Five episodes into HBO's new vampire series True Blood, I still don't quite know what to make of it. But I'm also pretty sure that I want to see more.

The show, which premieres Sunday, is all over the tonal map, veering from creepily atmospheric to broadly comic to sexy to brutal, sometimes within the space of a couple of scenes. The mix doesn't always work, and until the fourth episode the world in which the series is set feels pretty small.

When it does work, though, True Blood works pretty well. Aided enormously by a compelling lead performance from Anna Paquin, creator Alan Ball (Six Feet Under) has crafted a show that, while it is insular in the early going, also has a great sense of place and some appealing supporting characters. Those things, plus a more expansive worldview in later episodes, hint at promise of something more.

The series is based on the Southern Vampire books by Charlaine Harris and centers on Sookie Stackhouse (Paquin, who goes blonde for the role), a waitress in the small town of Bon Temps, La., who's blessed (or cursed, she'd tell you) with the ability to read people's thoughts. It takes a considerable amount of energy for her to tune people out, so when Bill Compton (Stephen Moyer) comes into her bar and she can't hear what's in his head, she's immediately drawn to him.

One more thing: Bill is also a vampire. He and others of his kind have recently come into the open, thanks to the invention of synthetic blood that precludes their need to feed on humans, and Bill, a 173-year-old Civil War veteran, has returned to family's ancestral home in Bon Temps.

Sookie takes interest in Bill, and she in him, and what follows could be the familiar, star-crossed vampire-mortal romance (cf. Twilight, Moonlight and any number of other vampire stories). Heck, even Sookie's grandmother (a delightful Lois Smith) is encouraging her to see the man -- and hoping he'll speak to her local history group.

Most everyone else, though -- Sookie's brother Jason (Ryan Kwanten), her best friend Tara (Rutina Wesley), the bar owner (Sam Trammell) who carries a torch for her -- is not too happy to have the undead in their midst. Not for nothing, it turns out: Two women who've had associations with vampires turn up dead, and we learn that while Bill is "mainstreaming," a substantial portion of the vampire community doesn't care to live above ground and seems rather to enjoy toying with mortals. Again, not for nothing: We see TV clips of blowhards railing against the "abominations" that vampires are, while others are out to drain the vamps of their blood and sell it to users jonesing for its sensory-enhancement powers.

There's clearly a lot of back story involved here, but True Blood stays almost maddeningly focused on Bon Temps through its first few episodes. Hints about vampire-human interaction on a larger scale come only through those brief TV clips and unreliable word-of-mouth retellings, so there's little sense of how big the vampire world is. The shifts in mood are sometimes jarring, and Kwanten's character is almost unbearably dense. (That's no knock against the actor, who has a good time playing the oversexed Jason. But as written, the character is about as multidimensional as a Post-It note.)

On the plus side, Paquin brings an admirable spark to her role. Sookie can't really deny her attraction to Bill, but neither does she swoon over him -- and after meeting some other vampires and seeing Bill's less genteel side, she wonders if he's really worth it. Wesley and Nelsan Ellis, who plays Tara's flamboyant cousin Lafayette, a cook at Sookie's bar and purveyor of all kinds of extra-legal goodies, stand out along with Smith among the supporting cast.

Episodes four and five also expand the show some, giving us the first real look at the vampire community and effectively filling in some of Bill's history. The jumpy tone shifts also smooth out some in the later episodes as Ball and Co. find their footing.

And -- deep critical observation coming here -- True Blood just has something that makes me want to see what comes next. I can't quite pinpoint why, although part of it may be its very unevenness; I'm curious to see if the rough patches will work themselves out. That, combined with Paquin's performance and Ball's track record and the lush look of the show (which is shot on location in Louisiana), will keep the show on the DVR through the season.
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True Blood premieres at 9 p.m. ET Sunday, Sept. 7 on HBO.

For more on the new season, check out Zap2it's Fall TV Preview.

Comments

As a reader of the series and someone who has seen the pilot, I completely agree with your assessment. Yea, the pilot was a little out there, but also incredibly engaging. It tasks us to see how we as a society would accept change in the form of a new race in the 21st century. I'm very excited for its arrival.

Lauren | Sep 5, 2008 8:41:37 PM | #

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In some ways, I think this show will play into the same "Us vs. Them" motif that is so prominent in the X-Men stories. Anybody who is the least bit different is automatically labeled...often as undesirable and not worthy of living amongst those deemed "normal." I hope the show doesn't take the easy way out and makes all mortals to be barely-removed-from-their-primate-ancestors idiots, while the vampires are the intelligent, mature, right-living ones. Those portrayals are too simplistic and have been done to death. Also, since the show takes place in the Deep South, I worry that the same old stereotypes will be utilized. I hope not, because the books actually do have a depth to them that make reading the series a pleasure (Sookie is one of my favorite characters of recent book series). TV and movies always tend to dumb things down, even on HBO and other pay-channels (if to a lesser extent than their regular network sisterhood). Anna Paquin is always a positive addition, even when she's been in some less-than-stellar roles. Thankfully, thus far, she doesn't seem to slum it when it comes to picking her projects, so I have high expectations for True Blood. As long as it's better than the dreadful "Moonlight," which also had high potential and frittered it away like so much confetti at the end of the parade.

