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True Blood
File:Truebloodintertitle.png
GenreSupernatural Drama
Black comedy
Horror
Created bySeries:
Alan Ball
Books:
Charlaine Harris
StarringAnna Paquin
Stephen Moyer
Sam Trammell
Ryan Kwanten
Rutina Wesley
Marshall Allman
Chris Bauer
Kristin Bauer
Mehcad Brooks
Anna Camp
Lizzy Caplan
Lynn Collins
Nelsan Ellis
Michelle Forbes
Mariana Klaveno
Todd Lowe
Joe Manganiello
Michael McMillian
Denis O'Hare
Jim Parrack
Adina Porter
Carrie Preston
Michael Raymond-James
Stephen Root
William Sanderson
Alexander Skarsgård
Lois Smith
Deborah Ann Woll
Opening theme"Bad Things"
by Jace Everett
ComposerNathan Barr
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons2 (Third currently shooting)
No. of episodes24 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producersAlan Ball
Gregg Fienberg (Season 2)
Running timeapprox. 55 min.
Budget$3–4 million (per episode)
Original release
NetworkHBO
ReleaseSeptember 7, 2008 –
present

True Blood is an American television drama series created and produced by Alan Ball. It is based on the The Southern Vampire Mysteries series of novels by Charlaine Harris, and details the co-existence of vampires and humans in Bon Temps, a fictional small Louisiana town. The series centers on Sookie Stackhouse (Anna Paquin), a telepathic waitress at a bar, who falls in love with vampire Bill Compton (Stephen Moyer).[1][2]

The show is broadcast on the premium cable network HBO in the United States. It is produced by HBO in association with Ball's production company, Your Face Goes Here Entertainment.[1] It premiered on September 7, 2008.

The first season received critical acclaim and won several awards, including one Golden Globe and an Emmy. The show's second 12-episode season premiered on June 14, 2009. On July 30, 2009, HBO confirmed that True Blood would be renewed for a third season,[3] which began shooting on December 3, 2009 and will air in the summer of 2010.[4]

In January 2010, Alan Ball confirmed that there will be a fourth season of True Blood.[5]

Production

Development history

Series creator Alan Ball had previously worked with premium cable channel HBO on Six Feet Under, which ran five seasons. In October 2005, after Six Feet Under's series finale, 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.[6] One day, while early for a dental appointment, Ball was browsing through Barnes and Noble and came across Dead Until Dark, the first installment in Harris's series. Enjoying it, he read the following entries and became interested in "bringing [Harris's] vision to television".[6][7] However, Harris already had two other adaptation options for the books. He 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 finalization of the aforementioned development deal and was written, directed and produced by Ball.[1][6] Cast members Paquin, Kwanten and Trammell were announced in February 2007 and Moyer later on in April.[8][9] 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 several more episodes.[1] Production on the series began later that fall,[10] with Brook Kerr, who portrayed Tara Thornton in the original pilot, being replaced by Rutina Wesley.[11] 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 2008.[12] That September, after only the first two episodes of the series had aired, HBO placed an order for a second season of twelve episodes of the show, with production scheduled to commence in January 2009 for a summer premiere.[13]

Opening title sequence

True Blood's Emmy-nominated title sequence was created by Digital Kitchen, a production studio that was also responsible for creating the title sequence of Six Feet Under and Showtime's Dexter. The sequence, which is primarily composed of portrayals of the show's Deep South setting, is played to "Bad Things" by Jace Everett.[14]

Digital Kitchen wished to explore themes of redemption and forgiveness in the opening title sequence.

Conceptually, Digital Kitchen elected to construct the sequence around the idea of "the whore in the house of prayer"[15] by intermingling contradictory images of sex, violence and religion and displaying them from the point of view of "a supernatural, predatory creature observing human beings from the shadows ..."[14] Digital Kitchen also wished to explore ideas of redemption and forgiveness, and thus arranged for the sequence to progress from morning to night and to culminate in a baptism.[15]

Most of the footage used in the sequence was filmed on location by Digital Kitchen. Crew members took a four-day trip to Louisiana to film and also shot at a Chicago church and on a stage and in a bar in Seattle.[15] Additionally, several Digital Kitchen crew members made cameo appearances in the sequence.

