After nearly four years of love, horror and betrayal it’s hard to imagine Sunday evenings in the summertime without HBO’s True Blood. But like all good (bad, bad) things, the show will someday come to an end. A few are even calling for the show’s ‘true death’ right now. But critics aside, the show continues to see financial sucess on all fronts. Some may see this summer’s installment of the program of True Blood as it’s last but here are just a few reasons we doubt this beloved show is going anywhere soon.
Ratings are steady
HBO isn’t a network that cancels a show soley based on ratings anyway but for it’s part, True Blood seems to be holding steady about around 5 million viewers per episode (with higher numbers on premiere/finale nights). These numbers fail to take into account subsequent airings, viewing parties and HBOGo watches that would most likely boost ratings. But even setting that aside, True Blood is one of HBO’s top three programs with numbers comparable to Game of Thrones and Boardwalk Empire. There is even a case to be made that True Blood is HBO’s strongest performing program.
In television, numbers are everything. TV executives, even those are the usually pragmatic HBO, often find themselves awash in a sea of analytic data. When looking at these numbers day in and day out it would be tough to even consider cutting that number one program from your ranks. But if one episode of True Blood purportedly costs around $3-5 million to produce ($50-60 Million per season) you’re going to need to make that back somehow. Keep reading to understand how HBO surely makes that and more from True Blood.
DVD sales are incredible
One of the more obvious ways HBO makes money on a program is through DVD and Blu-Ray sales. Earlier I quoted a season of True Blood at ~$50 million. With that number in hand would it surprise you to learn that the first season of True Blood on DVD brought in a staggering $26 million dollars… in it’s first two weeks?! Now those numbers may have declined with subsequent seasons but even the third season debuted at #1, and that’s based on UNITS sold, not dollars! The bottom line is this: HBO makes half of it’s money back on any given season of True Blood immediately following it’s digital release. Not too shabby considering all of the other tangibles and intangibles True Blood has going for it.
Syndication and overseas deals are super-lucrative
More and more television programming is becoming a global concept. And why wouldn’t it? The massive populations of Europe, India, and China are not only producing their own quality programming but consuming more American syndication. HBO sells its shows to other networks at quite the premium. By one estimation HBO are looking for around $800,000 to syndicate a single episode of True Blood. This means that if one other network decides they want to air a season of True Blood, they’ll be picking up the bill for about 15% of the total cost of producing the show! These numbers just don’t look like they’re coming from a show in danger of being canceled any time soon, do they?
There’s so much source material left
Although the creator of the Sookie Stackhouse, Charlaine Harris, novels (of which True Blood is derived) has stated that the series will not go on forever, the content Alan Ball has presented on HBO has yet to utilize even 75% of what has been written. This isn’t to say that the show hasn’t severely deviated from it’s source material but the fact that there is so much story left to be told gives fans hope that the show is far from over. Could you imagine HBO canceling Game of Thrones after the events of Storm of Swords? (Season 3) There would be blood in the streets! (and not in a good way) HBO may decide to hastily wrap up the series in the next two seasons but I’d predict the show continues until at least 7 full season have run their course. That means season 5 this summer and two more bloody summers after that. They have to give us some time to prepare our fragile vampire-loving psyches… don’t they?
This doesn’t even take into account the merchandising that most likely all parties don’t want to stop any time soon!
Fans Don’t want it to end
True Blood is one of those shows that actually drives subscriptions. Most people probably don’t pay the extra $25 / month for Treme or Hung or even Eastbound and Down. True Blood is one of those shows that people talk about the next day, a show that everyone knows about and is part of the fabric of our culture. Much like The Sopranos, Sex and the City and now Game of Thrones, there are people out there who subscribe to HBO for this show exclusively, and may or may not rethink their subscription the day it went off the air. The main criticism of the show I’ve heard is that it seems to be getting more insane, with more characters and more inexplicable situations every seasons. But what did you expect from a show like this? The werewolves, faeries, witches (and explicit sex involving all three) are exactly what the show’s fans are pining for.. and they’re finding it- only on HBO.
But that’s just our opinion, what do you think? Leave us a comment below and vote in our poll to express your own views!
[poll id=”14″]
109 comments
You suck at predicting things.
i only subscribe to HBO so i can watch true blood im having it cut off first thing in the morning! and i dont have any reason to ever turn it back on
good for you…
yes it is…
I’m laughing at the people who suggest HBO will lose thousands of viewers and
money once this show is canceled. Really? The main reason for cancelling this show is the viewership dropped from 5.6 to around 4 million….yes MILLIONS. In retrospect a couple thousand people that get huffy and cancel their membership is kind of laughable.
The HBO website was crashed because so many people were trying to stream True Detective and lest we not to mention Game of Thrones, whose season 4 finale grabbed around 7 million viewers.
I agree with VVVV Lillyanna VVVV
there are so many good shows on HBO right now. One show does not define the network in my opinion.
Yes, this is why I referenced other shows.
How many of you fans read the books? Seeing them go on and on making things up and not even focusing on the main story of the fairy world and messing up everyone’s story line! Jason was supposed to be a werepather. Tara was never supposed to become a vampire. Godric was never Eric’s maker. Jessica was never even MADE. They just screwed up to much. I love the cast trust me I do, I even love Jessica. I just don’t like how they don’t even follow the books anymore. I would prefer to see it end. It was a great show at first but then they ruined it by going off the books and before anyone says “it would be to predictable if they did that.” So what if it’s predictable if you go by the books. Game of Thrones goes by the book (Sometimes they are messing up with Season 4 a bit) and people love it! IF they had went by the books so many people would be satisfied and would have been around longer.
True Blood is the first thing I’ve seen where the show is BETTER than the books. The books are bland, the characters are one dimensional and Sookie is a Mary Sue. They read like all of the other one dimensional vampire romance stories that are being mass-produced and marketed to teens, only distinguishing themselves by being unintentionally and subtly racist. The show on the other hand, is a deep and thoughtful reflection on the culture of the south, and a dark and exciting tour of a complex and interesting Supernatural world with a fascinating set of overlapping storylines.
BEST CAST AND CREW OF ALL TIME!
Please don’t end True Blood! I think I’m going to be sick. My favorite show of all time! I’ve bought every season and if there’s 50 more series, I’d purchase all 50 more series and I know that I’m not alone on this either. HBO will make a BIG MISTAKE BY ENDING TRUE BLOOD. TO ME, THIS SHOW CAN NEVER BE REPLACED.
pray tell why DID they kill it then….seriously…nobody seems to know…
7 seasons is a very respectable run. Not to mention some of these actors have, you know, other things they want to move on to. It’s not as though they could just keep making The Sopranos, Sex and the City or Game of Thrones FOREVER, right? Shows just end.
Thank you Jacob! People seem to forget how much work goes into just 7 seasons. I mean Charmed, Dexter, Breaking Bad and Buffy the vampire slayer were all around 5-7 seasons long.
