'Entourage,' 'Little Britain USA' also set for fall debuts

HBO has set premiere dates for two new series this fall, signaling an end to a long fallow period for original series at the channel.

The drama "True Blood," a vampire show from "Six Feet Under" creator Alan Ball, is scheduled to premiere Sept. 7. The sketch comedy show "Little Britain USA" will follow three weeks later, on Sept. 28.

"Entourage" is also set to begin its fifth season in September.

When the writers' strike shut down TV production late last year, it also threw a wrench into HBO's schedule. Planned summer premieres for "Entourage," "Big Love" and "Flight of the Conchords" were pushed back, and as a result the cable network hasn't had any of its original series on the air since "The Wire" concluded in March.

Miniseries like " John Adams" and the forthcoming "Generation Kill" have helped fill the gap, along with a series of documentaries airing this summer.

"True Blood," based on a series of novels by Charlaine Harris, is set in a world where vampires have come out into the open, thanks to the development of synthetic blood that allows them to survive without feeding on humans. It stars Anna Paquin ("X-Men") as Sookie Stackhouse, a mind-reading waitress who's drawn to a vampire (Stephen Moyer, "The Starter Wife") who arrives in her small Louisiana town.

"Little Britain USA" will unleash "Little Britain" writer-performers David Walliams and Matt Lucas and their array of characters on America. It's set for a six-episode run.