In editing the opening, Digital Kitchen wanted to express how "religious fanaticism" and "sexual energy" could corrupt humans and make them animalistic. Accordingly, several frames of some shots were cut to give movements a jittery feel, while other shots were simply played back very slowly. Individual frames were also splattered with drops of blood.[15] The sequence's transitions were constructed differently, though; they were made with a Polaroid transfer technique. The last frame of one shot and the first frame of another were taken as a single Polaroid photo, which was then divided between emulsion and backing. The emulsion was then filmed being further separated by chemicals and those shots of this separation were placed back into the final edit.[14]

Eight different typefaces, inspired by Southern road signage, were also created manually by Camm Rowland for cast and crew credits, as well as the show's title card.[15]

Music

Gary Calamar, the music supervisor for the series, said that his goal for the soundtrack to the show is to create something "swampy, bluesy and spooky" and to feature local Louisiana musicians.[16] Composer Nathan Barr writes the original score for the series which features cello, guitar, prepared piano and glass harmonica among other instruments, all of which he performs himself.[17] The main theme song is "Bad Things" by country music artist Jace Everett, from his 2005 self-titled debut.[18]

Elektra/Atlantic Records released a True Blood soundtrack on May 19, 2009, the same day as the release of the DVD and Blu-Ray of the first season.[19] Nathan Barr's original score for True Blood was released on CD on the Varèse Sarabande label on September 8, 2009.[20]

Both Nathan Barr and Jace Everett won 2009 awards from Broadcast Music Incorporated in the BMI Cable Awards category for, respectively, True Blood's original score and theme song.[21]

Marketing

File:Truebloodposter.jpg
Promotional poster

The premiere of True Blood was prefaced with a viral marketing/alternate reality game (ARG) campaign, based at BloodCopy.com. This included setting up multiple websites,[22][23][24] encoding web address into unmarked envelopes mailed to high profile blog writers and others, and even performances by a "vampire" who attempted to reach out to others of their kind, to discuss the recent creation of "TruBlood", a fictional beverage which is featured in the show. A MySpace account with the username "Blood"[25] had, as of June 19, uploaded two videos;[26] one entitled "Vampire Taste Test – True Blood vs Human",[27] and one called "BloodCopy Exclusive INTERVIEW WITH SAMSON THE VAMPIRE". A prequel comic was handed out to attendees of the 2008 Comic-Con. The comic centers around an old vampire named Lamar, who tells the reader about how TruBlood surfaced and was discussed between many vampires before going public. At one point, Lamar wonders if TruBlood is making the world safe for vampires or from them.

Several commercials featured on HBO and Facebook[28] aired prior to the series premiere, placing vampires in ads similar to those of beer and wine. Some beverage vending machines across the US were also fitted with cards indicating that they were "sold out" of TruBlood.

Promotional poster for second season

Thousands of DVDs of the first episode were handed out to attendees of Midnight Madness, a special screenings event of the 2008 Toronto International Film Festival. Blockbuster Video provided free rental of the first episode of True Blood several days before it was broadcast on HBO. The video had a faint promotional watermark throughout the episode.

On April 16, 2009, HBO released the first teaser poster for Season 2. The image uses a perspective technique that shows observers one of two images.[29] A minute-long promotional video advertising season two, which featured Bob Dylan's "Beyond Here Lies Nothin'", was released via Entertainment Tonight in early May.[30]

On September 10, 2009, HBO.com began selling Tru:Blood, a beverage branded to resemble the fictional synthetic blood that appears in the show. The beverage is a blood orange carbonated drink, developed and manufactured by Omni Consumer Products, a company that specializes in defictionalizing brands from television and movies.

There is also a website for The Fellowship of the Sun, antagonists from the book series, featuring videos about hot-button issues such as becoming a vampire.

FX, available in the UK, launched an extensive promotional website for the series.[31]

On September 15, 2009, HBO filed a trademark registration with the United States Patent and Trademark Office for a possible future electronic game based on True Blood.[32]

On September 18, 2009, HBO launched a True Blood jewelry line in collaboration with New York-based designer Udi Behr. Inspired by the series, the jewelry has a Gothic look and features sterling silver, polished steel, and rubies.[33]

Cast and characters

Main article: Characters of True Blood

True Blood employs a broad ensemble cast composed of regular, central characters and a rotating group of impermanent supporting characters. Though the series is based in the fictional town of Bon Temps, Louisiana, a noticeable number of the actors comprising the cast are originally from outside the United States. In an interview, Ball explained that he didn't intentionally seek out "non-American" actors, but was willing to go anywhere he needed to in order "to find the actor who makes the character breathe." Ball went on to explain that, in casting, there was more of a focus on who would portray the character in a compelling way rather than who would physically resemble the characters from the book. Noting that there's a definite difference between the characters portrayed in True Blood and the ones depicted in The Southern Vampire Mysteries, he described Harris as being very understanding in terms of how her work was being reinterpreted.[34]