Don’t do it! If True Blood ends, I’m NOT paying for HBO anymore. That’s a given! We love all the characters, the storyline, the actors and actresses, everything about this show! And HBO wants to cancel?! WTF!? No True Blood? No Hbo. BOYCOTT!
Ain’t that a bitch!!!! As this article suggests, I will be one of the first to cancel the HBO channel AND save $. In addition, I am quite sure it goes without saying that hundreds of thousands of consumers will do the same!
That whole Vampire religion/Lilith storyline was drawn out too long. But even so, True Blood should remain an HBO regular. 1000’s of viewers subscribed to HBO specifically for True Blood, and if it is cancelled HBO could certainly suffer as a whole.
It’s been reported on several legitimate news websites that season 7 will be the final season. How can we hope it will continue? There is a petition circulating however all I can say is that if True Blood is cancelled, I will no longer pay for HBO. They have some boring and ridiculous shows currently running and financially speaking, it makes no sense as to why they have chosen to cancel True Blood when it is without doubt one of HBO’s best!!!
So how do you feel about your prediction today? Mwahhahahaa! :P
Love this goddamn show!!! It’s SOOO GOOD!
I would like you all to make Tarrys death some kind of bad dream that someone has on season 7. Tarry was to much a part of a normal family with
Arline and the kids. Terry and Arline were the only normal people in t True Blood. You all made a bad call on that one.
Bill being a phrophet for Lilith is getting on my nerves pretty bad. I still love so many of the characters & I am trying to be patient with this possible end times situation but I really miss the deadpan humor. The Terry/Arlene stories seem to be weak filler. The plots of all these subcharacters makes me nervous because I like the main characters so much, why wouldn’t those great actors be offered bigger roles elsewhere? That makes me nervous they will leave the show. I will watch as long as it’s on, love the cast! Miss Hoyt! I wish them all the best in their acting careers & personal lives whether the show goes on or not.
If this show go on too long it would become boring. Love it just the way it is right now, but pls do not continue the story line for too long. Let Sookie at least find the love of her life, and have a good human forever after. Pls do not kill off Eric, he is my fav. vampire. Bill is too full of himself.
True Blood = Bloodcow
I love my Bill and TB.
please do not let true blood end the same way the books did. The last book was terrible made no sense if you’ve read all the other books, and felt like it was rushed and just does’nt tie everything together….if you can forget about all the others that came before it you might like this book…this is the first i’ve ever wanted a series/movie to be different than the books.. but please hbo dont’ disapoint us like this writer has
We have basic Direct TV package, True Blood is the only reason we are paying extra for HBO, and we will cancel it right after True Blood is over. xD Hope it lasts a couple more years!!
I love the show so much. This is the only show I have been addicted too. I hope it never ends. I love bill and Eric . I actually love everyone. It’s the best so don’t ever end please.
I don’t want true blood 2 eva end it’s 2 good of a show & im really not In 2 vamps, wovles & stuff like that In movies & shows but true blood if off the charts i never,miss it
yeah way to many characters and story lines going on. The fans want to see more of the fire and ice relationship between Eric and Sookie!! That is what we tune in for!
All the source material still available. Lol.
I can see True Blood would have to make an effort to make Sookie relevant in her own story again. That could take a couple of seasons, since she’s so far gone now that everyone hates her – the fans, her friends, the vampires and I’m sure this season she can alienate the weres in her irrelevance.
I’m sure they could just slot in the source material they haven’t used yet too. They can rekill the Queen. And they could introduce some more female characters to degrade. I would think it fine to bring in a secondary maker for Eric – continuity and logic has *never* been the show’s strong point. Pam might actually find a hobby that doesn’t revolve around Eric. And someone could investigate why the Bon Temps funeral homes keeps burying people without a good cause of death. Plenty of room to move just to address the gaping holes of logic, and that’s with the interspersed nudity and gratuitous sex – so that should take about twenty years or so.
I think the show’s real problems are going to be when Alexander Skarsgard leaves it and his contract over. No actor worth their salt wants to be typecast, and he’s broken into main movie roles now. As goes Caesar, so go his fans boosting ratings because he is the ultimate fanservice. I mean, that’s why he had to be naked for the first episode, right?
I used to be a huge TB fan. I watched Season 1 in less than two days and couldn’t wait for S2 -which I absolutely loved even though I found most of the Maenad scenes boring. There was at least a plot and a point in it. Season 3 I still think was a good one -had a lot of great moments and the occasional f*ckery, but hey! we can’t be 100% happy with anything, can we? (well, except GoT. That series is pure perfection).
Season 4 I liked in the beginning -Sookie had a spine, Askars delivered AN AMAZING Amnesiac Eric and things seemed to work… until they didn’t.
Sunday’s premiere of S5 left me more than disappointed. The only good thing about it was Gay Vamp Newlin.
I think I’ll keep watching -the way you keep watching something out of habbit. All the enthusiasm and love I used to have for this series, is gone.
A lot of my disappointment comes from the fact that I’ve read the books and I loved the characters there. I don’t mind the plot being completely different, after all show and books are different mediums. But what Ball has done is fundamentally change the characters Charlaine Harris created. Beyond suitors (although I always shipped Sookie & Eric), in the books I’m Team Sookie. In the show, I don’t even like her. Considering this is THE SOOKIEVERSE, I’d say that’s quite a turn off.
Also, a point a lot of people brought up earlier; way too many characters. True Blood used to be all about the characters. Had few of them and we got to see them in depth. Sookie was nice and innocent, Bill was trying to find his path back to his humanity, Eric was trying to deny his humanity, Godric was looking for redemption, Jason was searching for a purpose, Newlin was high on power and so on and so forth… Now they spend so much time trying to impress the viewer with weirder and weirder “plots” (so many plotlines running in this show, are hard to follow even if they do make sense… eventually… maybe) and the introduction of an insane amount of characters that we never get to bond with them. True Bood has lost its heart.
I have no idea whether they will continue it or not. But unless they take it back to where it used to be, as Rhett would say, frankly dear, I don’t give a damn.
hey I agree. I am a total Sookie fan in the books, there I get her. But I don’t even like her in the shows. Don’t get me wrong, though, Anna Paquin is a good actress. It’s not her. Still (that being said) I am a huge TB fan. Forever & ever. But that’s mostly thanks to Alexander Skarsgård… <3
True Blood’s writing has always been uneven going back to the latter part of S1. Does anyone recall when Sookie writes Bill off as never coming back and has her almost kiss with Sam when she knew Bill had to defend his life for killing Longshadow? We were suppose to believe a woman who would confront a knife wielding man by herself to rescue a stranger let alone a vampire stranger would give up on him after they were a couple?
One of TB’s biggest problem though is the too many characters in dull storylines. I so did not care about Darlene, Terry, and possible demon baby. Then that plot is seemingly resolved by the lame ghost story, which I also didn’t care about.
Hotshot and the whole rape and assault of Jason? It’s good to know he was able to recover from that trauma that easily. I guess he was asking for it with his womanizing ways. I hope you can detect the sarcasm.
Sam and his relationship with Luna and “playing Barbies” with annoying Hollywood version of a child. No. More. Bunny. Sam. Ever. Please!
