# "True Blood" - Pilot Leaked - From "Six Feet Under" creator



## Malcontent (Sep 5, 2004)

A DVD screener of the pilot is out on Usenet and Bittorrent.

The show was created by Alan Ball, the guy who made "Six Feet Under" on HBO.

True Blood is television series based on the Southern Vampire
Mysteries books by Charlaine Harris and adapted for television by Alan Ball. The
series is produced by HBO in association with Ball's own production company,
Your Face Goes Here Entertainment.

The show details the fictional co-existence of vampires and humans in a small
Louisiana town after Japanese-made synthetic blood becomes available for
purchase. Anna Paquin stars as Sookie Stackhouse, a telepathic waitress at a
diner who falls in love with one of the vampires, Bill Compton (portrayed by
Stephen Moyer), integrated into her society.


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## mrmike (May 2, 2001)

Malcontent said:


> A DVD screener of the pilot is out on Usenet and Bittorrent.
> 
> The show was created by Alan Ball, the guy who made "Six Feet Under" on HBO.
> 
> ...


O.M.G. These books are fun. If he does a half-decent job I may have to re-acquire my HBO sub.


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## dcheesi (Apr 6, 2001)

Another vampire TV show?!  I mean, I like the genre, but _come on!_ How many of these do we need in the span of a couple years?


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## jwjody (Dec 7, 2002)

I was actually looking for this show last night after I got Fringe. Glad to know it's been leaked.

J


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## rlj5242 (Dec 20, 2000)

dcheesi said:


> Another cop TV show?!  I mean, I like the genre, but _come on!_ How many of these do we need in the span of a couple years?


 Fixed your post.

-Robert


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## dcheesi (Apr 6, 2001)

rlj5242 said:


> Fixed your post.
> 
> -Robert


I never said I liked cop shows 

Seriously, sorry if I thread-crapped, but it just seems like one too many shows in a row using a very similar theme. _Supernatural_ is a genre, like cop shows; this is more specific, like the proliferation of crime-scene forensics shows --except that at least CSI was successful to begin with. AFAICT none of the recent vampire-themed shows have done all that well...? I'm honestly afraid there'll be a burn-out/backlash situation, and we won't see _any_ vampires on TV for a decade or so straight...


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## Mabes (Jan 12, 2001)

Anna Paquin can bite me.


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## pjenkins (Mar 8, 1999)

Mabes said:


> Anna Paquin can bite me.


lol.

looks like an interesting concept, are the books more Interview with the Vampire or more Lost Boys?


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## mrmike (May 2, 2001)

pjenkins said:


> lol.
> 
> looks like an interesting concept, are the books more Interview with the Vampire or more Lost Boys?


D) None of the above. This is a world where vamps are "known", and other supernatural critters co-exist with humans. It's more spec-fic than the usual vampire fare. More like Hamilton's Anita Blake (sans over-the-top eroticism, though she does dabble that way and not all that well) or Kim Harrison's Rachel Morgan books.


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## pjenkins (Mar 8, 1999)

mrmike said:


> D) None of the above. This is a world where vamps are "known", and other supernatural critters co-exist with humans. It's more spec-fic than the usual vampire fare. More like Hamilton's Anita Blake (sans over-the-top eroticism, though she does dabble that way and not all that well) or Kim Harrison's Rachel Morgan books.


hmm, sounds cool, would be interesting to see a different take on the genre...


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## mrmike (May 2, 2001)

pjenkins said:


> hmm, sounds cool, would be interesting to see a different take on the genre...


The books are fairly light fare, heavy on the humour even when people are getting killed (& it's a mystery series so that does happen often). They're one of my airplane bubble-gum series. We'll see how well it translates to the screen.


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## jwjody (Dec 7, 2002)

The southern accents are horrible.

J


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## mwhip (Jul 22, 2002)

jwjody said:


> The southern accents are horrible.
> 
> J


Paquin should be better at it from playing Rogue...oh wait maybe I meant to say they should have known better than to cast her since she has a terrible southern accent as Rogue.