Principal cast

Within the fictional universe depicted in True Blood, the show acknowledges as reality that supernatural creatures (such as vampires, telepaths, and shapeshifters amongst others) exist. Two years prior to the events taking place during the series, vampires "come out of the coffin" (a term coined as a play on "coming out of the closet"), when scientists in Japan invent a synthetic form of blood called "Tru Blood."E-1 No longer relying on human blood to survive, vampires are able to integrate themselves into human society (or "mainstream").E-1

The major characters of the first season are introduced amongst various intertwining plot lines that surround the Bon Temps bar "Merlotte's." The show's main protagonist, Sookie Stackhouse (Anna Paquin), is a telepath and waitress at Merlotte's.E-1 In the opening episode she saves Merlotte's first vampire customer, Bill Compton (Stephen Moyer), when a local couple attempts to drain him of his blood (vampire blood known on the show as a human narcotic: "V" or "V Juice").E-1 Through the relationship that develops between Sookie and Bill, the viewer progressively learns more about vampire culture and the limitations of vampire physiology.

The major plot of the first season revolves around the murder of several women connected to Sookie's older brother: Jason (Ryan Kwanten).E-1 The women murdered include sexual partner Maudette Pickens (Danielle Sapia),E-1 on-and-off romance and Merlotte's waitress Dawn Green (Lynn Collins),E-3 grandmother Adele (Lois Smith) or simply "Gran,"E-5 and girlfriend Amy Burley (Lizzy Caplan).E-11 Though the viewer is always aware of his innocence in their deaths, Detective Andy Bellefleur (Chris Bauer) targets him as the prime suspect in the investigation he conducts with Sheriff Bud Dearborne (William Sanderson) to identify their killer.E-1 Jason's best friends and co-workers, Hoyt Fortenberry (Jim Parrack) and Rene Lenier (Michael Raymond-James) provide him with support despite the turmoil he encounters.E-1 Rene, who becomes engaged to Merlotte's waitress Arlene Fowler (Carrie Preston),E-8 is eventually revealed to not be what he seems. Ultimately he's exposed as the actual Bon Temps murderer and is killed in a final confrontation with Sookie.E-12

A secondary plot in the first season (that later develops as the primary storyline in the second) revolves around Sookie's best friend Tara Thornton (Rutina Wesley).E-1 In the first episode, Tara is hired as a bartender at Merlotte's by shapeshifter,E-11 owner, and Sookie's admirer Sam Merlotte (Sam Trammell)E-1 who Tara later has a brief relationship with.E-3 Tara's cousin Lafayette Reynolds (Nelsan Ellis) already works as a cook at Merlotte'sE-1 (in addition to several other jobs that include selling V)E-3 with Andy's cousin and Iraq War veteran, Terry (Todd Lowe).E-2 Tara's story is characterized by her relationship with her alcoholic and abusive mother Lettie Mae (Adina Porter)E-2 and her own inner "demons."E-10 During the season, Lettie Mae achieves sobrietyE-8 but Tara's life begins to spin out of control. Kicked out of her home and totaling her car in a drunk driving accident,E-10 she's taken in by "social worker" Maryann Forrester (Michelle Forbes).E-11 While staying with Maryann, Tara is introduced to "Eggs" Benedict Talley (Mehcad Brooks), to whom she feels an attraction.E-11

The last plotline of the first season revolves around the elements of vampire society that Sookie and Bill's relationship introduce. While trying to prove her brother's innocence in Maudette and Dawn's murders, Bill takes her to the vampire bar "Fangtasia" to investigate. There, Sookie is introduced to Fangtasia's owner and the vampire sheriff of "Area 5" in Louisiana: Eric Northman (Alexander Skarsgård).E-4 Eric is immediately interested in Sookie and her strange abilities, but his progeny and assistant Pam (Kristin Bauer) is less impressed.E-4 Eric employs Sookie to find a thief in his bar, but the perpetrator (a vampire) attempts to kill Sookie when she reveals his identity. Bill stakes and kills the thief to save her, but has committed a serious crime in killing another vampire.E-8 When Bill is tried for his crime, his punishment is to transform seventeen-year-old Jessica Hamby (Deborah Ann Woll) into a vampire to replace the one he destroyed.E-10 Though humans attracted to vampires (referred to as "fang bangers") flock to Fangtasia, not all people are accepting of the idea that vampires be given equals right to those afforded to humans in the True Blood universe. During the first season, one of the ways in which anti-vampire sentiment is expressed is through regular televised appearances by the "Fellowship of the Sun";E-2 a Dallas-based church that is eventually run by Reverend Steve Newlin (Michael McMillian)E-3 after his father and family are killed in a strange "accident."E-2

