Advertising

The Seattle Times Company

NWjobs | NWautos | NWhomes | NWsource | Free Classifieds | seattletimes.com

The Seattle Times

Television


Our network sites seattletimes.com | Advanced

Originally published Friday, November 21, 2008 at 12:00 AM

Comments (0)     E-mail article     Print view

HBO quenches thirst for girl-meets-vampire stories

Catching the wave of a public fascination with vampires, HBO's "True Blood" has steadily increased in stature to become the cable network's...

The Associated Press

On TV

"True Blood"

Season finale airs at 9 p.m. Sunday on HBO.

NEW YORK — Catching the wave of a public fascination with vampires, HBO's "True Blood" has steadily increased in stature to become the cable network's most popular series since "The Sopranos" and "Sex and the City."

Based on the series of Sookie Stackhouse novels written by Charlaine Harris and starring Anna Paquin in the lead character's role, "True Blood" has grown its Sunday night viewership by 66 percent since its debut in September.

The first season finale airs Sunday, with a second season already in production.

"True Blood" casually imagines a world where vampires, telepathic women and "shape shifters" — people who can assume the shapes of animals — are a part of everyday life in a small Louisiana town. A steamy romance between Paquin's waitress and Bill the brooding vampire, portrayed by Stephen Moyer, stands at the show's center.

The HBO series also benefits from proximity to today's much-anticipated release of the "Twilight" movie (review on Page XX), another spooky drama about a girl and the vampire who loves her. "Twilight" is also based on a literary series.

Alan Ball, who produced HBO's "Six Feet Under," came to the network with the idea of adapting Harris' novels into escapist entertainment.

Ball kept the foreboding darkness expected in vampire stories, spiced up the sex and violence, mixed in humor and explored the theme of outsiders in society, he said.

The novels are centered on Stackhouse, so Ball said he had to develop some of the characters around her to avoid overworking Paquin. Harris is unlikely to mind any artistic licenses; all seven of her Stackhouse novels currently rank in the top 30 of The New York Times paperback fiction best-sellers list.

The fictional genre of women and their supernatural beaus was something new to Ball. Surfing some chat rooms, he's noticed that many women are connecting to the story of Sookie and Bill.

The series averages 6.8 million viewers each week. As is typical for HBO, the viewership is scattered around in-demand viewing and reruns aired at different times during the week. But Lombardo said he's noticed that more people are tuning in for the Sunday episode premieres, a sign of anticipation among fans.

HBO usually spends a big promotion budget to get people to watch the first episode of a new series, and hope enough viewers are satisfied to come back in subsequent weeks. The "True Blood" promotion included some approaches unusual for the network, including setting up fake Web sites and advertising a fake drink called "Tru Blood."

But the series started relatively quietly and has built its audience week-to-week, Lombardo said. Even notable successes like "The Sopranos" grew more slowly, with a big jump coming at the start of the second season, he said.

The series will return for its second season next summer, and HBO is looking to build anticipation by releasing a DVD of the first season before that — unusually early for the network.

Copyright © 2008 The Seattle Times Company

More Television headlines...

E-mail article Print view      Share:    Digg     Newsvine

Comments
No comments have been posted to this article.

advertising

'Bill Moyers Journal' on PBS is a Friday TV pick

Advocacy groups claim victory after Dobbs leaves

'Community' is a Thursday TV pick

CMA Awards: A 'big night' — and not just for traditional country music fans

A new episode of 'Glee' is a Wednesday TV pick

Advertising

Video

Girls Soccer: Mercer Island vs. Glacier Peak
Mercer Island defeats Glacier Peak, 2-1, in a 3A state playoff quarterfinal on Saturday, Nov. 14.

Smash Putt! Miniature Golf
Opening day at Crystal Mountain
Video shows violent arrest by SPD
Fort Lewis Memorial
Highlights: Ken Auletta talks about "Googled"
Seattle International Cabaret Festival
Ken Auletta talks about "Googled"
Medal of Honor
Pelosi answers questions at Swedish Medical Center

Marketplace

nwautos

2009's most fuel-efficient sedansnew
Choosing a new sedan? Weigh the impact of your choice on your wallet and on the planet.
Post a comment

Open Houses

Find this weekend's open house listings.
Or search by location:

 
Most read
Most commented
Most e-mailed
 
 
Advertising