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
"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
E-mail article
Print view Share:
Digg
Newsvine
![]()
'Surviving the Holidays with Lewis Black' on History Channel is a Monday TV pick
'So You Think You Can Dance' tour visits Everett
End of an era: Oprah ending show after 25 years
'Jimmy Kimmel Live!' with 'New Moon' stars is a Friday TV pick
Chastity to Chaz: Bono says sex change 'best decision'

Real Salt Lake wins MLS Cup
Real Salt Lake defeated the Los Angeles Galaxy with penalty kicks after 120 minutes of play at Qwest Field in Seattle.
general classifieds
Garage & estate salesFurniture & home furnishings
Sporting goods
just listed
8 Drawer Dresser with Attached Mirror - $200
8 seat pecon formal dining table and china hutch - $1500
A American Table, Chairs and Bench - $275
More listings
POST A FREE LISTING
shopping
Give yourself a treat and visit Watson Kennedy's Holiday Open Houses
More minding the store
events for Monday, Nov. 23
- Kimberly Baker Jewelry Launch Party
- Bella Umbrella Holiday Sale
- CraftsGiving
- Beyond Threads Outlet Biannual Clearance Sale
editors' picks
More shopping guides- 'The Road' takes Viggo Mortensen to Mount St. Helens and Astoria, Ore.
- Tugboat sinks at Seattle waterfront pier
- Illegal workers quietly let go
- Child-support error costs nearly $21,000
- Vikings easily beat the Seahawks
- Craigslist adoption ad: A plea by young mother-to-be? A scam?
- Chase shrugs off loss of CD investors
- Woman stabbed by stranger in North Seattle
- Snow piles up on Cascade slopes
- Denny Triangle gains skyline, but tenants slow to come
- Illegal workers quietly let go
289 - Climate change speeds up since 1997 Kyoto accord
176 - Vikings easily beat the Seahawks
167 - Palin excitement builds in Tri-Cities
132 - Metro won't cut bus service after all
126 - Historic health care bill clears Senate hurdle
91 - Tattoos at Mill Creek Church pierce skin, soul
72 - Jerry Brewer: Seahawks can't lean on the Hutch Crutch now
66 - UW, WSU once again meet to see who's worse
62 - New Husky recruit: Enes Kanter
55
- Sprouts, raw fish on attorney's 'do not eat' list
- Tattoos at Mill Creek church pierce skin, soul
- Illegal workers quietly let go
- Food-safety lawyer's wish: Put me out of business
- Rediscovering Moab, 'the most beautiful place on Earth'
- It's possible to recover a life lost to hoarding
- Architects, chefs find 'kid' within to build Gingerbread Village
- Child-support error costs nearly $21,000
- 'The Road' takes Viggo Mortensen to Mount St. Helens and Astoria, Ore.
- Taste | The Great Pie Bake-off pits friends and fruit