Opportunity wasted Tara. Here was potential for transformative change after the all the S3 abuse coupled with the forgotten smarts of S1. What do we get? A cage fighting faux-lesbian. Yawn.
Other problems with the show are the incomprehensible plot developments and the destruction of Sookie as a lead character, but this comment is already too long. Thanks for letting me have a say.
Whatever your position may be, it is undeniable that people have very srtong opinions about True Blood, and people are passionate about the show.
Diane, you are not a polite person. in fact, you are aggressively angry and rude. that attack and “challenge” simply show your lack of manners online, which reflect your true personality offline.
You claim to be “older and more mature” but i think that simply means you are “old” and not quite familiar with online manners….
I do have two degrees, and know quite a bit about how to make money. I am retired early and with plenty of money due to having enough education to know how to make money in the first place!
If you continue to bad mouth HBO and the whole entire process then you should expect the backlash that will come. your comments are just not valid. This column has nothing to do with your education or lack of it, but it shows in your demeanor and lack of the facts. You know nothing of the budget or where the money goes on the HBO shows themselves.
Fight with somebody who CARES what you think….neither I nor HBO do care! ha ha.
you are not getting what you want? change the channel!
that is the answer to all of your problems….in here at least!
ME: TRUE BLOOD FAN HERE ~ FOREVER!
and i do not need YOUR validation to know that positive comments get a positive response!
Practice what you preach BooBear. I am not the one being rude and angry in a post. I have been civil and have used basic internet etiquette. Did you know that all caps is the internet form of yelling at someone? When you overuse that function, it makes you an internet yeller, which screams “immature” to me.I am not the one that is telling people that they have no education and that they are deluded. Furthermore, I do not need to be nice to someone who is being rude to me. Which is it, I am young and immature or old? Make up your mind.
What makes you think I don’t know how to make money, even though that is none of your business? The fact that you are getting so angry over another person’s opinion is proving that no matter how old you are, you are immature. If this column has nothing to do with my education, then why did you go there? Simply to be a bitch is the only thing I can think of. I normally don’t call people names but you earned it. I can badmouth HBO if I want to (even though I did not in my original post) but I really bad mouth the writing, quite simply because it is true.
You know nothing about the budget either but I comfort myself in knowing a hell of a lot more about marketing and where that money goes than you do. Incidentally, the fact that I word my responses better than you proves that I am better educated than you. You want to keep putting me down, I will keep schooling you in all things!
@Diane, “You actually think you are funding True Blood. Honey, that is just extra money in their pocket as they have a very low-budget. HBO execs deposit that money earned from online merchandise in their bank accounts as well as Alan’s and the people who designed the items listed there. HBO also pockets the money from the DVD sales.”
of course it is money in their pockets, due to the REAL FANS THEY ARE MAKING MONEY. do you really think that they will stop a show that keeps putting SO MUCH money in their pockets? YES, THE FANS ARE FUNDING TRUE BLOOD and the true fans are going to continue to buy the items for sale: money makes this world go round, HONEY, and those who support their favorite shows will be the ones to be happiest in the end. not those who complain constantly and never are satisfied with anything, not one single season has gone by that the “certain section of the fan base” has not gone ugly and wild with their non stop criticism. nothing makes you guys happy, nothing!
I am a true fan and I will continue to “fund” the items i want to buy and it’s only small minds who think that money is not that important to a show and it’s execs.
it is the only reason they are in business! DUH!
I an hoping True Blood continues for two more seasons, not betting on it due to the nastiness of some of the fan base, but i will do all i can to help keep it on the top of the ratings, i will buy the items i want and i will watch my DVD’s and Blu Rays for years to come.
I have no issue with you being a “True Fan” I have an issue with you saying you are funding the show, when you clearly are not. HBO gets their money from subscriptions and they get free advertisements from Blogs and fansites. You are only helping to make the salaries of the ones who makes the merchandise and HBO puts the rest in their bank account, not to continue to make True Blood episodes, they have a budget put aside for that.
You seem to be very angry for no real reason at all, unless you think our points are valid. True Blood will last two more seasons (most likely) seasons 5 and 6 so what’s your problem, Heather? (Quoting Heathers) We are still entitled to your own opinion as are you so I am not getting all this angry emanating off your posts! You must think we have magical powers and can stop the show from returning in season 6.
Also, plenty of shows have been canceled by a broadcast company no matter how much merchandise was sold. If the powers that be are getting the hint that viewers are getting annoyed with certain aspects of the show that does not makes any cohesive sense, they CAN pull the plug on that popular show. Which is why the powers that be should listen to every part of the fan base!
You are delusional if you think they don’t care about the money and that they will listen to the fan base that is so rude and nasty. ha ha, deliberately obtuse is thy name!
money talks and bulls**t walks! you know nothing except how to complain and whine and moan and groan about what you think is WRONG with one of the most popular shows ever to air on the screen. your points are not even valid, just complaints and you don’t contribute a dime, so why would they care what you think? i fund with subscriptions to HBO all year long, i fund by buying the merchandise and if you don’t have the common sense to realize that this world revolves around money it is most likely because you have spent none on the show. or your age is truly too young to be on the forums! MONEY MAKES THE WORLD GO ROUND, HONEY! and spending it on True Blood is my prerogative and I will continue to do so and to also praise the show itself.
“If the powers that be are getting the hint that viewers are getting annoyed with certain aspects of the show that does not makes any cohesive sense, they CAN pull the plug on that popular show. Which is why the powers that be should listen to every part of the fan base!”
yes, they heard you last season and THEY GAVE YOU THE SHOWER SCENE, DIDN’T THEY? ha ha ha
it was really a “comment” on your demands!
Hopefully your knowledge will grow once you get a job, realize the value of putting your money where your mouth is and how important education is. you obviously have none in marketing. but i do!
Ah Boobear, I am certainly more mature and older than you, considering NONE of my posts to you were immature as yours were. I did go to school and I have a Degree to show for it so that shows what you know. You may have a degree in marketing but you obviously have no clue what it all entails. Marketing is about supply and demand and giving the fans what they want and also to promote the show so people will watch it. It helps the suits at HBO and other companies make money for their product. Hence, that the cups and T-shirts marketed by HBO goes in their pocket and the designers who made the products.However, that does not mean that you are funding the show by merchandise. I know the world revolves around money as that has been the case for quite a number of years!
The money I have spent on subscriptions and merchandise does not FUND True Blood to continue running, they have a SEPARATE BUDGET for that. What part of that did you not understand. You want to get nasty with me, then I will get nasty with you. LET’S GO!
“not one single season has gone by that the “certain section of the fan base” has not gone ugly and wild with their non stop criticism.”
