True Blood
True Blood is an American fantasy horror drama television series produced and created by Alan Ball. It is based on The Southern Vampire Mysteries, a series of novels by Charlaine Harris.
"TrueBlood" redirects here. For the surname, see Trueblood.True Blood
- Anna Paquin
- Stephen Moyer
- Alexander Skarsgård
- Sam Trammell
- Ryan Kwanten
- Rutina Wesley
- Chris Bauer
- Nelsan Ellis
- Jim Parrack
- Carrie Preston
- Michael Raymond-James
- William Sanderson
- Lynn Collins
- Lois Smith
- Adina Porter
- Lizzy Caplan
- Stephen Root
- Mehcad Brooks
- Anna Camp
- Michelle Forbes
- Todd Lowe
- Michael McMillian
- Deborah Ann Woll
- Mariana Klaveno
- Marshall Allman
- Kristin Bauer van Straten
- Kevin Alejandro
- Denis O'Hare
- Lindsay Pulsipher
- Lauren Bowles
- Janina Gavankar
- Fiona Shaw
- Jessica Tuck
- Joe Manganiello
- Scott Foley
- Lucy Griffiths
- Christopher Meloni
- Valentina Cervi
- Rutger Hauer
- Arliss Howard
- Kelly Overton
- Robert Patrick
- Rob Kazinsky
- Jurnee Smollett-Bell
- Amelia Rose Blaire
- Gregg Daniel
- Aaron Christian Howles
- Noah Matthews
- Bailey Noble
- Nathan Parsons
- Karolina Wydra
- Tara Buck
"Bad Things" by Jace Everett
United States
English
7
80 (list of episodes)
- Christina Jokanovich (co-producer)
- David Auge (co-producer)
- Marlis Pujol (co-producer)
- Luis M. Patiño (associate producer)
- Bruce Dunn
- W. Mark McNair
- Carol Dunn Tussell
45–64 minutes
- Your Face Goes Here Entertainment
- HBO Entertainment
September 7, 2008 –
August 24, 2014
The series revolves around Sookie Stackhouse (Anna Paquin), a telepathic waitress living in the fictional rural town of Bon Temps, Louisiana. It is set two years after the invention of a synthetic blood product branded "Tru Blood" that has allowed vampires to "come out of the coffin" and let their presence be known to mankind. It chronicles the vampires' struggle for equal rights and assimilation while anti-vampire organizations begin to gain power. Sookie's world is turned upside down when she falls in love with 174-year-old vampire Bill Compton (Stephen Moyer), and for the first time, she must navigate the trials and terrors of intimacy and relationships.[1][2]
The show was broadcast on the premium cable network HBO, in the United States, and was produced by HBO in association with Ball's production company, Your Face Goes Here Entertainment.[1] The series premiered on September 7, 2008, and concluded on August 24, 2014, comprising seven seasons and 80 episodes.[3][4] The first five seasons received highly positive reviews, and both nominations and wins for several awards, including a Golden Globe and an Emmy.
Production[edit]
Development history[edit]
Series creator Alan Ball had previously worked with the cable channel HBO on Six Feet Under, which ran for five seasons. In October 2005, after Six Feet Under wrapped, 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 became acquainted with Charlaine Harris's Southern Vampire Mystery books.[17] One day, while early for a dental appointment, Ball was browsing through a Barnes & Noble bookshop and came across Dead Until Dark (2001), the first installment in Harris' series. He read the entries that followed and became interested in "bringing [Harris'] vision to television".[17][18] Having already had two other adaptation options for the books, Harris said she chose to work with him, though, because "[Ball] really 'got' me. That's how he convinced me to go with him. I just felt that he understood what I was doing with the books."
The project's hour-long pilot was ordered concurrently with the completion of the development deal. It was written, directed, and produced by Ball.[1][17] Cast members Paquin, Kwanten, and Trammell were announced in February 2007, and Moyer later in April.[19][20] 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 more episodes.[1] Production on the series began later that fall,[21] with Brook Kerr, who portrayed Tara Thornton in the original pilot, replaced by Rutina Wesley.[22] Two more episodes of the series had been filmed before the 2007-08 Writers Guild of America strike shut down production of the 12-episode first season until February 2008.[23] That September, after only the first two episodes of the series had aired, HBO placed an order for a second season of 12 episodes, with production scheduled to commence in January 2009 for a summer premiere.[24]
Title sequence[edit]
True Blood's Emmy-nominated title sequence is composed of portrayals of the show's Deep South setting, and runs to "Bad Things" by Jace Everett. The original featurette was created around the Jennifer Herrema (Royal Trux) song "RadTimesXpress".[25]
The show won an Outstanding Casting for a Drama at the 61st Primetime Emmy Awards; the two lead actors have both been recognized for their performances:
The show received an American Film Institute Award in 2009 as "One of the 10 Best TV Programs" and was chosen as "Favorite TV Obsession" at the 36th People's Choice Awards. Its stunt performers have been recognized for Outstanding Performance by a Stunt Ensemble at the 17th Screen Actors Guild Awards.
Canceled reboot[edit]
In December 2020, it was announced that HBO was developing a reboot of True Blood.[103] The original series' creator and original showrunner, Alan Ball, was set to executive produce the reboot.[104] In February 2023, HBO CEO Casey Bloys confirmed HBO had developed a few scripts but stated, "nothing that felt like it got there".[105]
