True Blood is a new tv show based on the 'Sookie Stackhouse series' / 'Southern Vampire Mysteries' by Charlaine Harris. I just LOVE LOVE LOVE the book series and own all the 8 books of the series that so far are published. I decided to start a thread about the new tv show True Blood, because next month True Blood will be starting on HBO.

The Story
Sookie Stackhouse is a perky blonde who lives in small town Bon Temps, Lousiana. She is a sweet down-to-earth practical kinda girl with a big secret: she is telepathic and can read minds, but the local people just thinks she's a bit crazy. She works as a barmaid at local bar Merlotte's, which is owned by her friend Sam. Sam is a shapeshifter, but Sookie doesn't know. She tries to keep out of everyones' mind, especially her friends/family. Then one day a vampire comes into the bar. Sookie knows vampires exist (they have 'come out of the coffin' several years ago and the world now acknowledges their existence) but never saw one until now. Because of Bill (yep, that's the vamps' name) Sookie finds out the she cannot hear the minds of vampires. She also starts dating Bill and through him meets other vampires (like funny Pam and yummy Eric!) and then just discovers a whole supernatural world of vampires, shapshifters, witches, fairies etc..

The whole series is a combination of humor, mystery, romance and the supernatural and I just love it. I hope the tv show will not mess up the story...

TV Show
Alan Ball, creator of Six Feet Under, loved the series so much he even adapted it for a tv show.

Casting (from imdb):

Anna Paquin - Sookie Stackhouse
Stephen Moyer - Bill Compton
Sam Trammell - Sam Merlotte
Lois Smith - Adele 'Gran' Stackhouse
Ryan Kwanten - Jason Stackhouse
Eric - ???
Pam - ???

Marketing Campaign
Apparantly there is now a whole marketing campaign going on in the USA for the show, but since I don't live there, everything I know about that comes from the Internet.

Like a website for Tru Blood, the beverage for vampires so they don't have to bite humans
Tru Blood beverage

Like fake Tru Blood commercials
Tru Blood - Suck It Up!
French Tru Blood commercial

A fake blog
BloodCopy: for the lates vampire news

A human/vampire dating site
Lovebitten.net

And just posters, mailstuff etc. all for the new tv show.


True Blood (HBO Website)


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Link to the Sookie Stackhouse series / Southern Vampire Mysteries (bookseries) thread.

READ!!!!!
Don't compare it to the Twilight series/Stephenie Meyer. I have noticed people keep comparing them on the Internet when really, they are totally different. The Twilight series targets teens and has a lot of romance. The Sookie Stackhouse Series targets adults and tends to be more in the humor and mystery genre, though it also has romance/sex parts. Also, the Sookie Stackhouse series began years before Twilight and has his own devoted followers (like me! ).

Most modern vampire movies/shows what have you are crap, but I'll watch anything that Alan Ball does. American Beauty is a great movie and Six Feet Under is one of my favorite shows ever. I'm looking forward to it.

i wish that i had HBO so i could watch the series.

i read all the books already. i was addicted to them and finished the 7/8 books in one week. ><
i wasnt too excited to see who was playing sookie. but im sure ill warm up to her.
and bill looks okay. but we'll see!!

This sounds funny. The blood on the lips some reason looks tempting (like chocolate)

I disliked the first book. Haven't bothered with the rest.

Hopefully the TV series will be better. I'm only looking forward to it because of Alan Ball.

I just watched the trailer today. I can't wait to see this since I loved Six Feet Under^^

now a days everyone is into vampires.. like me!!

i've been watching:
vampire knight - anime

and if my memory serves me right there is this one series called "moonlight"... shown at CBS
i dunno if this one will have a second season..

reading:
dark hunter series by Sherilyn Kenyon
series by Stepehnie Meyer

hope this new series is a good one...

i watched a rough version of the first episode. i forgot it was gonna show on hbo so i was a little spooked by the level of...mature scenes. i'm also really prudish so i was really but it looked good. anna paquin is so cute

anybody watch it???
what did you think???

personally the first episode was okay...
not awesome... but okay...
btw this was my first HBO show...and i was totally not prepared for the nudity parts...

TB is hilarious haha, definitely looking forward to the next episode.

I loved the books. I just watched some illegal version put online.

Now I know there's sex in the book and I know this airs on HBO but seriously there was a lot of sex within the first 20 minutes of the first episode. That aside I really liked the show. For some weird reason, I don't remember Tara at all but it's been a while since I read the first book. I really like the intensity between Sookie and Bill. Right now I'm wondering how closely the tv show will follow the books. I wanna see all the men fall in love with her and I wanna see who they've casted. I saw the trailer and the person that I think plays Eric doesn't quite feel right to me. Hopefully, Sookie gets to me the weres too.

Looking forward to the next episode.

i love this show i was watching it last night on HBO had me cracking up the whole time looking forward to the next episode.

True Blood is ok so far... the ending was a total CLIFFY!!!