Yeah, the Bill fans on the HBO site……
BTW: this fan has read all the books multiple times and has many of them autographed by Charlaine Harris herself. I also have bought and paid for every single book on audio! I have spent several thousand dollars on every season sets of DVD’s, Blu Rays, pre-ordered S4, much merchandise from the HBO store, every single magazine that the cast has appeared in stored in archival covers in mint condition, autographed items and photos bought from eBay at high prices;….there is no doubt that the fans who are so very UNHAPPY are not the ones funding this show. I am one of the fans funding the show and I and others like me will continue to do so. I am also able to separate the books from the show like an adult should: they are two completely different entities. to continually harp on “source material” and complain that AB has nowhere left to go is simply to show that you have not delved deep enough into either the books or the show itself to realize that they are not supposed to be the same. AB picks and chooses what he wants from the books at random and it is his choice to do so or not: it’s working well or the show would have folded long ago. They are not the same story, never have been and never will be and I for one love having the two different wonderful stories that we have! i can appreciate them….I will continue to watch and fund and also to pay the dues for the excellence that is TRUE BLOOD!
no complaints here, just fandom!
Several thousand dollars on TB stuff?? LOL, no wonder you have such a pissy attitude- wasted money!
I so do not have any “pissy attitude”. i am a fan of the show, the story and not any whiny fan who just wants things her way. I love the show and if you think it is wasted money, why are you even here? why are you even commenting if you think it is “wasted money”?
This forum asks a question: did you bother to read it or just come here to be insulting and rude?” The reason True Blood will not be cancelled anytime soon” is NOT because of fans like you, it’s because of the fans like me who love the show and spend our money on it.
I found True Blood the drink for sale yesterday on a store shelf….due to fans like me it is being sold in more and more places!
I will continue to buy any thing i want to buy concerning True Blood….and honey!…that’s what makes the world go round and tv shows stay on the tube.
You actually think you are funding True Blood. Honey, that is just extra money in their pocket as they have a very low-budget. HBO execs deposit that money earned from online merchandise in their bank accounts as well as Alan’s and the people who designed the items listed there. HBO also pockets the money from the DVD sales.
“I so do not have any “pissy attitude”. i am a fan of the show, the story and not any whiny fan who just wants things her way. ”
That’s funny! You have the same attitude everywhere you go to post.
This one really lives in a fantasy land that includes constantly living in a true blood world and nothing else. It’s actually quite sad….
This is such a delusional line of thought from some fans who first complain and moan and groan about the deviations from the “sacred text” to the screen then say how horrible the show is and that they are in the MAJORITY of fans opinions: you are NOT the majority. just because you run all these “tween-age” polls that let you vote a dozen times a day (teenyboppers have the time to do such foolish things, grownups work and occasionally pop into forums to read and post!) and so many of your comments are so very critical of one of the most acclaimed producers ever on any hit show(S): Alan Ball, why do you even bother to watch if it bugs you so much? believe me, there are way more than enough of the rest of us to keep the show financially solvent and viewership high. when you continue to compare this show with soap operas, deviating too far from the books, etc etc etc on to ad nauseum it just simply sounds like you have no real reason to watch. yet you do…..???
AS is not the lead male role and he never will be. SM is the LEAD MALE ROLE and he always will be. I like book Eric much better than TB Eric but they are both boring as all get out to me. and to many others. THAT is exactly why he will never get the lead role: boring! That is also why the much screamed for ” shower scene, exactly as written in the books” was so lacking in heat that it snowed. He has NO chemistry with Sookie at all, he’s even said he had trouble making those scenes himself as he thinks of Anna as a sister so no blame for the coldness of that portion of the show goes to anyone but him, and him alone. He could not act with his “sister”. Y’all really need to get a life if this is the best you can do to criticize one of the most popular television shows to ever show on the screen. your little minds will never expand enough to appreciate the whole story: and it is not all about Eric. ha ha ha ….you will not be missed if you find the courage of your convictions and stop watching….bye! move over and let the true fans watch happily!
Look, no one is telling you to stop enjoying the show. So why should those who are not satisfied stop expressing their opinion?
It goes both ways. If you have nothing to actually add to the discussion other than telling people to shut up, maybe you should not bother at all.
As for Eric, again if he’s not amongst your favourites, that’s totally fine. But to say that he couldn’t be the lead male because he’s boring as if that’s a proven fact is just laughable, especially since your whole argument is about the show’s popularity validating Ball’s work. Because if we talk popularity, Eric is BY FAR the most popular character. That’s pretty much a fact, with plenty of evidence to support it.
Bill is the lead because he was at the start and contracts plus AB’s preference combine to dictate that he remain so, even when it requires extreme bending of the show’s own mithology and consistency (but that’s another issue). He’s certainly not a lead because audiences love him and/or find him compelling above all other characters. You’re free to find him as interesting as you like, but it’s still just an opinion and it’s no more or less delusional than any of those expressed here.
” Because if we talk popularity, Eric is BY FAR the most popular character. That’s pretty much a fact, with plenty of evidence to support it. ”
you have absolutely NO PROOF or evidence of that other than your teeny bopper “vote ten times a day polls”. Eric is by far NOT the most popular character.
In fact, sales of his items alone do not support the show as much as those of Bill and Sookie and Laffy and Alcide and the other supporting characters: this show is not made up of just one actor. He is simply a supporting character just like most of them are; a small piece of the whole.
Your points are nothing more than made up fanfiction, he could leave tomorrow and most of the viewing audience would clap their hands and stay! But, he is a part of the story, just a part, so i prefer he stay and be Bill’s subject. ha
Yeah, I’m sure if Eric left the show most of the audience would “clap their hands” in utter joy…
I’m also sure sheer number of youtube fan videos/comments/views, fan questions and reception at comic con, quantity of fanfiction, number of dedicated blogs/tumblrs/sites, him being used by HBO as a main marketing tool, way above any other “supporting” character, NONE of this does in any way support my claim.
And I didn’t even mention “teeny bopper polls”, even though he does win all of those too LOL.
Trixie,
Just another troll looking to start trouble. Save your breath!! This one posts all the anti-anythingbutbill everywhere. Trust me, it’s better just to ignore!!!
It might not seem like it to some but True Blood has really penetrated greatly into the popular culture… True Blood was on the air before Twilight released and I believe that True Blood has a huge part in bringing vampires at the front and center of pop culture.
Game Of Thrones merely emulated such a feat that True Blood had already achieved in terms of fan appreciation and anticipation. Agreed, Game Of Thrones really went to a whole new frequency, but True Blood is not too far back in the spectrum.
It is still very much a top show for HBO (look at the HBO shows right and you will come to the conclusion too) and as the writer of this article said, it drives subscription and really is part of today’s HBO Brand.
I don’t know how many books there are in the series, but I had not really even thought of the end of True Blood until I read this article. I am sure that it will go on for a few more seasons at least.
Thank you for being a supporter, it’s really refreshing.
I certainly have to agree with what Serena and others have said about there being no source material left. Alan Ball has so twisted and turned his characters and his plot lines that some stories from the source material simply cannot be done now.
And I will make no apologies for being a book reader. Charlaine Harris was a best selling author before TB was ever thought of. And the reason for it was because her books were entertaining. They were the right combination of romance, drama, supernatural, and fun. I have never thought that TB had to be word for word from the books, but why go so much away from what was already proven to be a good thing?