During the second season, the influence of Maryann Forrester and the conflict between vampires and humans is expanded. Most of the cast from the first season returns and several new main characters are introduced. The same style of interconnected story telling used in the first season is repeated, with the foremost plot focusing on Maryann Forrester being revealed as a maenadE-19 with the power to influence humans.E-15 She begins by manipulating Tara and Eggs to achieve her strange goals,E-20 but eventually she wrests control of nearly the entire human population of Bon Temps.E-22

While Maryann begins establishing her hold on Bon Temps, Sookie is recruited by EricE-15 to investigate the disappearance of his 2000 year old maker and the sheriff of Area 9 in Texas: Godric (Allan Hyde).E-17 While Sookie is absent from Bon Temps, Sam hires Daphne Landry (Ashley Jones) to join the Merlotte's staff.E-13 Daphne begins a romance with Sam,E-16 is revealed to be a shapeshifter,E-17 and then later also exposed as working for Maryann.E-18 Jason also leaves Bon Temps for Dallas to join the Fellowship of the Sun,E-14 which Reverend Newlin has steered in a new militant direction despite the protestation of his wife Sarah (Anna Camp).E-13 It's discovered that Godric is in the custody of the Fellowship,E-17 and one of Godric's lieutenants, Isabel (Valerie Cruz),E-17 sends her human boyfriend Hugo (Christopher Gartin)E-18 to assist Sookie in infiltrating the church. Though Eric's primary interest in Dallas is finding Godric, he also attempts to place himself between Sookie and Bill. To accomplish this, he enlists the aid of Bill's maker Lorena (Mariana Klaveno);E-17 making a more prominent contribution to the cast after a brief introduction in the first season.E-5 In the penultimate episode of the second season, once the conflict in Texas is concluded, the vampire queen of Louisiana Sophie-Anne (Evan Rachel Wood) is introduced.E-23 Both Bill and Eric visit her in an attempt to find out how to defeat Maryann.E-23

Plot

Main article: List of True Blood episodes

Following the creation of synthetic blood, vampires have progressed from legendary monsters to fellow citizens overnight. Sookie Stackhouse (Anna Paquin) is a telepath and waitress at Merlotte's in the small Louisiana town of Bon Temps, owned by Sam Merlotte (Sam Trammell), a shapeshifter—though this secret is kept hidden. One night, Sookie meets Bill Compton (Stephen Moyer), a handsome 173-year-old vampire who has returned to Bon Temps following the death of his last remaining relative. As she cannot hear his thoughts, she finds it easy to be in his company and, over the first season, the two become romantically involved.

Season one

Main article: True Blood (season 1)

The main mystery of the first season concerns the murders of women connected to Sookie's brother, Jason (Ryan Kwanten). Maudette Pickens and Dawn Green are both strangled shortly after having been alone with Jason. Though Detective Bellefleur has little doubt that Jason is the killer, the town sheriff does not suspect him. Jason and Sookie's grandmother is murdered shortly afterward. At the end of the season it is revealed that Arlene Fowler's fiancé, Rene Lenier, is actually a man named Drew Marshall who has created a false identity, complete with Cajun accent. He has been killing women he considers "fang-bangers."

The first season also focuses on Sookie's relationship with Bill and Sam's relationship with Sookie's friend Tara. Bill explains the rules of being a vampire to Sookie and (after killing a vampire to defend her) is forced to "turn" a young girl named Jessica into a vampire as punishment. In the last episode of the season, Jessica is left under Bill's care. After Maudette and Dawn's murders, Jason becomes addicted to vampire blood and has a short relationship with another addict, Amy Burley, which ends when she is murdered by Drew. The season ends with the discovery of a body in Detective Andy Bellefleur's car in the Merlotte's parking lot.

Season two

Main article: True Blood (season 2)

Season two focuses on two main plots – in the first, the disappearance of the 2,000-year old vampire Sheriff of Area 9, Godric (Allan Hyde) causes Eric to enlist Sookie's and Bill's aid in finding the ancient vampire in Dallas. Their path crosses Jason's as he is seeking to discover meaning in his life with the Fellowship of the Sun, a church dedicated to anti-vampire activities.

