I have refrained from watching HBO’s True Blood, the Sookie Stackhouse series that was adapted to television by Alan Ball (Six Feet Under) and directly inspired by the novels written by Charlaine Harris because I have not finish reading the series yet. However, my mother and sister are addicted to the show.
As for the TV show, she and I both don’t like the character who plays Eric and thought Sam’s character should have been someone a bit older. So, fans, what say you? How have you enjoyed the series thus far? It seems that True Blood has become a hit with fans and looking over my stats, reviews of Dead Until Dark is a popular post here at my blog as well as Living Dead in Dallas. So share your likes or dislikes about the show now that the season is over. I’m curious. I may watch it after I finish reading the series. Maybe.
{ 20 comments… read them below or add one }
well in the book tara and lafeyette dont know each other.. tara is a store owner and lafeyette works with sookie… i love lafeyette in the hbo series to bad their going to kill him off
i love the hbo series… so i thought if the series is this good the books must be better. to my surprise the hbo series changes alot of things in the book adding characters and mixing the sceens up.…characters like eric(the needy vampire sherif) keep u so interested in both the books and the series while sookie(main character) seems to be clueless on whats going on around her… and bill(sookie’s vampire bf) turns out to be a totally evolving into someone sookie might not want to know in the end.… i am still reading the book series.. so i will see how that turns out.
I just never caught onto the series and YES, I have noticed that the plots on the show are independent of the book. Maybe that’s a good thing.
I have read the whole series and I’m disapointed in how the series is panting out. It’s loosely based on the books this (second) season. They have changed the characters around and added plots where there were none before. On the other hand, I know fans who have read the books and are delighted with how the series is turning out because they don’t “know” what is going to happen next.
I have only seen the HBO series, and just recently heard about the Sookie series. I just wanted to get everyone’s opinion. Since I have seen the series, will that ruin the book series for me? Is it different enough to still be good? Will watching the series give away parts of the book?
@Jill D — I watched the first episode last night. In fact the first two and then went to go read. I don’t know. I didn’t feel the need to watch more. {she said ducking } The acting is ho-hum for me and the guy who plays Bill is alright I guess. I was watching it last night and going why is this so addictive? I haven’t got the bug yet that has bit many of you thus far. The character of Tara — her voice drives me crazy and Jason, didn’t realize he was such a slut. I think Alan Ball amped up that aspect of his character big time. I’m def. sticking with the books. The show has to grow on you and opening credits — don’t like that either.
@Vanessa — almost all of Harris’s books are digital so I do have ‘Grave Sight’ and you’re right the story was very slow-going but I remember being excited to read it at the time. There are just soooo many books to read and maybe I’ll get to it one day.
I just found GRAVE SIGHT on the reminder table at the bookstore! lol. I just need the last book to finish the trilogy. I want to see the H/h get together and just admit that they love each other in more than a brotherly/sisterly way (when they were in their teens they’re parents got married and they became step-siblings.)
I have only read the first book in the series. Keishon, you don’t really need to read the whole series to watch the first episode. The first episode ends where the first book ends. There are quite a few differences between the book and the TV show, but the basic plot says the same.
I have enjoyed both the book and the TV show, but for different reasons. The book is narrated by Sookie, so everything that happens is told solely through her eyes. Sookie becomes very near and dear to the readers heart.
With the TV show it’s a lot different because the story is no longer told through just Sookie’s eyes and more emphasis is placed on the other characters. I found this to be a good thing for the TV show, especially with the addition of Tara and Lafayette’s characters.
As far as the acting goes, I like Anna and Steven as Sookie and Bill. Steven’s accent doesn’t bother me, I actually enjoy the way he talks. So far for me the actor playing Eric seems the least suited for the role. It’s not so much his looks, but more his personality that doesn’t work for me. Of course, everyone will have varing opinions on whether the actors are suited to play the characters.
Overall, I really like Alan Ball’s vision for True Blood. There are so many subtle nuances and humor that I think a person would have to watch each episode more than once to catch everything. Anyway, sorry this was so long winded
I watched the first six or seven episodes, then just got too busy. I’m sure I’ll catch the rest sometime. I hope I like Eric–I’ve only seen him a little so far, and he’s one of my favorite characters in the books.
i dont think of it as sookies show, it is to me, jason;s show, and sookie is just a walk on . i was really disappointee they didnt keep to the books, bur i do watch and like i said, i think of it as nothing to do with books show
Keishon, I think the reason you put down Grave Surprise, is the reason I found it flawed. It was kinda boring on one hand, but on the othr I was very intrigued by the main characters and Harris has a way of writing that just pulls you along.