Change it a little I can see, but make it unrecognizable and frustrating to the watcher was not the way for him to go.
And what he has done to Sookie? He has taken her from a brave, almost fearless girl with a good head on her shoulders to a brain washed, blood addict who doesn’t see anything clearly anymore.
But I guess we have to give Alan Ball some credit. He has managed, after all, to make at least a small part of the audience believe Bill Compton is a hero. And that is quite an accomplishment after what we know about Bill Compton.
TB has at least 2 more years left in it, and who cares of the vampires are getting a little older, LOL. This is a fantasy show, it’s not real, and no one cares of Stephen or the rest of the vamp actors are getting old, we still want to see them.
And Stephen has done a great job as Bill this year. I agree with the other posters in saying his role has just gotten better and better, he truly is the male hero/star of this show.
And the show has veered away from the books since the very beginning of the run, you bookies need to get over it. AB can do anything he wants with it, and he has so far. Especially showing us how bad the E/S pairing could be, and boy was it bad.
“And Stephen has done a great job as Bill this year. I agree with the other posters in saying his role has just gotten better and better, he truly is the male hero/star of this show.”
And yet he’s still not as popular as Eric’s character. AB could have Bill save children from burning orphanages, help old ladies across the road and adopt three legged kittens and most viewers still won’t buy the Bill Compton hour.
I have no beef with SM – he’s done fine as bill.
BC is a hero. I know right? I mean if I had to recommend a suitor to my best friend Bill would be right up there at the top of the list. Lets see; allowed Sookie to be beaten for his mission and fe her his blood the effects of which he never explained fully, withheld info from sookie regarding his real reason for being in town, drained her in the back of a truck (held a hand over her mouth so she couldn’t scream)…..there’s more great stuff but you get my drift. Yeah totally hero material.
LOL there’s not that many posters here agreeing with you on the wonderfulness of BIll.
If you look at the “who should die” article, the poll has Bill in the lead by a large margin at almost 60%!
In fact, I understand how Bill fans would love the show, it’s basically aimed at them… for everybody else, there’s A LOT to criticize, whether your a book reader or not.
I have never seen anyone compare Bill to Tony Soprano. LOL Wow. That’s a new level of delusion.
I’m speaking of the fascinating character portrayals, not that the characters are the same – oh, never mind, it’s too much effort to explain.
TB is a wonderful show, with all the violence, sex, crazy plot lines and bloody baths. This show is Alan Ball – and thanks all that is holy and unholy for that! I love the craziness and the silliness, and the moral issues and the political viewpoints and the social commentary. I love the actors. They are such a talented bunch, and so well matched to their characters.
I am glad CH has had such an amazing success with her novels, and I am not the least bit interested in reading them, nor do I care how closely or not Alan Ball & Co. follow them.
I am happy with the production the way it is. Of course not 100% of the time, but nothing’s perfect. I am on the edge of my seat every episode.
I find the Bill Compton character riveting. He is more complex, complicated, conflicted, and fascinating than any male character since Tony Soprano, and even more than he was!
I would like S5 and 6. After that, I think the aging of the vampires, as well as the cast hoping to spread their wings in other directions, might prompt the show to close shop, and that will be OK. Trying to “follow” books when the show is not chronologically up to the events of the books is problematic, and I see no reason to do that. The show has a life of its own, and many, many viewers are very happy with that.
Those who love the SSN should surely recognize by now that this show will diverge from the books and take its own path. No one other than the creator has insight into how the show will continue.
I know I speak for a large number of TB fans when I say we would like the show to go on for at least two, and hopefully three seasons. And we will be watching our DVDs for years to come!
seriously, you seem to lure around on Eric centric sides and then you go to this side to troll around, your name says enough about it… and all your explanations why you love the show are just lol worthy…
troll? I don’t know what that is and I don’t care. I stated my love for the show and my favorite character, and you disparage it. That is your right, but it sure is childish and rude.
I go to lots of sites -yes, the word is sites, not sides – and I never hide who I am as you can see by my name. What is your problem? Never mind, I don’t want to know.
Those who post hate for the show should just stop watching, because their comments are so boring.
Mary G
You’re boring, and obvious and predictable, much like Beehl.
I think that people who are focused on the books fail to see what is being presented on True Blood. I have read the books and I don’t find them to be that good, to me the tv series is much better.
I agree with you that Bill is the most complex character on True Blood, and also my favorite.
I think people must realize that book Bill and book Eric are not the same characters on True Blood.
That said I think they are moving away from the books, maybe using the same names as the books but giving them different characteristics and plot lines. Which is great because at this point no body knows what is going to happen.
I do realize that ook and show characters are different, and so do most people here.
In fact it makes me laugh when people say that those who dislike TB Bill are just influenced by the books, because personally I don’t mind Book Bill, while TB Bill Is incredibly irritating to me.
I never liked the TV character and I didn’t read the books since season 3.
I’m not a book purist and I was prepared to enjoy True Blood as a separate entity from the books, which I had already done for the first 3 years anyway…
Still, I feel the show started to lose it in season 3 and went completely off the rails in 4. For me the issue is not the lack of faithfulness but the lack of a coherent vision, internal consistency and organic character development.
I’m still here writing this stuff because I used to really love this show and I’m sad that I don’t anymore. And what’s worse I’m afraid It’s not going to get better, though I still wish it will, as much as it’s realistically possible.
So what is it that makes you dislike the show now? How can you say there hasn’t been character development?. All the main characters have changed based on their experiences. Why do not see a coherent vision, just because it doesn’t follow the book doesn’t mean there isn’t a coherent vision. Perhaps the character that has been left to dangle so to speak is Tara.
I would suggest watch what they are presenting, and try to leave to preconceptions behind. All the characters on TB are on a journey, not just Sookie like in the books.
I have to laugh and shake my head at the ones of you who think ANYTHING other than DVD sales, merchanise sales and an almost 6 million person constant viewership around the world means less to the HBO executives than your bitching and moaning! Remember this….money talks and bullsh*t walks! What do you think these people are in ‘business’ for? And Alan Ball [critically acclaimed writer/producer/director] did not sign a contract so he could tell someone else’s story or not have creative control. He likes Bill Compton. Therefore, Mr. Ball’s True Blood is going to center around the character HE is most interested in. So here’s the bottom line: if you don’t like True Blood, then don’t watch it. Go back to your precious books and hope that Charlaine Harris ends her series the way you want her to end it. I wouldn’t hold my breath thinking that True Blood and Alan Ball will ever give you what you want. And I wouldn’t think that a few small bits of wailing & gnashing of teeth is going to sway the title wave of enormous revenue that HBO is gleaning from True Blood. Most of you have been disappointed season after season after season. Season 5 will be no different.
‘Put up or shut up’ may be your motto but it sure isn’t mine.
I’ll continue to watch – and grade, moan, bitch, rant, rave and also praise where I see fit.
True Blood, AB & Co., as well as the SSN are not above criticism.
