"True Blood" Returns to HBO!

Set your DVRs…HBO’s popular vampire series True Blood returns for it’s second season tonight at 9:00 p.m. (EST) and whatever you do, you don’t want to miss it.

Based on the Charlaine Harris book series, True Blood follows Sookie Stackhouse, a young waitress with unique gifts (read: she’s telepathic!) who falls madly in love with the gentle vampire Bill Compton. The series also follows an eccentric cast of supporting characters, including: Jason Stackhouse, Sookie’s brother, who (last we saw) was addicted to V (vampire blood); Sam Merlotte, Sookie’s boss who not only is in love with her…but also can shape shift into a dog; and Tara Thornton, Sookie’s best friend, bartender at Merlotte’s and one angry person in general.

True Blood was a surprise hit for HBO. Wikipedia has a great page on True Blood and if you haven’t watched the show, it’s a great place to start. They give an excellent rundown of the first season’s plot.

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From Wikipedia’s entry

“Following the creation of synthetic blood, vampires have progressed from legendary monsters to fellow citizens overnight. Sookie Stackhouse (Anna Paquin) is a telepath and waitress at Merlotte’s in the small Louisiana town of Bon Temps, owned by Sam Merlotte, a shapeshifter–though this secret is kept hidden. One night, Sookie meets Bill Compton (Stephen Moyer), a handsome 173-year-old vampire who has returned to Bon Temps following the death of his last remaining relative. As she cannot hear his thoughts, she finds it easy to be in his company and over the first season, the two become romantically involved.

The main mystery of the first season concerns the murders of women connected to Sookie’s brother Jason (Ryan Kwanten). First Maudette Pickens, then Dawn Green, and Amy Burley, are all strangled shortly after having intercourse with Jason. Though the town sheriff suspects Jason is the killer, Jason and Sookie’s grandmother is murdered shortly afterwards. At the end of the season it is revealed that Drew Marshall, posing as Rene Lenier, boyfriend of Arlene Fowler, is the killer.

In addition to the murders, the first season concentrates on Sookie’s relationship with Bill, and Sam’s relationship with Sookie’s friend, Tara. Bill explains the rules of being a vampire to Sookie and, after he finds himself killing a vampire to defend Sookie, he is forced to sire a young girl as punishment. In the last episode of the season, the new vampire is left with Bill. After Maudette and Dawn’s murders, Jason becomes addicted to vampire blood, “v-juice”, and has a short relationship with another addict, Amy, which ends when she is murdered. At the end of season one, Jason joins the anti-vampire movement and seems to be clean.

The final episode ends with Detective Andy Bellefleur discovering a body in his car.”

Read the complete Wikipedia entry here. Or visit the show’s official website at www.hbo.com/trueblood/.