The second plot line concerns a maenad named Maryann who visits Bon Temps after Tara attracts her attention at the end of the first season. Additionally, Maryann is a figure from Sam's past and knows his true identity as a shapeshifter. Her influence on the town and its residents results in mayhem that grows more destructive as the season progresses.

Reception

Critical reception of True Blood has generally been favorable, despite the fact that initial impressions were mixed. The New York Post critic wrote of the opening episodes: "If HBO's new vampire show is any indication, there would still be countless deaths – especially among vampire hunters and the viewers who love them – because everyone would be dying of boredom. And so it is with HBO's new series from death-obsessed Alan Ball, creator of the legendary Six Feet Under, whose new show True Blood, won't so much make your blood run cold as it will leave you cold."[35]

Whereas USA Today concluded: "Sexy, witty and unabashedly peculiar, True Blood is a blood-drenched Southern Gothic romantic parable set in a world where vampires are out and about and campaigning for equal rights. Part mystery, part fantasy, part comedy, and all wildly imaginative exaggeration, [True] Blood proves that there's still vibrant life — or death — left in the 'star-crossed cute lovers' paradigm. You just have to know where to stake your romantic claim."[36]

By the end of the first season, True Blood had a score of 64, indicating generally favorable reviews, on Metacritic, an aggregator of critical responses.[37] The second season received a more favorable score of 74 on Metacritic.[38]

Ratings

The first episode of True Blood debuted at a very modest 1.44 million viewers compared to the network's past drama premiers such as Big Love which premiered at 4.56 million, and John from Cincinnati which debuted at 3.4 million.[39] However, by late November 2008, 6.8 million a week were watching: this figure included repeat and on-demand viewings.[40] The season finale's viewership was 2.4 million.

The second season premiere of the series (June 14, 2009) was viewed by 3.7 million, making it the most watched program on HBO since the series finale of The Sopranos. The total number of viewers for the season premiere, including the late night replay, was 5.1 million.[41] The tenth episode of the second season (August 23, 2009) was seen by 5.3 million viewers, a new record for the series.[42] The second season's finale (September 13, 2009) was seen by 5.1 million viewers. An average of 12.4 million a week watched the second season.[43] True Blood has now become HBO's most watched series since The Sopranos.[44]