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## cherry ghost (Sep 13, 2005)

mwhip said:


> Paquin should be better at it from playing Rogue...oh wait maybe I meant to say they should have known better than to cast her since she has a terrible southern accent as Rogue.


Maybe they saw her IMDB page and mistakenly thought she was from Baton Rouge.


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## Sacrilegium (Dec 14, 2006)

Oh, no way! I thought they were still casting people. Thanks for the heads up.


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## MasterOfPuppets (Jul 12, 2005)

Mabes said:


> Anna Paquin can bite me.


Hey, if it's vampire-based, then she can suck you.

Everybody wins in that scenario.
:up:


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## jwjody (Dec 7, 2002)

Finished it.

Interesting.

But the bad southern accents is really getting on my nerves.

J


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## FilmCritic3000 (Oct 29, 2004)

I'll give it a watch, even though the source material is atrocious (werejaguars?).


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## Rob Helmerichs (Oct 17, 2000)

I was not at all impressed, but given the quality of the people involved, I'm willing to cling to the hope that it just needs a good hard rework before Fall.


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## mrmike (May 2, 2001)

FilmCritic3000 said:


> I'll give it a watch, even though the source material is atrocious (werejaguars?).


What's wrong with that? Pards are a pretty common skinwalker species. Not every country had wolves.


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## mwhip (Jul 22, 2002)

It was OK but I have a feeling this may be Alan Ball's "John From Cincinnati"


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## atrac (Feb 27, 2002)

It was quite "interesting." Some of the scenes reminded me either of a live play recorded for television or auditions.

By the way, does it really just cut off like that during a crucial scene?


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## mwhip (Jul 22, 2002)

atrac said:


> It was quite "interesting." Some of the scenes reminded me either of a live play recorded for television or auditions.
> 
> By the way, does it really just cut off like that during a crucial scene?


No this is a "pre-air" which is why there are scenes missing and bad edits.

I see what you mean about live TV and I am also getting a heavy "fable" type storytelling vibe.


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## FilmCritic3000 (Oct 29, 2004)

Mabes said:


> Anna Paquin can bite me.


:up: +1


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## LooseWiring (Jan 6, 2003)

Meh, we watched it last night and neither Julie or I cared for it. I do hope there is some serious recasting going on because the show as it stands will get maybe 2 episodes before we give up on it.


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## IDSmoker (Apr 11, 2004)

I *really *hope they recast/rewrite Tara, though I was happy with the way they portrayed Sookie's telepathy as well as her initial fascination with vampires.

It may just be my enjoyment of the books this series is based on, but I think with a little reworking it really has some promise.


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## Sacrilegium (Dec 14, 2006)

IDSmoker said:


> I was happy with the way they portrayed Sookie's telepathy as well as her initial fascination with vampires.
> 
> It may just be my enjoyment of the books this series is based on, but I think with a little reworking it really has some promise.


Ditto. I thought Tara was fine, but I didn't like Lafayette so much.


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## mwhip (Jul 22, 2002)

IDSmoker said:


> I *really *hope they recast/rewrite Tara, though I was happy with the way they portrayed Sookie's telepathy as well as her initial fascination with vampires.
> 
> It may just be my enjoyment of the books this series is based on, but I think with a little reworking it really has some promise.


I read on IMDB that they did recast Tara but I am not sure if it is in the version we saw.


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## FilmCritic3000 (Oct 29, 2004)

mrmike said:


> What's wrong with that? Pards are a pretty common skinwalker species. Not every country had wolves.


I'm not a fan of stories that mix vampires and werewolves.


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## IDSmoker (Apr 11, 2004)

FilmCritic3000 said:


> I'm not a fan of stories that mix vampires and werewolves.


Then you may be even more unhappy when a couple of other regular characters of another sort get introduced, though I don't know what episode they would introduce them in, assuming the series gets made.

