True Blood facts for kids

Quick facts for kids True Blood
Genre	Fantasy Horror Drama
Created by	Alan Ball
Starring	Anna Paquin Stephen Moyer Alexander Skarsgård Sam Trammell Ryan Kwanten Rutina Wesley Chris Bauer Nelsan Ellis Jim Parrack Carrie Preston Michael Raymond-James William Sanderson Lynn Collins Lois Smith Adina Porter Lizzy Caplan Stephen Root Mehcad Brooks Anna Camp Michelle Forbes Todd Lowe Michael McMillian Deborah Ann Woll Mariana Klaveno Marshall Allman Kristin Bauer van Straten Kevin Alejandro Denis O'Hare Lindsay Pulsipher Lauren Bowles Janina Gavankar Fiona Shaw Jessica Tuck Joe Manganiello Scott Foley Lucy Griffiths Christopher Meloni Valentina Cervi Rutger Hauer Arliss Howard Kelly Overton Robert Patrick Rob Kazinsky Jurnee Smollett-Bell Amelia Rose Blaire Gregg Daniel Aaron Christian Howles Noah Matthews Bailey Noble Nathan Parsons Karolina Wydra Tara Buck
Theme music composer	Jace Everett
Opening theme	"Bad Things" by Jace Everett
Composer(s)	Nathan Barr
Country of origin	United States
Original language(s)	English
No. of seasons	7
No. of episodes	80 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producer(s)	Alan Ball Gregg Fienberg Brian Buckner Raelle Tucker Alexander Woo Nancy Oliver Mark Hudis Angela Robinson
Producer(s)	Bruce Dunn W. Mark McNair Carol Dunn Tussell
Running time	45–64 minutes
Production company(s)	Your Face Goes Here Entertainment HBO Entertainment
Release
Original network	HBO
Original release	September 7, 2008 (2008-09-07) – August 24, 2014 (2014-08-24)

True Blood is an American fantasy horror drama TV series. It was created by Alan Ball. The show is based on a series of books called The Southern Vampire Mysteries by Charlaine Harris.

The story is about Sookie Stackhouse (Anna Paquin), a waitress who can read minds. She lives in a small, made-up town called Bon Temps, Louisiana. The show takes place two years after a special fake blood product called "Tru Blood" was invented. This invention allowed vampires to "come out of the coffin" and show themselves to humans. The series follows vampires as they try to get equal rights and fit into human society. At the same time, groups against vampires start to become powerful. Sookie's life changes a lot when she falls in love with Bill Compton (Stephen Moyer), a vampire who is 174 years old. She has to learn how to deal with the challenges of being close to someone in a world where vampires and humans are still figuring things out.

The show was shown on the HBO cable network in the United States. It first aired on September 7, 2008, and ended on August 24, 2014. There were seven seasons and 80 episodes in total. The first five seasons were very popular and won many awards, including a Golden Globe and an Emmy.

Exploring the World of True Blood

The world of True Blood imagines a time when vampires are real. Most humans didn't know about them until two years before the show began. That's when Japanese scientists created "Tru Blood," a fake blood that vampires could drink instead of human blood. This allowed vampires to "come out of the coffin" and let everyone know they exist. This big reveal, called the "Great Revelation," caused a split among vampires. Some wanted to live peacefully with humans and get equal rights. Others believed that vampires and humans could never truly get along because vampires are naturally predators. Humans also had different opinions. Some thought vampires should be accepted, while others saw them as monsters to be destroyed. As the series goes on, other supernatural creatures appear, like shapeshifters, werewolves, faeries, witches, and a maenad.

The main character, Sookie Stackhouse (Anna Paquin), is a human-faerie mix called a halfling. She works as a waitress at Merlotte's Bar and Grill in Bon Temps, Louisiana. The bar is owned by Sam Merlotte (Sam Trammell), who is secretly a shapeshifter. Other important characters include Bill Compton (Stephen Moyer), a 173-year-old vampire who moves back to his old home. There's also Tara Thornton (Rutina Wesley), Sookie's best friend; Jason (Ryan Kwanten), Sookie's brother; Eric Northman (Alexander Skarsgård), a very old vampire and sheriff; and Lafayette Reynolds (Nelsan Ellis), who works as a cook and is a medium.