I'm not a fan. The main character's a little strange.... Too "innoncent" I like tougher female leads. Has a "twilight" feel to it... The sex scenes were a bit too much for me.

So I just watched the first episode. And I thought it was okay. Not great, just okay.

Since the books are written in the first person, you do get more of the dry wit that I like of Sookie. The Sookie in the tv show doesn't show what she thinks, so she actually looks a bit more ... yeah stupid I guess. I hope the next episodes shows a more mature Sookie. And by that, I don't mean more nakedness..
Yeah, I was one of the ones that didn't realize that HBO meant (much) more nudity and sex (I'm from a country that doesn't have HBO) then I'm used too. I'm still watching the other episodes though.

(I realize the books do have sex, but I always focused more on the humor and mystery and Eric. )

i am lovin it, although me and my best friend agree that it seems to be twilight in reverse. LOL

I watched the first episode and I thought it was pretty great. Sookie's friend Tara is awesome^^ I never read the books but, I like the direction the show is going and I can't wait till the next episode. I've watching all the viral campaign videos now, I didn't realize they had so many some of them are pretty funny.

I was pretty depressed that they cancelled "Moonlight" so I am happy there is another awesome vampire show out there

To say True Blood is "like Twilight" is inaccurate; Dead Until Dark was published four years before Twilight, so Twilight would, technically be "like Dead Until Dark". But then, you could also say that they're both like the numerous vampire fiction that came before them.

Anyway, this was fun. It was quite like the book, with the exception of Tara (who was a minor character, and not a black stereotype). I'm interested in seeing how the season will turn out. But I think this book will actually translate well to the one hour per episode, ten to twelve episode per season structure of HBO shows.

Also, I'm not surprised by the amount of sex on the show, given there was plenty of sex in the book, and it also centers around Sookie and Bill's relationship, as well as a serial rapist (if I remember correctly?) on the loose. And, y'know, it's vampires and all.

I thought the first episode was pretty good...except the strong sexual scenes.

Did anybody else find Bill's character really hot and mysterious or is it just me?

^lmaoooooo me toooo!!!!!!

Never read the books but I just watched the first two episodes and I must say it's pretty entertaining....
Although I'm not sure if I'm enjoying the actor who plays Bill...

i really enjoyed the second eps, i think the show is JUST starting its train. and we are finally gonna meet all his crazy friends.

^ How have you guys already seen the second episode?

Was it a legit version? I mean the first ep just got shown on HBO.


I too think Bill is hot in the series.
But still, I'm a Sookie+Eric lover. So sad, he will only start appearing from the 4th ep.

It's unfortunate that people put so much into tv ratings because TB didn't even reach 1.5 homes.

Nielsen ratings are stupid anyway.

^oh so it did bad on its first week???

i thought the story was decent...
i would watch more of the coming episodes...
i hope they don't pull it because of low ratings in the first series premire... like they did for Journeyman

I don't think so. I read that HBO already ordered a second season before they even showed the first ep.
And with all the expensive marketing, I think HBO will be expecting more viewers the upcoming months.

^i hope so!!
im really starting to enjoy the show....
a lot of my friends love the show too...
of course they all love Bill

i got the second eps off of Mininova.org its totally legit, maybe not fully legal tho

is it me or is bills head shaped kinda...funny?

I thought the premiere was decent, not much happened in it though. I also couldn't help but feel like I was watching a teenaged girls fantasy come to life. Brooding vampire... seduce me... blah

<3 Anna Paquin though

For those of you like me who don't have HBO, I found a link to episode 2 online. I'm totally watching right now when I should be working on a paper.

True Blood Episode 2

oooo i started this show it's pretty good!
very uncensored but pretty much delivering the sexy vampire vibe that alot of writers and film makers have been doing for a long time now.
Jason is such a rainbow!!!
but i think sookie and bill will be very cute together!

can't wait for the 3rd episode!

i'm liking it, thank god it's not set in new york or any other big city. i'm sure they're butchering the accent but the setting is so refreshing. so far anna paquin and stephen moyer are explosive together. but i'm definitely waiting for eric to show up and see what they're gonna do with his character before i decide which pairing i like better.

I'm totally into True Blood!!! and I agree with heffyend, I feel like it's a girl fantasy or something XD. But anyway, I missed the second ep last night T_T but reruns come all this week I think, so I'll be able to catch it then. I knew I would like this series from the start because I love anything supernatural-ish...but to be honest, the first ep was moving kind of slow. I know it'll start picking up the pace from the 2nd or 3rd ep and on, but the first one was just like GET ON WITH IT!!!!!!!!! XD

~mich

Just watched ep. 2. Yeah, its really getting better now. Much funnier too.
I don't even mind Tara now, especially how she was at the party.

Anyway, does anyone know where to look to get the ratings for ep2 (and future episodes)? I'm curious to see if now more people are watching.

really?? i still don't like tara she's just so rude! but i bet they'll show her having a rough past of some sort that made her the way she is. and her nasty crush on jason??? EWWWW he's only slept with almost every girl in town!