Awards and nominations

Year Group Award Result For
2008 Satellite Awards Best Actor in a Supporting Role in a Series, Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television Won Nelsan Ellis
Satellite Awards Best Actress in a Series, Drama Won Anna Paquin
2009 American Cinema Editors Best Edited One-Hour Series for Non-Commercial Television Won Michael Ruscio and Andy Keir for episode "Strange Love"
Art Directors Guild Episode of a One Hour Single-Camera Television Series Nominated Suzuki Ingerslev for episode "Burning House of Love"
GLAAD Media Awards Outstanding Drama Series Nominated
Golden Globe Awards Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series – Drama Won Anna Paquin
Golden Globe Awards Best Television Series – Drama Nominated
Mr. Skin Award Best TV Show Won
Mr. Skin Award Best First-Time Nude Scene Won Lizzy Caplan
Motion Picture Sound Editors Best Sound Editing – Short Form Dialogue and ADR in Television Nominated For episode "The Fourth Man in the Fire"
Writers Guild of America New Series Nominated Alan Ball, Brian Buckner, Raelle Tucker, Alexander Woo, Nancy Oliver, and Chris Offutt
Saturn Award Best Syndicated/Cable TV Series Nominated
Saturn Award Best Actress on Television Nominated Anna Paquin
NewNowNext Awards Best Show You're Not Watching Won
NewNowNext Awards Brink of Fame: Actor Won Nelsan Ellis
Broadcast Music Incorporated True Blood Original Score Won Nathan Barr
Broadcast Music Incorporated True Blood Theme Song Won Jace Everett
Television Critics Association Outstanding New Program of the Year Won
Teen Choice Awards Choice Summer TV Star: Female Nominated Anna Paquin in True Blood
Teen Choice Awards Choice Summer TV Star: Male Nominated Stephen Moyer in True Blood
Bravo A-List Awards A-List TV Show Nominated
Bravo A-List Awards Sexiest TV Moment Nominated Bill and Sookie's Love Scene
Emmy Outstanding Main Title Design Nominated Rama Allen, Shawn Fedorchuk, Matthew Mulder, Morgan Henry, Camm Rowland and Ryan Gagnier
Emmy Outstanding Casting for a Drama Series Won Junie Lowry Johnson & Libby Goldstein
Emmy Outstanding Art Direction for a Single-Camera Series Nominated Suzuki Ingerslev, Cat Smith & Rusty Lipscomb for "Burning House of Love", "Cold Ground" and "Sparks Fly Out".
Emmy (online voting) Breakthrough Performance Won Sookie meets Bill
Scream Award Best TV Show Won
Scream Award Best Ensemble Nominated
Scream Award Best Actress in a Horror Movie or TV Show Won Anna Paquin
Scream Award Best Actor in a Horror Movie or TV Show Won Stephen Moyer
Scream Award Best Actor in a Horror Movie or TV Show Nominated Ryan Kwanten
Scream Award Best Supporting Actress Nominated Rutina Wesley
Scream Award Best Supporting Actor Nominated Nelsan Ellis
Scream Award Best Villain Won Alexander Skarsgård
Scream Award Breakout Performance – Male Nominated Sam Trammell
Scream Award Best Scream Song of the Year Nominated "Bad Things," by Jace Everett
Ewwy Award Best Drama Series Won
Ewwy Award Best Supporting Actor in a Drama Series Won Nelsan Ellis
Tubey Best New Show Won
Tubey Guiltiest Pleasure Show Won
Hollywood Music in Media Award Best Original Score – TV Won Nathan Barr
Hollywood Music in Media Award Best Song – "Take Me Home" Nominated Nathan Barr with Lisbeth Scott
TV DVD Award Best Current Series Nominated Season One
Satellite Awards DVD Release of a TV Show Won True Blood – The Complete First Season
Satellite Awards Best Television Ensemble Won (Special Achievement Award)
American Film Institute Award One of the 10 Best TV Programs of 2009 Won
TV.com Award Show of the Year (2009) Won
2010 People's Choice Award Favorite Sci-Fi/Fantasy Show Nominated
People's Choice Award Favorite TV Obsession Won
People's Choice Award Favorite TV Drama Actress Nominated Anna Paquin
Producers Guild of America Award Episodic Television – Drama Nominated (The Normal Felton Producer of the Year Award)
Grammy Award Best Compilation Soundtrack Album For Motion Picture, Television Or Other Visual Media Nominated Season One Soundtrack CD
Writers Guild of America Episodic drama – any length – one airing time Nominated For episode "I Will Rise Up," written by Nancy Oliver
Golden Globe Awards Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series – Drama Nominated Anna Paquin
Golden Globe Awards Best Television Series – Drama Nominated
Screen Actors Guild Award Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series Nominated
Art Directors Guild Excellence in Production Design in TV for 2009 Nominated Suzuki Ingerslev for episode "Never Let Me Go"
American Cinema Editors Best Edited One-Hour Series for Non-Commercial Television Nominated Louise Innes for episode "Hard-Hearted Hannah"
GLAAD Media Awards Outstanding Drama Series Nominated
Motion Picture Sound Editors Best Sound Editing – Short Form Dialogue and ADR in Television Won For episode "Beyond Here Lies Nothin'"
Costume Designers Guild Outstanding Period/Fantasy Television Series Nominated Audrey Fisher
NAACP Image Awards Outstanding Writing in a Dramatic Series Nominated Alexander Woo for episode "Beyond Here Lies Nothin'"
Saturn Award Best Syndicated/Cable TV Series Nominated
Saturn Award Best Actress in Television Nominated Anna Paquin
Saturn Award Best Actor in Television Nominated Stephen Moyer
Saturn Award Best Supporting Actor in Television Nominated Alexander Skarsgård
Saturn Award Best Guest Starring Role in Television Nominated Michelle Forbes