Revenant | Sep 7, 2008 12:17:38 PM | #

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Anna Paguin did well, the writing was pretty good but I just don't see this laster very long for some reason. I liked the idea of the town buried in the South more than I cared about the vampires.

Deniro Rules | Sep 8, 2008 8:36:41 AM | #

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I was a fan of the old Alien Nation TV series that was spun-off from a movie. It had a lot of "how do we accept a new race" within our culture.

Alia | Sep 8, 2008 9:19:53 AM | #

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I mentioned on TV Gal Amy's page that I love all the Sookie books but this 1st episode of Trueblood was a big disappointment to me and I doubt I will return for another one.

Characters too over the top and obnoxious - acting and dialogue not so good - nudity and sex scenes that seem out of place - both Sookie and vampire Bill act too strange and seem like deer caught in the headlights in too many of their scenes.

It's too bad such a well written series of books has been reduced to this.

DaisyRose | Sep 8, 2008 11:08:30 AM | #

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I have to ask DaisyRose - are you sure you read the Sookie Stackhouse books? Because the first episode was drawn from the first book nearly scene by scene. Granted, the gratuitous sex was a little more shocking in color than it was in the black and white words of the book, but the tone, the mix of humor, and mystery, and even the tickling of romance, are all there in the show.

They picked a great place to stop last night's episode which makes you want to see what happens next. I also think they did a phenomenal job of showing just what a struggle it is for Sookie and her special power - and why everyone thinks she's a freak. I can't wait to see where they go with this show!

Nolette | Sep 8, 2008 12:06:50 PM | #

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You have all got to be kidding me. This show was about as engaging as a pet rock. Granted, Anna Paquin is a talented star who shines quite well in anything, the rest of the cast looks eerily like they are in a summer school acting program for juvenile delinquents and the mentally challenged.
Many people have commented on the whole ‘outsider’ theme of the vampires among us and how they are both objects of fear and fascination. Maybe the town might get along better if they stopped focusing on their differences and spent more time relating over their overall lack of acting ability.
Am I the only person that noticed that the town is inhabited by characters who all grew up in this small town but grew to speak in disparate accents. It is as if the Tower of Babel were located in Bon Temps.
Alan Ball might hire actual writers to hang out in Louisiana rather than watching a few hours of ‘The Dukes of Hazard’ re-runs. Some people have likened the dialogue to that of a Tennessee Williams play but I find more in common with his micro-cephalic cousin Kentucky Smith.
I cannot begin to express my supreme disappointment in this show after only one episode. ‘The Sopranos’, ‘Rome’ and ‘Deadwood’ are all gone and this is what I get? Dear HBO, you have made it clear now that you don’t like me. If you truly hate me and wish to take this insult one step further then bring back ‘Lucky Louis’ while you are at it. Now I know why Larry David takes so much time between seasons… he’s hiding.
All in all I am happy I am not a vampire and don’t have to be a wake to see any future episodes.
So to all who like this show, you can BITE ME!
PS Bring back Moonlight.

Keno from Dallas | Sep 8, 2008 4:19:49 PM | #

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Watching the show with closed captions...I thought the name of the town was Bon-Ton, but the closed captions insist it is Benton. I guess it must be a French/Cajun pronunciation.

Danny | Sep 9, 2008 5:15:25 AM | #

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A pox on the morons who cancelled the TV lshow "Moonlight"

L Shapiro | Sep 10, 2008 1:03:34 PM | #

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Sorry for the typo lshow.

L Shapiro | Sep 10, 2008 1:04:42 PM | #

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rick - true blood is NOT shot in Louisiana. it's shot in Los Angeles. they only did a few exteriors in Shreveport.

gracie | Sep 11, 2008 10:14:43 AM | #

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i am so hoping the next girl who gets killed is tara. she is sooooooooooo annoying

robert | Sep 11, 2008 10:17:17 AM | #

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While the show is enticing, the inappropriate accents strongly distract and irritate me to the point that it begins to discredit the acting. I strongly advise that they tone down the accents as no one in Louisiana truly talks like that. I lived in South Louisiana all of my life (New Orleans, Lafayette, and Baton Rouge) and was very disappointed in the lack of research done. Benton in Louisiana would be pronounced as Benton, not "Bon-temps" which refers to "Bon-Temps Rouler" meaning "Let the good times roll." Also, the charcters constantly refer to driving to Monroe and Shreveport which are in Northern Louisiana, not Southern Louisiana and have a much different landscape, history, and cultural identity that is unique to the Southern portions of the state which is known for its Creole culture, mystery, sin, and murky swamps. Any credits of the actors and the writers are greatly overshadowed by the lack of attention to detail to the setting. You would think that the level of detail of John Adams and other HBO series would have been present in this series. The show has promise... but someone definitely needs to do thier research and hire some new dialect coaches before it all gets attributed to bad acting!

Elise from Baton Rouge | Sep 16, 2008 2:52:42 PM | #

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I think bill should have been a little younger, although the actor playing him now does well. The first episode, i feel, should have been 2 hours.

db | Sep 23, 2008 10:28:35 PM | #

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what can this crap show do? SeX SEX AND SEX, always sex. omg. Vamps having sex, they can make love with any girl in the show. stupid. Give us a serious show. All HBO can do is attract us with sex. This is TV, NOT PORNOGRAPHY. MOONLIGHT is ten times better than them. True blood- sex show, moonlight-true vamp show.

d | Oct 20, 2008 1:46:35 PM | #

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