Finally! After one too many depressing snoozers (think: "Tell Me You Love Me" or "In Treatment"), HBO remembers how to attract viewers with "True Blood."This new drama lands squarely in the B+/A- realm inhabited by HBO's underrated polygamy drama, "Big Love." Like "Big Love," "True Blood" entertains without moody navel-gazing.Based on the popular Sookie Stackhouse novels by Charlaine Harris, "True Blood" (9 p.m. EDT Sunday) is set in a world where vampires walk among us, or, as the series posits, they've "come out of the coffin." Yes, the show sometimes slips into an overly obvious gay allegory, but it's often clever, too. A particularly good scene pits a vampire-rights proponent against a disapproving conservative reverend on a cable news shoutfest.Vamps are gaining mainstream acceptance in "True Blood" thanks to the creation of mass-produced synthetic blood -- no more need for chomping on people.The story centers on Sookie Stackhouse (Anna Paquin), an innocent waitress at Merlotte's bar in Bon Temps, La. A virginal, doe-eyed woman, who, incongruently, wears short-short skirts and lives with her grandmother (Lois Smith), Sookie can read minds, an effect that frequently gives "True Blood" a nice comedic kick to balance its Harlequin-meets-"Buffy the Vampire Slayer" gothic romance. (Fans of CBS's canceled "Moonlight," this show's for you, too.)Sookie's good-guy boss, Sam (Sam Trammell), is a liberal Southerner who supports the Vampire Rights Amendment, but he's not wild about Bon Temps' first vamp resident, Bill Compton (Stephen Moyer). Sookie is intrigued by 173-year-old Bill, and distrusting Sam pines for Sookie, setting up a potential love triangle.Other Bon Temps residents include Sookie's smart-mouthed best friend, Tara (Rutina Wesley), and Tara's cousin, gay cook Lafayette (Nelsan Ellis). There's also Sookie's oversexed, bad-boy brother, Jason (Ryan Kwanten), who gets in trouble with the law in Sunday's premiere.Unlike so many vampire stories, "True Blood" is not relentlessly bleak. Paquin's Sookie is downright cheerful; she skips the angst that haunted Buffy. That simple twist gives the show a different vibe. It's more rooted in modern reality than many vampire tales.Created by "Six Feet Under" impresario Alan Ball, who wrote and directed Sunday's premiere, "True Blood" is a sexy affair that sets up an entirely believable world where humans and vampires co-exist. It's a soap, to be sure, but a soap with an eye for social commentary."True Blood" sports the typical vampire tropes of blood and fangs, but in its first two episodes the show threatens mayhem more often than it depicts anything too gory. But sex is rampant, which suits the show's ridiculously attractive cast. Fans of Goth erotica take note: A video of a vampire having fervent carnal relations with a human is central to an early murder-mystery plot.(Contact TV editor Rob Owen at rowen(at)post-gazette.com.)(Distributed by Scripps Howard News Service, www.scrippsnews.com.)
Unfortunately, Alan Ball stuck his foot in his mouth...
Mr. Ball managed to alienate much of the "Moonlight" fanbase by publicly belittling "Moonlight" and it's writers, stating that it was "laziness" to let vampires walk around in daylight - not restricting them to the dark. He publically admits to never reading any vampire literature or even viewing modern tv or film, basing his entire knowledge on one gruesome "B" movie. He seems to have missed the fact that from the original vampires (Bram Stoker's "Dracula") up thru the vampires in the soon-to-be-released "Twilight", most were day-walkers, nor are any of the other parts of vampire legend hard and fast (garlic, holy water, mirrors, etc).
Trying to woo a fanbase by dissing their favorite show...not a smart move, Mr. Ball.
What's Moonlight, and who
What's Moonlight, and who cares? No one's trying to tread lightly around the important Moonlight crowd, especially Alan Ball.
True Blood isn't Moonlight, and never will be!
After watching the first 3 episodes of "True Blood", I just wonder: why? That show is definitely a "Moonlight-wannabe", BUT fails to be! Sookie is blonde, and so was Beth; Bill is dark hair, blue eyes, and so was Mick. The story though is plotless, boring, and doesn't have the sparks that Moonlight provided on a weekly basis.
It is not by adding sex to a show that it will make it better than another.
HBO should have taken Moonlight over from CBS if they had wanted to produce a quality and interesting Vampire show.
3 episodes of TB were more than enough for me to watch. I'd rather re-watch Moonlight on DVD...
True Blood rocks
I cant wait for Sunday night to roll around for the newest episode of True Blood. I have not read the books so this is really new to me. I have watched each episode at least 3 times. There are definately undertones abrew. This is great entertainment and a breath of fresh air. If you haven't found a plot u have no imagination. ajybird
BITCH
YOU dumb bitch TB is so much better than you lame ass wannabe moonlight piece of shit, If i ever saw you I would crack you dumb racist ugly fatass upside your hillybilly head...you stupid no wonder your dumbass moonlight was cancelled get over TB is way better bury moonlight and set the lame show on fire....TB is the best vampire show in the world, nothing can come close to TB so go suck a cock you idiot bitch or as tara would say " ugly BITCH" fuck off sit in your trailor and watch moonlight you arent worthy of TB BITCH
You might want to put a
You might want to put a censor between your brain and your mouth. There's no call for a diatribe.
I agree "True Blood" is far more interesting... = )
"Moonlight-Wannabe" I don't think so.
For your info "True Blood" is based on the Sookie Stackhouse novel's by Charlaine Harris, whose first novel Dead Until Dark was published in 2001, 3 years before "Moonlight" was even thought of, and it has been published in more than seven countries. So in any case Moonlight is copying them and their characters.
"Moonlight" was originally named Twilight (also the name of a famous novel, if I recall, and I do) but was later changed to “Moonlight”.
It also has many similarities with an old a 90’ series also broadcasted by CBS called “Forever Knight” in which the main character is a vampire who is also a private investigator, not very new is it. It’s an attempt to franchise on the very commercial and recent popularity of vampires.
“True Blood” isn’t copying anything, it is entertaining, and the plot is original and belongs to a network that has created the best shows on TV, plus it has the added bonus of having Alan Ball the creator of “Six Feet Under” as its director. Also it has the best cast possible including the Academy Award-winner Anna Paquin, not much can be said about “Moonlight” can it. If you read the books maybe you could enlighten yourself on something truly original and interesting although some people might find that tiring.
I Like Both "Moonlight" and "True Blood"
I really liked "Moonlight." I was very upset that it was cancelled. I don't think it was given a fair chance. I took part unsuccessfully in efforts to have it renewed or picked up by another network. I would love to see it return.
But having said that, I really like "True Blood" now. They are two different shows, but I like them both. They are both about vampires, and the hero and heroine resemble each other in appearance, but otherwise the shows are very different from each other. Still I like them both. Each has become my favorite show. I am happy that "True Blood" has been renewed for a second season. I wish the same could be done for "Moonlight."
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