International distribution

Country Date of Premiere Channel
Middle East

North Africa

December 2008 America Plus
Brazil January 18, 2009 HBO and Warner Channel
Scandinavia October 22, 2008 Canal+ Scandinavia
Spain December 4, 2008 Canal+ Spain, Cuatro
France December 23, 2008
October 2009 		Orange Cinemax
NT1
Portugal December 23, 2008
January 5, 2010 		MOV
RTP1
Israel January 6, 2009 Yes stars Action
Canada
Quebec 		September 7, 2008
January 5, 2009 		HBO Canada
Super Ecran
Latin America January 18, 2009 HBO Latin America
Belgium (Wallonia) February 1, 2009 be.tv
Czech Republic
Slovakia
Hungary 		February 3, 2009 HBO
Bulgaria
Croatia
Romania
Serbia
Slovenia
Macedonia
Montenegro
Moldova 		February 6, 2009 HBO
Poland February 7, 2009
January 29, 2010 		HBO
Fox Life
Australia February 10, 2009 Showcase
South Africa[45] February 10, 2009 M-Net
New Zealand March 18, 2009 Prime Television New Zealand
Italy April 27, 2009 Fox Italy
Germany May 11, 2009 13th Street
Estonia
Lithuania 		June 5, 2009 Fox Life
Russia June 5, 2009 / October 23, 2009 Fox Life / TV3 Russia
Pakistan July 5, 2009 HBO Pakistan
India July 5, 2009 HBO South Asia
United Kingdom July 17, 2009
October 7, 2009 		FX (UK)
Channel 4
Sweden August 26, 2009 SVT1
The Netherlands September 1, 2009/ 2010 Fox Life/RTL 5
Belgium (Flanders) September 7, 2009 Fox Life
Iceland September 23, 2009 Stöð 2
Norway October 1, 2009 NRK3
Turkey October 4, 2009 Fox Life
Denmark October 28, 2009 TV 2 Zulu
Ireland October 31, 2009 TG4
Philippines CINEMAX
Greece 2010 ANT1
Finland March 1, 2010 YLE

DVD and Blu-ray releases

DVD Name Region 1 Region 2 Region 4
True Blood – The Complete First Season May 19, 2009 October 26, 2009 July 1, 2009[46]
True Blood – The Complete First Season [Blu-ray]
True Blood – The Complete Second Season May 25, 2010[47] May 17, 2010[48] May 19, 2010[49]
True Blood – The Complete Second Season [Blu-ray]

By the end of 2009, the first season DVD had sold over 1.6 million units and taken in over $57 million. It was the only TV show in the 50 Top-Selling DVDs of 2009.[50]

True Blood: The Complete First Season
Set Details Special Features
  • 12 Episodes
  • 5 Disc Set
  • 1.78:1 Aspect Ratio
  • Subtitles:English
  • English
  • In Focus: Vampires in America
  • Tru Blood Beverage Ads
  • Vampire PSAs.
  • Audio Commentaries on:
    • Strange Love by writer/director Alan Ball
    • The First Taste by director Scott Winant and star Anna Paquin
    • Escape from Dragon House by director Michael Lehmann and writer Brian Buckner
    • Sparks Fly Out by director Daniel Minahan and star Stephen Moyer
    • Burning House of Love by director Marcos Siega
    • To Love Is to Bury by writer/director Nancy Oliver