I'm specifically referring to:



Spoiler



Sookie's fairy godmother Claudine, and her twin brother, Claude, who is a narcissistic gay stripper! (yes, he's a gay fairy... not that there is anything wrong with that )


There are more revelations in the latest book that touch on this species, but I'll leave it for anyone interested in reading the books to discover them for themselves.


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## crowfan (Dec 27, 2003)

IDSmoker said:


> It may just be my enjoyment of the books this series is based on, but I think with a little reworking it really has some promise.


+1 I have only read the first book, which this episode is clearly based on. I thought the show was good, not great, but hopefully they rework it a little and get it really right. The special effects in one scene were kind of cheesy though:


Spoiler



The vampire sex tape.


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## Joules1111 (Jul 21, 2005)

I really want to like this show. But the dialog is just horrible. And the casting needs some work.


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## atrac (Feb 27, 2002)

crowfan said:


> The special effects in one scene were kind of cheesy though:
> 
> 
> Spoiler
> ...


I thought it looked hilarious and it made me LOL. I'm sure these aren't the final effects though. 

The interesting thing is, the way it looked definitely reminded me of another movie or tv show. Not what they were doing (*wink*), but just the way it looked. I'll have to ponder it...


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## crowfan (Dec 27, 2003)

atrac said:


> I thought it looked hilarious and it made me LOL. I'm sure these aren't the final effects though.


I was thinking (read: hoping) the same thing.


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## jpwoof (May 19, 2004)

two words... soft porn! haha!

it got interesting towards the middle of the episode. the opening scene is just bad, but the ending left me wanting more. 

I'm looking forward to the second episode. It's Alan Ball!


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## jpwoof (May 19, 2004)

i can tell you right now that this wasnt in the show! haha!


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## aadam101 (Jul 15, 2002)

dcheesi said:


> Another vampire TV show?!  I mean, I like the genre, but _come on!_ How many of these do we need in the span of a couple years?


Besides Buffy and Angel I can only think of one. Moonlight, I think it was called.


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## Graymalkin (Mar 20, 2001)

aadam101 said:


> Besides Buffy and Angel I can only think of one. Moonlight, I think it was called.


Obviously you don't watch enough cable. There was the Canadian series Blood Ties, which showed up on Lifetime last year for one season.


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## mrmike (May 2, 2001)

Graymalkin said:


> Obviously you don't watch enough cable. There was the Canadian series Blood Ties, which showed up on Lifetime last year for one season.


Plus Kindred & Ultraviolet. If you go back a little farther, you get Forever Knight. There've been more than a few. But it's not like we're talking police procedural or forensic mystery shows.


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## Rob Helmerichs (Oct 17, 2000)

I see that Alexander Skarsg&#229;rd, who played Brad in Generation Kill, is one of the vampires! That should be interesting...he was amazing in GK.


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## jpwoof (May 19, 2004)

The Pilot version is way better than the pre-air. They made a lot of changes. So, if you have already seen the leaked one, be sure to check tomorrow.


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## TiVo Bum (Nov 6, 2004)

Rob Helmerichs said:


> I see that Alexander Skarsgård, who played Brad in Generation Kill, is one of the vampires! That should be interesting...he was amazing in GK.


Thanks for pointing that out. I'll be sure to watch it now. He was great in GK fo sho.


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## Rob Helmerichs (Oct 17, 2000)

jpwoof said:


> The Pilot version is way better than the pre-air. They made a lot of changes. So, if you have already seen the leaked one, be sure to check tomorrow.


That was my hope. The screener was pretty bad, but seemed fixable, especially with the re-casting and consequent re-shooting they did. With so many good people involved, it just seemed weird that they couldn't do any better than that, and I'm hoping they really DID do better than that.


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## jpwoof (May 19, 2004)

Rob Helmerichs said:


> That was my hope. The screener was pretty bad, but seemed fixable, especially with the re-casting and consequent re-shooting they did. With so many good people involved, it just seemed weird that they couldn't do any better than that, and I'm hoping they really DID do better than that.


Yep. They re-casted Tara and she adds a little more seriousness to the show. I also wasnt sure if they did some re-shoots until you told me. I thought something was different to Anna's acting on the Pilot episode. She is less perky! haha!

