TV Preview: Alan Ball's Next HBO Show, True Blood

August 18, 2008

At Comic-Con, I was lucky enough to catch some footage of True Blood, Alan Ball's (Six Feet Under, American Beauty) HBO adaptation of the book series by Charlaine Harris, and I was hooked. Now there's a trailer for the series, which premieres on HBO Sept. 7, so we can all discuss the show: whether or not it looks to be of the same caliber as Six Feet Under, how distracting the Southern accent attempts may be, how smitten we are or are not by Anna Paquin in this role, etc.

In the series, Paquin plays a telepathic waitress in a Louisiana town who meets a vampire when he walks into her bar and she discovers she can't read his mind.

Have you read these books? Does the show look like it will do the book series justice? To watch the preview for True Blood, read more.

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TV Books HBO TV Preview Anna Paquin True Blood Alan Ball

29 Comments

Geminispoppy 4 years 37 weeks

Hey now, no Buffy/Angel putdowns. They might seem a little cliched now, but remember how long ago they aired :)

futonfighter 4 years 38 weeks

It's an interesting idea but I am starting to get tired of the female mortal falls for tall, dark, dangerous vampire type storyline. I'd much prefer a spin-off of the MOONLIGHT character Coraline. It would be nice to have a female vampire be the lead for once and Coraline had a very interesting backstory and history to play with. I'll give this one a try though, if only to see if it could transcend all of the other shows that it's basically blue-printing. Personally, I think the entire vampire genre needs a critical reinvention to take it out of the Buffy/Angel/Moonlight/Twilight/True Blood/Blood Ties era - the recycled storylines are not just getting trite, they're getting cliched.

angelfromlsu 4 years 38 weeks

The accents are horrible in the pilot...People, for southern accents, less is more. Plus north Louisiana people have zero accents just FYI.

Phorrest99 4 years 38 weeks

I'm so excited about this series, having read a couple of the books (I've been wanting to read the rest) I'm hoping they'll do them justice! I really wish I still had HBO :( So I'll have to see if I can catch them some other way.. maybe iTunes??

samantha999 4 years 39 weeks

The series is worth looking for and reading. Vampires with a southern touch and humor. I am not sure about the casting. I think they have cast the series young to attract that audience and have altered some of the characters to even broadened the viewing audience more. Also, if you enjoy this series look for MaryJane Davidson's series. I have asked my sister to record it for me- I have showtime, she has HBO.

TheEnchantedOne 4 years 39 weeks

Same here, bento. haha! Now that I'm learning more about this show and the books, I'm really considering watching True Blood now. I think it'll be good, i did like Ball's SFU after all.

ktb 4 years 39 weeks

Accents sounds pretty on point to me. And as a Sookie Stackhouse fan, I think casting Anna Paquin was brilliant. She is quirky, strong, neurotic, sensitive, and cute - all at the same time, which I think Paquin will nail. Also, I looked at the cast and all the men are strikingly hot - Steven Moyer as Vampire Bill, Ryan Kwanten as Jason, Sam Trammel as Sam Merlotte, and Alexander Skarsgaard as Eric. It looks like it is going to be a seriously sexy show.

ehadams 4 years 39 weeks

I adore these books. When people tell me they are reading Twilight and don't get what the big deal is, I tell them to read Charlaine Harris instead. I think Anna does Sookie perfectly. She has a smart ass, take no nonsense attitude, even though she is just a waitress and a human among all these deadly vampires, werewolves, etc (Bella could learn a thing or two from her). My only concern is that the tv show looks too serious. Also I think the vampires look weird, not sexy. I really hope they don't butcher the mythology and storyline. Sadly I don't get HBO but I'll find a way to watch it somehow.

Mariana48 4 years 39 weeks

looks great! i cant wait :):)

foxie 4 years 39 weeks

GAWWWDDD Anna Paquin is so effing annoying. I guess she can't be much worse than Brenda from SFU though, right?

girlnone 4 years 39 weeks

Yay! I've been excited about this show ever since I heard about in the trade news almost two years ago. The writer's strike delayed it from last summer, but it looks like I'll finally get to see it. Well, at least I would, if I got HBO. Sigh. The southern accents didn't bother me, but that could be because I'm from the south and am used to hearing people talk like that.

briggs313 4 years 39 weeks

hahaha juliej ... i also am curious if they will be on itunes ... i'll just watch them on there ... this does remind me of twilight and i love it! not sure if i'll love anna paquin tho.

CaterpillarGirl 4 years 39 weeks

I have read the Twilight series, and this series, neither have much in common but the fact of both containing vampires and or other creatures, and mindreading. BUT The southern vampire series is about adults, not simpering angst ridden teenagers.

juliej 4 years 39 weeks

OMFG - I have GOT to get HBO... Or maybe they'll be available on iTunes??

bento barista 4 years 39 weeks

lol. Unfortunately, Twilight is the first thing I thought of when I read mind-reading and vampires...

alikat07 4 years 39 weeks

Looking forward to seeing it! As for similarity to Twilight - really you can only do so many things with the vampire theme, which is ancient. I think that people are so intrigued by the idea of people becoming immortal "monsters" and if that is true - how much humanity do they retain. Since vampires look human, they are the sexiest monster to use :)

suziryder 4 years 39 weeks

Wow, Anna looks strange as a blonde, that'll take some getting used to. This looks like an interesting series, kind of the reversal of the Twilight book, right? (I'm still reading Twilight - not even half way yet!)

Neuroticone 4 years 39 weeks

I hope they do justice to the series. *sigh* I love Charlaine Harris' books.

californiagirlx7 4 years 39 weeks

This series looks interesting, too bad I don't have HBO :( By the way, before some Twilighters come and protest the fact that there are similarities between this show and Twilight, the books that this show was based on came out years before Twilight was released.

CaterpillarGirl 4 years 39 weeks

HM its deep in louisiana and I have been there, they sound just right to me.

hmcmcd 4 years 39 weeks

wow! The accents are horrible, but Ana sure has grown up, I didn't even recognize her.

CaterpillarGirl 4 years 39 weeks

I have read the books, all 8 of them, and i adore the series. let me tell you its not predictable, its hilarious, sexy, thrilling and just right for Alan Ball. They got the casting JUST Right, Sookie, Eric, Bill, Jason, and Sam.

menthadict 4 years 39 weeks

that looks pretty intense. i'll have to wait for it to come out on dvd though

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