It won't be news to very many of you what a fun show this is, but since I'm not an HBO subscriber, I've just recently been burning through Season 1 on DVD. True Blood is a vampire soap opera, chock full of vigorous shagging, pop-culture humor and experimental drugging—like a Jeff Noon novel set in Anne Rice's steamy south. The basic premise is that vampires have been "outed" worldwide and are subsisting on a mass-produced blood drink, and while some are accepting of the challenges of assimilating into human society, others remain renegade murderers defiant of change.Since True Blood was created by Alan Ball of Six Feet Under fame (and based on a series of popular novels), we know we're getting some intriguingly layered characterizations (and that the black and gay communities will be thoughtfully represented)—some of my favorites being Lafayette, the mysterious, gay, drug-dealing cook who's also an ass-whooping martial artist (dare I say Lafayette is True Blood's Omar Little?), and Bill, the formidable but gentlemanly vampire, a Civil War veteran who's trying to "mainstream" into non-vamp society, while simultaneously courting the town sweetheart.
True Blood is a sophisticated, slightly less-guilty pleasure for fans of Joss Whedon's Angel and Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and will be a treat for those who like their oddball, adult drama spiced with splashes of bayou blood.
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