One of these days, you’ll watch the show, and I’ll rea the books, and we’ll compare notes. It might be easier for me though because I’ve already prepared myself by thinking they’re two separate stories with some characters in common.
@Chelle — thanks for providing feedback on the show! Appreciate it.
@Vanessa Jaye — I have GRAVE SUPRISE in my mountain of books. I remember reading it a long time ago but I put it down for some odd reason. Hey, the way you feel about the TV show is how I feel about the books except it’s the reverse for me! *g*
Keishon I recently read Harris’ GRAVE SURPRISE (I think it’s part of a trilogy, and I want to grab the other books). Why the book had flaws, I really enjoy the author’s voice, so I’m sure you’re right about being hooked on the Sookie books.
Still, I love the show so much I’m not willing to take that chance of spoiling that by reading the books at this point.
I have not finished the book series, but I really enjoyed the first couple I read. I had no idea there was as TV series now. So glad you posted about it! I love the way Harris combines humor and fantasy in the novels–wonder how that translates to TV?
I first bought the books because I am very familiar with Sookie’s territory. For me the setting is an integral part of the story, so I hope the series is set in Arkansas/Texas.
Fist– what a great blog re-model. I read you in a reader so this is the first time I have actually visited in ages and I just love it!
Then, True Blood. I think it’s great. I read Charlaine Harris years ago and in a different country (where her books are still in storage) and I am very happy with the adaptation and with the series. HBO does it right. I am missing the Tanya Huff series that was cancelled and Moonlight and this was a wonderful “replacement” for them, done with a full budget.
And I like the actors.
Thanks for the feedback, guys. Here are my thoughts:
First, I can’t _remember_ Tara from the three books I’ve read thus far. Lafayette I remember well even though his role is somewhat minor in the books and another thing is — will Alan Ball continue his character despite his fate in the series? We’ll have to see.
@Vanessa Jaye — bet you any amount of money that if you read the first book in the series you’ll be hooked.
I Love This Series.
But I couldn’t tell you why. I love the characters and their interactions, and the various keep me intrigue, there’s nothing *obvious* about them (I haven’t read the books, but I’ve got the first 2 or 3 buried in the tbr pile somewhere).
I have not read the first books in this series, but the later books that I read are terrific. The books are well written.
I have been watching the tv series and I find it “interesting”. I think I have gotten use to the Anna Paquin playing Sokie and Stephen Moyer playing Bill. But Moyer need to either work with a dialect coach or drop the accent.
My vision of Eric from reading the True Blood Stackhouse series is someone who is beyond handsome, someone like (excuse me) Fabio, but not as buff. I cringed and shriek from disappointment everytime Eric appears on screen.
The show has an addicting nature even if you don’t like it (like me). I think the casting was terrible. I love Anna Paquin but she seems so fake on the show. I know it might be hard to get into the role but she should have that down pat since she has done paranormal in the X-Men series. Tara has such a large role in the series while I really didn’t notice her much in the first two books (what I have read of the books so far). Jason and Sam where well cast and have done a good job so far. I would have gone another route with Bill, Eric and the female vampire from the club (she seems too old for the role).
Another thing that gets to me are the funky fangs they use. They look quite cheesy. There have been many vampire shows out there that cxould be used as good role models for the costume dept — you would think that they would push those fangs further to the side of their mouth instead of them seeming like buck teeth popping out.
The storyline itself varies. Sometimes the whole episode is naked people running around, other times you have a few halucinations thrown in for variety sake.
With all the criticism I laid out, I still tune in and watch. I tell you it has some weird addicting quality that makes you turn to watch.
Oh, I will say something positive… It does gore well. Very bloody on occasion.
I liked how they stuck fairly closely to the book for the first 2/3 of the season, but not so much how they veered off toward the end — some scenes were changed, some created, some pulled from later books. The actor playing Bill does a very hit or miss southern accent; I wish he’d just stop. Although Tara is completely different from the book version, I find her character interesting. Same with Lafayette.