The show looks at important real-world ideas. These include the fight for equal rights, how people are treated differently, the power of belief, how the media can influence people, finding out who you are, and why family is important.

Meet the Cast of True Blood

Some of the cast of True Blood at the 2011 Comic-Con.

True Blood has many actors, including main characters and a changing group of supporting characters. Even though the show is set in Louisiana, many actors are from other countries. The creator, Alan Ball, said he didn't specifically look for non-American actors. He just wanted to find the best actor for each role, no matter where they were from. He focused on actors who could make the characters feel real, rather than just looking like the characters from the books. Ball also mentioned that the show's characters and stories are different from the books, but the author, Charlaine Harris, understood this new interpretation of her work.

Main Characters in Each Season

Music in True Blood

Gary Calamar is in charge of the music for True Blood. He wanted the show's soundtrack to sound "swampy, bluesy and spooky." He also wanted to feature musicians from Louisiana. The True Blood soundtrack albums have been nominated for Grammy Awards twice.

Nathan Barr writes the original music for the series. He uses instruments like the cello, guitar, and even a prepared piano. He plays all these instruments himself. The main theme song for the show is "Bad Things" by country music artist Jace Everett. It's from his 2005 album. Both Nathan Barr and Jace Everett won awards in 2009 from Broadcast Music Incorporated for their work on the show's music.

Each episode of the show is named after a song that is played in that episode. These songs are usually heard during the end credits. The title of the song often gives a hint about what will happen in the episode. For example, an episode in season four is called "Burning Down the House". The end credits of that episode feature a cover version of the famous Talking Heads song, performed by The Used.

True Blood on DVD and Blu-ray

The True Blood DVDs have sold very well in the United States. By the end of 2009, the first season DVD had sold over 1.6 million copies. This made over $57 million. It was the only TV show among the top 50 best-selling DVDs of 2009. The second season DVD sold over 1.1 million copies in 2010, earning more than $41 million. The third season DVD was also a top seller in 2011.

The DVDs and Blu-rays often include special features. These can be things like:

• Inside the Episodes: Clips that explain what happened in each episode.
• Backstories: Interviews with the show's writers about how they created the episodes.
• Audio Commentaries: The cast and crew talk about the episodes as you watch them.
• Enhanced Viewing: Extra information like character bios and vampire histories.

How Many People Watched True Blood?

Graph of the US viewing figures of the first three seasons of True Blood.

The first episode of True Blood did not have a huge audience at first, with 1.44 million viewers. However, by late November 2008, about 6.8 million people were watching each week. This number included people who watched repeats or on-demand. The final episode of the first season was watched by 2.4 million people.

The second season started strong on June 14, 2009, with 3.7 million viewers. This made it the most-watched show on HBO since The Sopranos ended. When you include late-night replays, the total number of viewers for the premiere was 5.1 million. The tenth episode of the second season, on August 23, 2009, set a new record with 5.3 million viewers. The second season finale had 5.1 million viewers. On average, 12.4 million people watched the second season each week.

The ninth episode of the fourth season, on August 21, 2011, set another new record with 5.53 million viewers. This was the most-watched episode of the series up to that point. True Blood became HBO's most-watched series since The Sopranos.

Awards and Nominations for True Blood

True Blood won an Emmy Award for its great casting in a drama series. The two main actors also received awards for their performances:

• Anna Paquin won for Best Actress in a Drama at the 13th Satellite Awards for her role as Sookie Stackhouse.
• Stephen Moyer won for Best Actor at the 37th Saturn Awards for playing Bill Compton.

The show also received an American Film Institute Award in 2009 as "One of the 10 Best TV Programs." It was chosen as "Favorite TV Obsession" at the 36th People's Choice Awards. The people who performed stunts in the show were also recognized. They won the Outstanding Performance by a Stunt Ensemble at the 17th Screen Actors Guild Awards.

See also

• The Southern Vampire Mysteries
• List of vampire television series
• Vampire film
• Vampire literature