Sales may be up, ratings may be on par, but the quality of the show and the writing has been less than stellar and I have no qualms about voicing my opinion on it.
If you think that the fallout from S4 was “a few small bits of wailing & gnashing of teeth” then you have not been paying attention. Where previously TB had critical aclaim and alot of affection from critics for its dark but frothy vibe, it got summarily slammed by the same critics who previously praised it. They no longer felt it was popcorn for smart people. Just popcorn, over salted which made you feel slightly sick afterwards.
I love the books but I did not expect a translation verbatim, infact I love some of the things AB did to freshen the story up (the additon of Lala and Jess and the wonderful changes to the characters of Russell and Franklin to name a few). But the clunkly plotting and inconsistent characterisations of S4, not to mention the godawful dialogue ruined the past season. Who in their right mind breaks up with two suitors (who are dressed in matching robes FFS) at the same time. This is TB not frickin Days of our Lives. Its Sookie, Eric and Bill, not Marlena and Roman/Hope and Bo. We are supposed to be rooting for Sookie. Instead most fans couldn’t care less, don’t want her paired with their favourite man, and many just want to smack her one. When most fans don’t give a hoot about the main heroine/anit-heroine, its time to call it quits.
I get that you think TB is still the sh*t. Good for you, but that doesn’t mean that those of us who invested alot of emotional time and energy, not to mention our money don’t have a valid opinion. Lets see how S4 DVD/Blu Ray sales go compared to the last three. I will be very surprised if there isn’t a drop in sales.
And for the record, AB might like Bill Compton, but most fans just ain’t buying it. If he wants to turn it into the Bill Compton Hour, he can do so. I’m not interested in that story myself.
The worst part of season 4 was the Sookie / Eric hook up because they made it extremely cheesy. That and the whole Hotshot thing was just horrible. I wouldn’t be surprised if the DVD sales go down either, I don’t want to watch that again.
I agree with you Sheldon. I would be very surprised if the DVD/Blue Ray sales were anywhere near previous season sales. I have bought both (and the sound tracks) each year but won’t be doing that this year. I haven’t even been able to re-watch the season on HBOGo as I was so disappointed in it. I think that the actors will fulfill their contracts and then move on to better projects.
I have never understood why Alan Ball paid so much for SVM to totally disregared the books and the characters. He should have just written an original vampire series if he wanted to “comment on universal themes” rather than the growth of the heroine.
There’s plenty of meat left in the story for 2-3 more seasons. Vampire politics appear to finally be getting the attention they deserve, which could lead to using some of the more successful book plotlines (the summit, Victor and Felipe, Freyda). I doubt the cast would be willing to stay after their contracts are up after season 7. Other roles await, and eventually people tire of playing the same thing. Also, it’s never wise to run anything into the ground. Going out while you still have creative spark and energy is the best choice–you can finish the series with a bang instead of a whimper.
I think this foreshortened run would mesh well with the book series ending. Harris has two more books planned (12 and 13). Book 12 is scheduled to arrive in May 2012, and book 13 in May 2013. If the show runs seven seasons, the last book will come out about 6 months before filming begins on the final season of the show. Then the two can end in the same place. This avoids having a huge divergence between the show and the books. Small changes are OK, but having Sookie become a vampire on the show, while she remains human in the novels, or other such changes, would stretch the gap between show and books too far.
I disagree that the show would run out of plot, as some argue, because they borrowed from future book storylines. The books are extremely plot-heavy, so there’s plenty to choose from. In fact, if the show runs roughly half as long as the series (7 seasons to 13 books) the problem will be choosing what to cut. But there’s plenty of filler in the later books that could be condensed to make intriguing dramatic arcs. The later books are much less narratively contained than the earlier ones, and there’s lots of repetition of similar plots (Sookie being targeted by vengeful relatives, kidnapping, Fae politics). Instead of doing these storylines multiple times, it would be more dramatically interesting to do them once, well.
So far the series has done a good job of weaving a coherent, compelling narrative from the book series. They have sacrificed plot and minor characters for drama and character development for major players like Eric, Sookie, Pam, Bill, and Jason. Frankly, I’m glad. The huge cast of the novels just wouldn’t translate well to TV. If anything, I wish they’d remove more characters and spend less time on the smaller parts. While I despise Bill, his evolution from romantic hero to ambivalent villain is fascinating. Eric is on a similar, but opposite, path. Watching the two arcs intersect is intriguing. I look forward to the next few seasons.
I have to disagree on the vampire summit coming in to play on TB. What would be the point of Sookie attending this summit? No one wants her for her telepathy on TB – not since she helped Eric uncover Longshadow’s theft. Unless they’re inviting Sookie to be the meal at an all-you-can-eat fairy blood buffet, they’ve already negated any reason for this story to appear on television.
Such a shame, too, because it was a great part of the book series
ITA it was a very entertaining part of the series. I’m just not sure why this plot line is closed off now. Sure, Sophie Anne “invited” Sookie along in the books. But she’s not the only vampire monarch left, nor the only one who knows about Sookie’s gifts. Russell, king of Mississippi, was just dug up at the end of season 4. Denis O’Hare has already hinted that Russell is coming back with bigger plans than revenge. He may want to USE Sookie to further his own, anti-Authority agenda. She is telepathic, can shoot light bolts from her hands, and tastes incredibly good. These are all assets that Russell, who likes to collect things and people, might value.
I’m not saying it’s going to play exactly like the book summit. It may not even be called a summit, for all I know. But a meeting of prominent vampires, where Sookie and Eric realize they have persistent feelings for each other, much about vampire politics is revealed, and that ends in an act of anti-vampire terrorism, is something I could easily see occurring in season 5 or 6. Nothing in the TB universe rules that out.
I actually believe that we may be expecting too much, too soon from show Sookie. By book 11, Sookie has earned a lot of supe respect and her talents are valued. But at the end of book 4, Sookie wasn’t much more respected than her show alter ego. She’d spent book 3 finding Bill and book 4 shielding Eric and helping in the witch war. Neither book used her gifts much. It isn’t until later books that she came into her own.
Not since Longshadow?! Are you kidding me?! I guess she didn’t use her powers while at the Fellowship of the Sun church, huh? And people are forgetting WHY there hasn’t been an emphasis on her psychic powers . . . They are more focused on her Faerie Powers! It’s like people are not even paying attention to the show anymore and just filling in their own shows.
I stand corrected Patrick. You’re right, she did use her telepathy (not psychic powers, however) when she went to the FOTS church in S2. But you have to admit the show does not use her telepathy consistently.
BOOK SPOILERS
I just think they burned a big bridge when they killed QSA in order to elevate Bill. Sookie attends the vampire summit in Rhodes at her request/demand because the Queen wants to do business with humans, and Sookie’s telepathy will be useful to determine their honesty. I personally dislike the fairy blood/day walking angle the show has cooked up, since I believe it reduces Sookie to a walking blood soda fountain. She doesn’t have fairy powers in the books, and forgive me, but I prefer it that way. In fact, that’s the whole point of the books – a human woman navigating the supernatural world.