I watched the preair version by accident and I actually liked Brooke Kerr as Tara. The new girl doesn't seem very appealing... I liked the mixture of humour and horror in it. The nudity put me off. There's sex and then there's too much. I think the show was pushing it a little. Overall, I enjoyed it.

I love True Blood! I am a huge Twilight fan as well, but this show is completely separate for me. I particularly enjoy the overall style and feel of the show. I thought the opening credits and the theme song were brilliant. It totally captures that spooky and bluesy vibe that Ball was shooting for.

As for the actors, Stephen Moyer is smoking hot as Bill. Anna Paquin has matured so much since X-Men also. I'm not from the south, so I'm not very picky about the accuracy of their accents--so that didn't bother me nearly as much as it bothered some others I suppose.

The only thing I have to say that I didn't like was just how they portrayed some of the eroticism in the show. The vampire sex tape was a little ridiculous. I wish they could have been a little smarter with the editing in the show. I felt like the tape made the show seem so vulgar at the moment, even in spite of all the sexuality in the show. For me, there was a fine line between being camp and vulgar...and the tape just pushed it for me.

Though the references to homophobia and just other-ness in general were pretty heavy-handed (think "Coming out of the coffin," the "GOD HATES FANGS" sign in the opening credits, the act of draining vampires (hate crime?)), I thought it was okay. I love how tongue-in-cheek the show is sometimes.

Love it! I'm looking forward to episode 3 and am picking up Dead Until Dark on Wednesday

I just started watching this. All I can say is that I'm glad it's a HBO show. (:

I think this show is also borderline pornography.... hence why it's on HBO.

I like Tara more, because in the first ep she was basically just the rude best friend. But she made me laugh in the second ep when she was making up the husband. Showed me that she can be humorous. Also, I think that in the beginning I also didn't like her much because in the books Tara doesn't really play such a big role. But in the tv show, we even meet her family and personal life etc., which is new to me. Now I'm more used to it.

I also watched a preair version. I think they made an improvement with the new actress. The other actress was more annoying to me (she talked really fast and seemed even more the rude sterotype black woman).




I know it's on HBO, and even though I can handle it, but I wished they just did the nudity/sexuality a little bit less. Like, in the second ep Sookie was wearing this short green/white bikini with half a dress attached as her normal daydress. I just thought that was so trashy. I know it's probably for the male audience, but still. Then there is the actual sex, I also thought the vamp tape was ridiculous. They don't have to remove it, but I hope they focus a bit less on the sex in the future. (I don't have to see Jason humping some woman in every ep)

i love this series. I just started reading it, I'm on the second book.

Does anyone have the 3rd ep (pre-air) already? the megavideo was removed =(

I don't know, I probably wouldn't go that far, but there's definitely a lot of sex in it. I guess I don't mind it too much, but I would prefer it without. Or even less. T_T;; I'm going to lose count how many times I see Jason have sex with a girl.

But the show's good. I'm looking forward to the next ep. And they've officially renewed the show for a second season. Satisfied. (:

I guess the sex scenes are kind of shocking for some people but, I didn't think they were that bad lol. I didn't even think it was borderline pornography but, that's just me.. I also think those sex scenes in the 1st episodes did serve an important function to the story in explaining Jason's character.

I liked Tara in the 1st episode. But, I am really glad they toned down Tara's character the 2nd episode. I finished reading the first 2 books in the Sookie series which were great =) I think it's great that Tara and Lafayette have expanded roles in the show. I am curious to see what kind of back history they will build for them and see their characters develop.

Oh, and vampire Bill is so sexy^^ I can't wait to see more of him

i just say it's borderline because this shows way longer segments of sex scenes than other shows would have on other tv shows. but people are so use to having sex in shows that it's no longer seen as porn or any of that sort, i'm not saying it's a horrible show i watch it but at the same time it's graphic definitely not the the little kids who are twilight fans and what not.

i don't know if it's bad but the way sookie dresses i agree it's really trashy i guess it's also reinforcing the stereotype of people living in small hick towns are just trashy lol. sorry taking the arts really makes me see the little details and think alot about what the media is portraying to the younger audience at the same time. they're successful at regulating sex scenes as something normal nowadays.

with that said, the show is good, vampire is hot, sookie is cool, and jason is a rainbow... oh yeah tara's a potty mouth, it's really funny how she swoons everytime jason is around her.

I saw a piece of this

Anna Paquin is sooooo pretty
and the main guy is hot as hell!

Is episode 3 supposed to air this coming Sunday?? Anyone know?

Yes, it'll air on Sunday, sep. 21 =]

On a side note, the sex scenes aren't even that bad.

Okay awesome! I can't wait to pick up my copy of Dead Until Dark this week! (The bookstore had to order it for me.)

Anyways, I'm so happy that it's being renewed for a second season. I hope the show gets more viewers

By the way, am I the only one who just loved this scene?! Bill was so hot! lol. I'm surprised Sookie didn't strip off her clothes when he asked her to take her hair clip out, lol