subject: Catching Up With "True Blood" on Satellite TV From Texas to Kentucky [print this page] Catching Up With "True Blood" on Satellite TV From Texas to Kentucky
If there's something that summer is good for, it's another season of the delightful HBO thriller "True Blood." For fans who have been bloodthirsty since last season ended, being able to jump back into the game with Eric, Bill, and Sookie is a whole other level of adventure that you wouldn't expect to matter so much during the warmer months. But the fact is that vampires have managed to charm countless HBO viewers, who are flocking to the show in record numbers. And its actors are currently becoming big deals, too, commanding serious crowd presence at events all over the country, and dragging everyone from California to Kentucky right to their HDTV sets to see what lies in store for those unfortunate enough to live in the heart of vampire/werewolf/human country.
There are quite a few things that make "True Blood" a considerably different show, so it's pretty interesting to realize that it has managed to make such a dent in the culture. Whether it's the unconventional story of Eric's maker, Godric, or the drama and struggle between mother and daughter that keeps coming up with Tara, there's always a sub-plot that you're not quite expecting. Of course, fundamental Christians did not go unscathed, as the People of the Sun proved with their vampire-burning tactics. And poor gullible Jason Stackhouse, perhaps the most adorable dumb jock on satellite tv right now, had to not just save his sister and try to take care of his grandmother's house, but also manage with all of the drama that comes when you're sucked into a cult-like situation.
In short, the world of "True Blood" has been an incredibly wild ride from the moment that it came onto screens a couple of years ago. And one of the reasons for this is definitely the fact that there is absolutely nothing else on satellite tv that comes close to resembling what this show is about. It's partially a campy soap opera, Alan Ball will readily admit, but there's a whole lot more to it as well. And since Ball is also responsible for the Oscar-winning "American Beauty," as well as for the incredible different seasons of "Six Feet Under," it's worth nothing that he is self-aware enough to realize that the material sometimes veers into the world of the cheesy.
But for all of that, "True Blood" is a whole lot more than just filler. With its incredibly reverent portrayal of down-home Southern life, it brings a new energy to the concept of making Southern Gothic art, while it also does an amazing job at working with an ensemble cast, lest you start to get sick of all of the different stories rotating around a main character. In short, it's funnier, smarter, and sexier than a whole lot of the other content on satellite tv, and die-hard viewers can only hope that it manages to be as great in its latest season as it happened to be in the past.