But overall, there is an improvement. It felt more complete. The chemistry between characters are much better. The music adds more intensity to the scenes.


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## pjenkins (Mar 8, 1999)

Caught this tonight and it's set up for a season pass now. Could get interesting


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## TAsunder (Aug 6, 2003)

Despite all the promo materials including the making of on HBO, this was good. The promos made it look horrifically bad and cliched. My favorite promo moment was when one of the people said it's about vampires trying to live in the human world and how it's never been done before. WHAT? But it turns out it is a bit different.

The tone was very SFU to me, but more perversion and horror in the undertones instead of family drama.


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## Rob Helmerichs (Oct 17, 2000)

TAsunder said:


> The tone was very SFU to me, but more perversion and horror in the undertones instead of family drama.


Depending on the family in question, that might be the same thing...


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## PJO1966 (Mar 5, 2002)

I watched it last night and really enjoyed it. I found most of the leads really likable, especially Tara, Lafayette, and her boss (don't remember his name). Lafayette certainly gets around, working in a bar at night and on a road crew during the day.

I would also like to thank the casting director of this show for the abundance of eye candy.


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## mwhip (Jul 22, 2002)

Show has potential but I still can't stand Paquin's acting.


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## 7thton (Mar 3, 2005)

Watched last night. About 20 minutes through I was not too impressed, but by the end I was sold. Can't wait for the next ep.


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## bengalfreak (Oct 20, 2002)

Wow, the pilot was bad. A freakin' vampire soap opera. We really needed that. better get better in a hurry or I'm pulling the plug fast. Although, I am notorious for hating pilots.


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## jpwoof (May 19, 2004)

The second episode was also leaked, and people thought it is much better than the pilot.


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## Sadara (Sep 27, 2006)

I kinda liked it at the beginning, actually sorta made me think ordering HBO just for this show wasn't worth it. But, by the end I was ready to see more.


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## Amnesia (Jan 30, 2005)

PJO1966 said:


> I watched it last night and really enjoyed it. I found most of the leads really likable, especially Tara, Lafayette, and her boss (don't remember his name).


The boss is named "Sam". I can't believe you found Tara likable---I found her utterly repugnant. Her only redeeming quality is that she and Sookie are close friends.


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## smallwonder (Jun 13, 2001)

I read and enjoyed all the books but I never pictured Anna Paquin as Sookie. I looked on IMDB and don't see a character for Eric. Is he not going to show up in the TV series?


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## TiVo Bum (Nov 6, 2004)

smallwonder said:


> I read and enjoyed all the books but I never pictured Anna Paquin as Sookie. I looked on IMDB and don't see a character for Eric. Is he not going to show up in the TV series?


That will be the role played by Alexander Skarsgård. He'll be showing up sooner or later.


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## Sacrilegium (Dec 14, 2006)

smallwonder said:


> I read and enjoyed all the books but I never pictured Anna Paquin as Sookie.


I always pictured Ellen Muth as Sookie.

Just watched the pilot (the real one now) and part of the 2nd episode. Loving it so far. There's been plenty of subtle nods toward what's going to come.


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## mrmike (May 2, 2001)

Sacrilegium said:


> I always pictured Ellen Muth as Sookie.


She would have been an interesting choice. And I'd love to see her again.


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## Malcontent (Sep 5, 2004)

Just a heads up. Episode #2 has been leaked a few days early. It's on the internet for those that can't wait until Sunday night. It's a "Preair" copy.


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## Cainebj (Nov 11, 2006)

Watched the pilot last night and loved it. :up:


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## mrmike (May 2, 2001)

Watched last night. It's definitely a better episode than the pre-air was (even taking into account the bits missing from the pre-air). They made a few things more up-front than I'd like (and I won't say what since the spoiler police may be watching), but I think they struck a good balance. It's a little soapy, but it has enough going on that I'll keep watching.