See also

Notes

^E-1 "Strange Love". True Blood. Season 1. Episode 1. 2008-09-07. HBO. {{cite episode}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |episodelink= (help); Unknown parameter |serieslink= ignored (|series-link= suggested) (help)
^E-2 "The First Taste". True Blood. Season 1. Episode 2. 2008-09-14. HBO. {{cite episode}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |episodelink= (help); Unknown parameter |serieslink= ignored (|series-link= suggested) (help)
^E-3 "Mine". True Blood. Season 1. Episode 3. 2008-09-21. HBO. {{cite episode}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |episodelink= (help); Unknown parameter |serieslink= ignored (|series-link= suggested) (help)
^E-4 "Escape from Dragon House". True Blood. Season 1. Episode 4. 2008-09-29. HBO. {{cite episode}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |episodelink= (help); Unknown parameter |serieslink= ignored (|series-link= suggested) (help)
^E-5 "Sparks Fly Out". True Blood. Season 1. Episode 5. 2008-10-05. HBO. {{cite episode}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |episodelink= (help); Unknown parameter |serieslink= ignored (|series-link= suggested) (help)
^E-8 "The Fourth Man in the Fire". True Blood. Season 1. Episode 8. 2008-10-26. HBO. {{cite episode}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |episodelink= (help); Unknown parameter |serieslink= ignored (|series-link= suggested) (help)
^E-10 "I Don't Wanna Know". True Blood. Season 1. Episode 10. 2008-11-09. HBO. {{cite episode}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |episodelink= (help); Unknown parameter |serieslink= ignored (|series-link= suggested) (help)
^E-11 "To Love is to Bury". True Blood. Season 1. Episode 11. 2008-11-16. HBO. {{cite episode}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |episodelink= (help); Unknown parameter |serieslink= ignored (|series-link= suggested) (help)
^E-12 "You'll Be the Death of Me". True Blood. Season 1. Episode 12. 2008-11-23. HBO. {{cite episode}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |episodelink= (help); Unknown parameter |serieslink= ignored (|series-link= suggested) (help)
^E-13 "Nothing but the Blood". True Blood. Season 2. Episode 13. 2009-06-14. HBO. {{cite episode}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |episodelink= (help); Unknown parameter |serieslink= ignored (|series-link= suggested) (help)
^E-14 "Keep This Party Going". True Blood. Season 2. Episode 14. 2009-06-21. HBO. {{cite episode}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |episodelink= (help); Unknown parameter |serieslink= ignored (|series-link= suggested) (help)
^E-15 "Scratches". True Blood. Season 2. Episode 15. 2009-06-28. HBO. {{cite episode}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |episodelink= (help); Unknown parameter |serieslink= ignored (|series-link= suggested) (help)
^E-16 "Shake and Fingerpop". True Blood. Season 2. Episode 16. 2009-07-12. HBO. {{cite episode}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |episodelink= (help); Unknown parameter |serieslink= ignored (|series-link= suggested) (help)
^E-17 "Never Let Me Go". True Blood. Season 2. Episode 17. 2009-07-19. HBO. {{cite episode}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |episodelink= (help); Unknown parameter |serieslink= ignored (|series-link= suggested) (help)
^E-18 "Hard-Hearted Hannah". True Blood. Season 2. Episode 18. 2009-07-26. HBO. {{cite episode}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |episodelink= (help); Unknown parameter |serieslink= ignored (|series-link= suggested) (help)
^E-19 "Release Me". True Blood. Season 2. Episode 19. 2009-08-02. HBO. {{cite episode}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |episodelink= (help); Unknown parameter |serieslink= ignored (|series-link= suggested) (help)
^E-20 "Timebomb". True Blood. Season 2. Episode 20. 2009-08-09. HBO. {{cite episode}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |episodelink= (help); Unknown parameter |serieslink= ignored (|series-link= suggested) (help)
^E-21 "I Will Rise Up". True Blood. Season 2. Episode 21. 2009-08-16. HBO. {{cite episode}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |episodelink= (help); Unknown parameter |serieslink= ignored (|series-link= suggested) (help)
^E-22 "New World in My View". True Blood. Season 2. Episode 22. 2009-08-23. HBO. {{cite episode}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |episodelink= (help); Unknown parameter |serieslink= ignored (|series-link= suggested) (help)
^E-23 "Frenzy". True Blood. Season 2. Episode 23. 2009-08-30. HBO. {{cite episode}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |episodelink= (help); Unknown parameter |serieslink= ignored (|series-link= suggested) (help)
^E-24 "Beyond here Lies Nothing". True Blood. Season 2. Episode 24. 2009-09-06. HBO. {{cite episode}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |episodelink= (help); Unknown parameter |serieslink= ignored (|series-link= suggested) (help)

References

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  3. ^ "True Blood, Entourage, Hung All Renewed By HBO'. Retrieved on 2009-7-31.
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  5. ^ "Alan Ball Interview", Retrieved on 2010-01-05.
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  7. ^ Fowler, Matt (2009-04-14). "Bloody Bites from True Blood Season 2". IGN. Retrieved 2009-05-02. {{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  8. ^ Andreeva, Nellie (2007-02-26). "Paquin finds 'True' calling for Ball, HBO". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2008-03-20.
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  18. ^ Tucker, Ken. "True Blood – TV Review". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 2008-10-22.
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  27. ^ MySpaceTV Videos: Vampire Taste Test – Tru Blood vs Human by Blood. Event occurs at 1:29. Retrieved 2008-06-19.
  28. ^ "TruBlood's Videos". Retrieved 2008-09-14.
  29. ^ James Hibberd. ""Wicked new teaser poster for 'True Blood' season two". The Live Feed.
  30. ^ "Watch the new True Blood promo here". SciFi Wire. 2009-05-02. Retrieved 2009-05-03.
  31. ^ "FXUK True Blood Microsite". Retrieved 2009-08-22.
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  36. ^ Bianco, Robert (2008-09-09). "HBO gets an infusion of Oh-positive 'Blood'". USA Today. Retrieved 2009-06-13. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  37. ^ "True Blood (HBO) – Reviews from Metacritic". MetaCritic. Retrieved 2008-09-13.
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  42. ^ "Updated: True bloody momentum for True Blood: 5.3 million and another record!" Retrieved on 2009-08-25.
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  48. ^ http://www.zavvi.com/blu-ray/true-blood-season-2/10078897.html?affil=MVI&utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_term=true%20blood%20season%202%20blu%20ray&utm_campaign=Blu-ray%20Titles%20-%20Pre-Order
  49. ^ http://www.ezydvd.com.au/item.zml/811655
  50. ^ "Top-Selling DVDs of 2009" Retrieved 2009-12-21.
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