True Blood on the Nose
Alan Ball, the creator of True Blood & Six Feet Under, said his new vampire series shouldn’t be seen as a metaphor for gay people. But I can’t watch the show without feeling like that metaphor is banging me on the head. The show features debates by fake tv pundits on the VRA (Vampire Rights Amendment) and southerns arguing about vampire rights in their living room. Ball’s new series paints most of the southern characters as unrealistic bigots. I would think the creator of Six Feet Under would find more shades of gray. The show is certainly interesting and their lead vampire very hot, but I don’t think it’s found it’s tone yet. Thoughts? (Also, see our earlier post about True Blood here.) Update: And HBO just ordered up a second season after the show’s second episode saw viewership spike an “unprecedented” 24 percent.
Being raised in the south I feel that Ball’s depiction is truly spot-on.
Even living in the “border state” of Virginia, I know this show is on target.
It’s an awesome show. Found it completely by accident and can’t get enough.
I am downloading the first two episodes right now, so I will watch them and see what I think!!
If the accents used on the show are supposed to be Louisana accents, their accent coach needs to go back to Louisiana and brush up. Otherwise, the dialog is well written, story line engaging, but I totally agree, the arguments Ball used for the VRA made me really uncomfortable. It’s definitely not as good as the initial episodes of Six Feet Under, but in any case, bring on the gratuitous shirtless hot guys! Resubscribed to HBO for this series specifically, which we’d cancelled after the end of Six Feet Under, and I’m glad we did.
so far I don’t really care if any of the characters get killed or not, which is a bummer
maybe I’ll start to like one of them but so far they are all pretty boring
the gay chef is funny
I don’t like sookie’s sassy female best friend and I find sookie’s slut brother to be entirely boring
I also wish it wasn’t set in a rural area
suburban vampires would be cooler
show needs work but still gets an overall B+ for effort. its the first show since the wire, that both me and the boo were excited to watch together.
This is one of those shows that you try to like and give a few episodes before you make up your mind, for me. The premise is interesting and I am a fan of several of the actors, but you are right in saying the show has not found its tone yet. The acting, from the women especially, needs to relax…and yes also being a southerner, the accents are a bit much. Sookie’s Best Friend is especially grating to me….maybe if she were on stage playing to a huge house I might feel differently.
Anyway, i love Alan Ball and LOVED Six Feet Under so my hopes are that this show will grab me soon.
Please….they have a hit! Weeds and now True Blood are in my TV agenda.
I lovED Alan Ball. I love American Beauty & love love LOVE Six Feet Under.
But this True Blood show is so disappointing. Granted, I’m kind of a snob when it comes to movies/shows about vampires, ghosts, werewolves, etc. But I gave it a chance because it is Alan Ball, and I couldn’t make it through the first episode.
grade: D minus!!!!
Ball has a movie comingout that looks good though. Towelhead. I’m sure that will redeem him…
Um the abs on Sookie’s brother makes the entire show worth it!
So far I’m lovin’ the show. Tara Thornton is unimaginably hot as is Lafayette Reynolds. I found the characters – almost believable. Though the whole series screams Laurel K. Hamilton rip off, and it’s odd that Tara is so biased towards the vampire when the vamp rights issue so closely parallels racial struggles – I think the shows intent is less to provoke serious thought than to provoke a lot of drooling. In that it succeeds at least with me.
One more thing, because it needs to be said.
Worst Vampire Fangs EVER! Seriously I saw those wimpy teeth and nearly turned the show off on that alone. Gods I hope they change their mind on those really quickly because every time they open their mouths they look more ridiculous than scary!
Haha, he actually thinks people are going to believe it’s not a metaphor for gay people? It couldn’t be any more obvious – he basically just switched the word “gay” for “vampire”. It’s really THAT blatant.
In any case, I’m really liking True Blood so far!
Honey, being from the south, I can tell you – this show is the south. As for the friend Tara – what gay world do you live in – look around the bars, the arts and gay groups, they are full of gays just like Tara. Its also funny to me that so many dislike the show but love the naked guys – now what does that say about you……
hbo higher ups say that the show gets even better by episode 5.
@CondeNasty:
I spent over ten years living is a small southern town just about an hours drive from Shreveport. I can tell you that True Blood’s Bon Temps is a very accurate picture of the town I lived in and the people I knew. Which is why I moved my kids to a large city in the north.