"True Blood" Review and Interview with Creator Alan Ball

Photo credit: HBO

Genre lovers, rejoice! There's some new blood in town, and he's bringing a hell of a lot of baggage with him.

This Sunday HBO premieres True Blood, a hotly-anticipated new vampire series from Alan Ball, who of course broke new ground for gay visibility and overall existential angst with the brilliant Six Feet Under (after nabbing an Oscar for his American Beauty screenplay). And while overall Blood is considerably breezier than the trials of the Fisher clan, Ball infuses his fang opera with plenty of the juicy complications and complex characters that we've come to expect from him.

The series, based on the Southern Vampire Mystery novels by Charlaine Harris, is set in an alternate present where vampires, who have lived secretly among us for centuries, have decided to "come out" after Japanese doctors perfected a synthetic blood for them, meaning that they no longer need to feed on humans. (I don't know why the fact that the doctors were Japanese is significant, but there ya go.)

Now that vamps can survive on TruBlood (available now at a mini-mart near you!), they want to assimilate into human society and enjoy all the rights that humans do. But their newly public presence also introduces a host of complications ... some expected, some not. Yes, people are leery of vampires, for obvious reasons. But vampire blood is also a potent drug for humans, acting like a mix of ecstasy and Viagra, leading to the rise of "Fangbangers", humans who get off on sex with vampires. The emergence of an entirely new underground culture runs parallel to the surface, where vampires just want to get along and lead normal non-lives.

Enter Sookie Stackhouse (Anna Paquin), a roadhouse waitress with a perky ponytail and the best-fitted bra south of the Mason-Dixon line. (Seriously, gravity-defying.) A bit of an outsider because she can hear people's thoughts and doesn't really like what that gives her access to, she also is the target of much suspicion from locals who think she's either a witch, mentally disabled or just plain nuts.

When Sookie's small town gets its own vampire, Bill Compton (Stephen Moyer), she learns that she can't hear his thoughts, and the unexpected quiet proves irresistible, as do his dark good looks and old soul.

And, honestly, Sookie could use some peace and quiet. Her world is loud, colorful, and not shy on disappointment and drama. Her brother, Jason (the impossibly gorgeous and often quite nude Ryan Kwanten), is a nymphomaniac with no sense of responsibility. Her parents are dead, and her grandmother is kind but looks like she needs a great deal of help and attention. Her boss, Sam Merlotte (Sam Trammell) is clearly in love with her and her best friend Tara (Rutina Wesley) can't keep a job because of her sassy mouth.

Photo credit: HBO

And then there's Lafayette Reynolds. Lafayette (Nelsan Ellis) is the fry-cook at Merlotte's and works the highway construction crew with Sookie's brother. He also wears makeup and sometimes women's clothing, and makes equal-opportunity passes at about everyone who catches his eye.

But he'd also be able to kick the ass of about anyone who crosses his path.