Up to this point, HBO has not gone the route of most other networks and milked their most popular series bone dry. None of their drama series have gone on for more than six seasons, and it’s a good thing they haven’t. Anywhere past there is getting into dangerous territory, as it’s really difficult for a drama series to stay compelling that long into it’s lifespan. Just because True Blood COULD go on for a long time, doesn’t mean it SHOULD. Just look at Showtime and Dexter. Most agree that the show is a shadow of it’s former self at this point, and they’re still gonna do at least two more seasons. It’s ruining the legacy that the first four seasons built up. You really want the same thing to happen to True Blood, especially considering the fact that even it’s hardcore fans have been disappointed with the recent seasons? Now personally, I think the show has always been terrible, but even so, HBO doesn’t need to keep it around for a long time, nor should they. My guess is they end it with the sixth season, and I sincerely hope I’m right. They’ve always known when enough was enough, I hope that doesn’t change with True Blood.
I agree, more examples: House, X Files, Grey’s Anatomy.
I don’t think TB will have more than 6 seasons, this is how HBO rules with the shows. If i’m correct both Sex & The City and The Sopranos’s latest seasons had been separated in 2 parts. I remember S&TC season 5 aired in two different parts so it could look to the viewer as a possibile season 6. I’m not sure but i think they did the same with The Sopranos.
I think it’s good to put an end when the show is still good, like AB did with Six Feet Under.
Agree with the most of the posts above… after S4 disaster I don’t think that viewing figures will be the same as last year for S5… and S5 will be crucial for the show’s future … they messed up with the source material beyond repair and if they don’t pay attention to the hard core fans and tie loose ends (which is going to be almost impossible task) it will be over sooner than later….it’s a great shame IMO as it had a great potential to be one of the greatest shows ever. I so envy George RR Martin books fans and it makes me angry and sad that SVM fans didn’t get the same
I’d also have to raise the point of Alan Ball’s Executive Producer contract, which when renegotiated last year, was for Season 5 only. While I personally would be happy to see him go as TB show runner, I’m not sure that the show will continue without him. Particularly if S5 doesn’t deliver the viewer numbers HBO wants to see.
Of course, I think the show has plenty of current writer/producers to take his place, so it’s highly likely the show will continue beyond S5. They will face the problem of the vampire actors aging, as was pointed out already, not to mention the already unhappy legion of book fans who were less than thrilled to see the most beloved book of Charlaine Harris’ Sookie Stackhouse novels butchered on their television screens in S4.
I believe S5 will be make or break for True Blood. I’m mostly watching in the same way people can’t help but rubberneck at an accident on the highway. But I will easily turn away if they can’t produce a storyline that makes sense – not just shock and awe for the sake of shock and awe. And I don’t think I’m alone. It’s the serious fans of TB who maintain websites, twitter accounts, Facebook postings, and buy DVD sets. I own the first three seasons of TB on DVD, but I’m not buying S4. Hopefully HBO will get the message in their wallets and force Alan Ball to right the ship. But I’m not counting on it.
the main problem of the show is that Alan ball seems to think the show is based on the Bill Compton chronicles, its all about his redempition, and that has become so nauseauting… sick to see that all the time, and other integral characters from the book series like sookie, Eric and Pam have to suffer from this, just the picture with Bill in the article annoys the hell out of me, I never had a big problem with book Bill, but AB obsession with him and him getting glorified all the time has ruined the show for me, that and that the storylines have become ridicolous and pointless… and hated characters like Tara won’t ever get killed off…
you could just stop torturing yourself and stop watching. i mean, if you actually have the credentials to say the things you are stating as facts then you should not even be watching.
apparently you believe you are so MUCH BETTER than Alan Ball at writing the TV STORY that you think it should be EXACTLY LIKE THE BOOKS. that’s not what made it the super show that it is….AB’s vision is genius and that has been corroborated by his many offers and his career.
I doubt seriously if you could write this show and maintain 5 million plus viewers per episode! if you could, you’d have the contract!
too bad so many fans cannot see beyond the tips of their noses to understand that the books and the show are TWO DIFFERENT STORIES and that’s the way it ALWAYS is. personally, i think differently and my opinion is just exactly what the majority of fans think. that’s why it’s the most popular show on tv.
Eric is a dud. He is not the be all and end all of TB. thank God! the story is about MANY characters and it’s popularity is proof of that!
Not everyone thinks Alan Ball is an amazing genius who can do no wrong. He can be critiqued like any other writer.
And no one here said the show has to be EXACTLY like the books. So not sure what your point is.
The show has not been critically acclaimed since season 1, and has been criticized on an increasing number of issues that have NOTHING to do with the damn books.
The idea that the only reason someone could be upset about TB is because they’re fanatical book fans who can’t separate the two mediums is simply ridiculous.
Oh and seriously, in a world where the kardashians are a tv success I’m afraid using viewership as a proof of quality just doesn’t work.
in a show of vampires, who are not supposed to age, most of the cast of vampires will have to use too much “botox”, very soon, besides the cast has a contract for more 2 years, so I think very likely to have a sixth season but after that, will have to have contract negotiations with most of the actors, which is not always easy, besides someones may not want renovate even with a substantial increase in pay.
THE SHOW WILLL LAST 7 SEASONS! Stephen said it in a interview at chelsea .
He said that every actor signed for 7 seasons but alexander skargards who signed for 6 seasons will do reapparence by freelance (paid episode by episode out of the contract).
So my bets it is that they will go on until season 6 and then sookie finally manages to stay out of vampire drama at season 7 and hooks up with let’s say sam .and that also goes wrong.
Then if alex said he probably do an apparence on freelance(a episode) after his contract(6 seasons) ..
I bet he comes with a new progeny and kills sookie so they can watch the sun or something dark(an messed up).
I mean they have been awfull with sookie.They made her unlikeable to viewers for a reason.
She was likeable when she was at the pilot.
Allan likes the whole nirvanna thinghy peace after ·hell·(which for him it’s earth).
Stephen recently said that probably the show will have 6 season because this is how HBO works.
7 years including the first year of production=6 seasons.
They all have the same contract right now, even Joe Manganiello (who actually had been optionated after season 3 for 5 more years with HBO, well past the 7 years they all have)
“This isn’t to say that the show hasn’t severely deviated from it’s source material”
Lol. I think that is actually a bit of an understatement at this point. I tend to think of the show more as (poorly written) fan fiction now, rather than any kind of adaptation from the books.
I think the one deviation that has bothered me more than anything is eliminating a character central to the Sookie Stackhouse novels…….the town of Bon Temps! This is supposed to be a southern vampire series, there is nothing “southern” about this show anymore and that was one of the most appealing charms that C.H. brought to sookie world, with the Starship troopers, and this damn “authority” mess I am just over it!
The problem with True Blood is there is no plot. Season 1 was good because there was the underlying mystery about who the serial killer was. Also, the reveals (vampires, shapeshifter, etc.) helped disguise the fact that the characters had no depth and the acting and accents were pretty awful.
