A CNN-style talking head debate is used as a framing device, while incidental props like a tabloid with the headline, "Angelina Adopts Vampire Baby" help to provide context, and humor.

There is plenty of humor in the show, thanks in part to Sookie's pal Tara (Rutina Wesley), and her dim-witted, sex-addicted brother Jason (Ryan Kwanten).  Also in the cast are Lois Smith as Sookie's grandmother, William Sanderson as a Deputy Sheriff, and Sam Trammell as Sookie's boss.

There is also plenty of sex and violence, so this is one to watch after the kids have gone to bed.

All in all, I am enjoying True Blood, even if I'm not as into the whole vampire thing as my wife. The writing, acting, and Louisiana setting are what have me hooked.