ShareThis"True Blood" -- the steamy vampire drama with lots of gore and bad Southern accents -- is rising for a second season (9 p.m. EDT Sunday, HBO).
Picking up from where the first season ended, the story opens with the discovery of a dead body in the back of a car. The victim's heart has been torn out, leading the police to believe a vampire is to blame.
The victim is someone waitress Tara (Rutina Wesley) knows. The victim was someone whom she paid to perform an exorcism.
Meanwhile, a teen (Deborah Ann Woll) who was turned into a vampire last season is a handful for Bill (Stephen Moyer) and Sookie (Anna Paquin), who are acting as her surrogate parents. Lacking the discipline a vampire needs to operate in the world, she's more than Sookie can handle and a pain for Bill to train.
Jason (Ryan Kwanten), Sookie's brother, has his own challenges. After joining a religion built around the anti-vampire movement, Jason is looking for a new direction in life -- but with the wrong people influencing him.
Part soap opera and part social commentary, "True Blood" is an interesting mix of comedy, sex and terror. Diehard fans will not have trouble remembering the developments of last season.
Newcomers, though, will be hard-pressed to follow through the details of the stories.
Other highlights for the week of June 14-20 (all times EDT; check local listings; listings subject to change):
SUNDAY
-- "Cool Father's Day Gift Guide" (1 p.m., DIY). A marathon of "Cool Tools" has host Chris Grundy demonstrating dozens of instruments Dad may love.
TUESDAY
-- "Hawthorne" (9 p.m., TNT). Jada Pinkett Smith stars as a caring nurse in this new hospital drama.
-- "Saving Grace" (10 p.m., TNT). Grace is confused by a woman who seems to be held prisoner but doesn't want her help.
WEDNESDAY
-- "The Queen and I" (8 p.m., HBO). A filmmaker forges an unlikely friendship with Iran's former queen.
-- "The Othersiders" (8 p.m., Cartoon Network). The channel founded on animation is now turning to live action. This new series follows the work of five friends trying to prove or disprove evidence of life after death.
SATURDAY
-- "BrainRush" (8 p.m., Cartoon Network). Contestants on a roller coaster try to answer trivia questions.
-- "Bonnaroo 2009" (9 p.m., Fuse). The music channel ties together major events from the music festival.
(E-mail Terry Morrow of The Knoxville News-Sentinel in Tennessee at morrow2(at)knews.com.)
TV HILIGHTS