I think if Alan Ball had just adapted the books faithfully the way Weiss and Benioff are handling Game of Thrones they would have been better for it. What did they gain by deviating so much?
That said, I don’t think True Blood will get canceled any time soon if the ratings stay strong.
I think it will go 2 more seasons.
It makes a lot of money for HBO that will help them with their big, expensive, new projects.
Yeah the show is still popular with vievers, so it may last a few more seasons, but that doesn’t mean much in terms of actual quality.
I mean, people love and keep watching horrible soaps for years and years, but I really don’t think you can get much enjoyment out of TB anymore, if you look for good satysfing storytelling.
It’s an increasingly messy, badly written soap opera with lots of sex and gore, and not much more. A shadow of what it was.
Weird that the ratings are exactly the same as they always are… you’re secretly watching aren’t you Trixie!! I knew it! Didn’t know you were in to badly written soaps! :)
well, I’m italian so I don’t have access to HBO and don’t contribute to the ratings…
I’m not into soaps at all. If I was maybe I’d still love True Blood.
I really loved the fist 2 seasons, especially the second, enjoyed season 3 despite its huge flaws, and REALLY disliked most of season 4. I truly think the show has lost it and it makes me sad because I was so invested in it.
I’ll probably check out season 4 out of curiosity but I’m not anticipating the show like in previous years. In fact I’m kind of dreading it because it’s so frustrating to see all that potential go to waste.
I meant “check out season 5” obviously LOL
After the major Hot Mess of Season 5, the only reason I kept HBO was for Game of Thrones and Boardwalk Empire. If all I watched on HBO was True Blood, I would have canceled it after the season finale.
Of course, my love for Alexander Skarsgard’s acting style of playing my favorite character, has me teetering back on and forth about watching. Although, what I have read just from the casting calls alone makes me want to throw in the towel, too many cast members that don’t amount to anything at all and are not really needed. True Blood has become way too predictable, almost everything that happened last season was predicted by a lot of people.
“It’s an increasingly messy, badly written soap opera with lots of sex and gore, and not much more. A shadow of what it was.”
^Word!^ I watched Season 1 when it was being re-aired before Season 2. I was a faithful viewer during Seasons 2, 3, and 4. But after the mess that was Season 4, I personally will NOT be tuning in for Season 5.
I agree Trixie. And Jacob, I did watch last season because I foolishly hoped they would do the amnesia/witch war justice. They descimated it, so much so that I cancelled HBO immediately after the season. So, there’s one viewer less next season.
My biggest complaints with True Blood versus SVM books are: 1) lots of plot holes/inconsistencies. For instance, the effectiveness of silver on the vamps, Sookie’s magic fingers of fail, etc. 2) Too many characters…too much focus on characters that should be minor characters which makes the major character plot lines weaker as a result. 3) Sookie is now a character that I have NO respect for anymore, and considering she’s supposed to be the main character, really just ruin the show. Her forgiveness of Bill was way too quick (only 10 days for her since she found out of his deceit) especially after she didn’t show much anger towards him.
I totally agree Tabi
As much as I love watching Alexander Skarsgard, I’m sick of the piss poor writing and butchering of characters from AB and Co.
I don’t expect the show to quit after S5 or even S6 if there is one. I do think the ratings are going to drop this year and I think the quality is going to keep dropping as well. I definitely think True Blood’s glory days are over, and it is down hill from here.
The only thing is, the show has made a lot i(f not the majority) of the remaining books irrelevant.
* SVM spoilers *
For example SophieAnn doesn’t die until the 8th book and on TB they killed her at the beginning of S4. Her hiring of Sookie using her telepathy is now out the window (so books 6 and 7) and then her subsequent death which led into arc where another regime came into power which is then followed by political struggles that Sookie and Eric have to deal with. (Books 8, 9, 10, 11). All that is gone now with Bill being Queen. There is also no blood bond between Sookie and Eric that they were forced into by SophieAnn’s minion, and that was a major aspect of their relationship for several books. There is also the fact Eric recovered his memories in S4 when he doesn’t recover them until Book 8 or even discuss what happened until the 9th book. All the things that made Sookie and Eric’s relationship compelling in the remaining books is gone. There are few things I see them bringing in from the books, the packmaster contest, the evil fairies torturing Sookie, maybe even Niall, but they’re all small footnotes in comparison to what has been Balled.
The show just does not care about the source material. True Blood really only cares about shock and awe and I think that can only last for so long before people start tuning out if they haven’t already.
Yeah I guess I should have realize that the point about source material is more or less irrelevant (and the thing I know least about since I haven’t read the books).
I guess what Im trying to say is they COULD go on if they wanted but if hardcore fans like you, Serena don’t want it.. maybe I’m way off base!
My solution would be to start killing people ala George RR Martin style.. THAT would be entertaining no? Instead they bring on more literally and figuratively immortal characters to muddy everything up. The first seasons were so great because you got to know the 4-5 “main” characters and loved them or hated them.. but now its just a sea of people I’ve only known for 1 or 2, sub-par seasons. I say start killing people in awesome, touching, painful ways!
New Blog post idea! True Blood Season 6–Written and Directed by George RR Martin
A solution could be actually following the books, huh? But it seems it’s a little bit too late for that.
so your reply to this poster seems to go about 100% in the other direction of the original blog post. the source material point was a strong one until you admitted it was an invalid point, and for people like me who like the show but don’t bother to read the books, it’s discouraging to hear. i wouldn’t mind if they decided that season 5 would be the last, but it was encouraging as a fan of the *show* to hear some solid reasons why they may not cancel it…having one major reason taken away, the only thing left is all the money HBO makes on the show. seems that could take a nosedive rather quickly if there’s little left in the way of mythology to give to the viewer of the series, from the books.
I’m a bookie, and I love the books and the show as separate artistic visions. Both are wholly entertaining to me. The bookies who are most vocally objecting to TB are the hardcore Eric fans. Even Charlaine Harris has admitted that fans are sometimes reading into her books things that she hasn’t written.
That being said, Alan Ball has changed up the story, and understandably so. He has to produce something that translates well to TV and can be told from multiple character viewpoints. The books are first person point of view narration. Listening to Sookie’s inner thoughts for an entire episode does not make for compelling story telling on a visual medium.
Alan Ball also has his own interpretation of the novels, as do many readers. One of the most compelling aspects of Charlaine Harris’s writing is how she turns a phrase that can be interpreted in many ways. Compound that by unreliable narrator bias in Sookie’s point of view, and it’s fathomable to see how people can come away with many different interpretations about her characters and plot.
Finally, I think Alan Ball is steering his vision in a different thematic direction. He is tackling much more universal questions and sacrificing his characters and plot to the development of those themes. Charlaine Harris’ novels are much more focused on social issues and on the development of her characters, and mainly on her heroine’s coming of age story.
I don’t think HBO would be interested in selling a heroine’s coming of age story, so Alan Ball has played his cards well. And Charlaine Harris has also played her cards well. Her readers love Sookie and her adventures. Alan Ball did.
Completely agree Serena.