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## DUDE_NJX (Feb 12, 2003)

Paquin's accent sounds like she's choking. 
Also, her looks are repulsive. Is the character in the book a fugly chick as well? She would actually look better with vampire fangs than with the messed up teeth she's got. 

Anyway, I have some hope for the show, and will give it a couple more eps before I make up my mind.


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## Sacrilegium (Dec 14, 2006)

DUDE_NJX said:


> Also, her looks are repulsive. Is the character in the book a fugly chick as well?


Bite your tongue!

She's one of the most attractive women on TV IMO.


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## mrmike (May 2, 2001)

DUDE_NJX said:


> Paquin's accent sounds like she's choking.
> Also, her looks are repulsive. Is the character in the book a fugly chick as well? She would actually look better with vampire fangs than with the messed up teeth she's got.


Because "In the real world", waitresses at bars in the bayou often have $30K worth of veneers.

Hollywood has really messed with your head.

(And the LA accents in general are iffy, but it's not an easy accent to pull off in any of its variations)


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## Cainebj (Nov 11, 2006)

I actually thought Anna Paquin was great in this - (although once someone mentioned it - Ellen Muth would have been great to see also) - BUT 
- I did very much notice the front gap tooth she has and couldn't quite figure out if it was actually hers or a makeup character choice.

Is that her real teeth? I'm kindof hoping it is...


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## pjenkins (Mar 8, 1999)

> Is that her real teeth? I'm kindof hoping it is...


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## DUDE_NJX (Feb 12, 2003)

She's a good actress, but honestly, she makes Juliette Lewis look attractive...


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## pjenkins (Mar 8, 1999)

DUDE_NJX said:


> She's a good actress, but honestly, she makes Juliette Lewis look attractive...


wat??


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## gossamer88 (Jul 27, 2005)

Not impressed. I give it another shot (as I did with SFU). Not too bothered by Paquin, but Bill, not brooding(?) enough.


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## DUDE_NJX (Feb 12, 2003)

mrmike said:


> Because "In the real world", waitresses at bars in the bayou often have $30K worth of veneers.
> 
> Hollywood has really messed with your head.
> 
> (And the LA accents in general are iffy, but it's not an easy accent to pull off in any of its variations)


The other waitresses are actually pretty hot, in a way.


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## TAsunder (Aug 6, 2003)

I'm guessing most of the same people calling her ugly were drooling over her in X-Men. Just a guess.


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## astrohip (Jan 7, 2003)

Wife & I just watched this tonight. We both found it... disturbingly interesting. Yes, it's a vamp soap opera. Yes, those are cheesy cajun accents. Yes, everyone is either related to or dating everyone else. Yes, there was a bunch of gratuitous HBO sex. But it was still... strangely watchable.

I have no idea where they are taking us (not familiar with the books), but we'll be back. There was enough plot, acting and drama to rate an SP.


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## ced6 (Jul 30, 2003)

I will definitely be watching next week.

And for the record, I think Anna Paquin is hot.


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## fmowry (Apr 30, 2002)

Summer teeth FTL.

In the real world, waitresses at bars in the bayou probably weigh 200lbs. I wouldn't watch that. 

And in the real world, there are no vampires that I know of.

Might as well get a hot chick as the lead.

Frank


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## Amnesia (Jan 30, 2005)

fmowry said:


> And in the real world, there are no vampires that I know of.


They just haven't come out of the coffin yet...


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## Sacrilegium (Dec 14, 2006)

If there's no real vampires, explain this!

http://trubeverage.com/


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## Bai Shen (Dec 17, 2004)

Sacrilegium said:


> If there's no real vampires, explain this!
> 
> http://trubeverage.com/


Heh.



> Synthetic blood products contain varied cellular content than actual blood. Please consult a Tru Blood Cellular Specialist for specific nutritional information.


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## jones07 (Jan 30, 2001)

Loved it. Want more.


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## Anubys (Jul 16, 2004)

I loved it as well...I didn't find the accents "bad" since I don't know what a southern accent is supposed to be like in the first place!

the only bad thing about the accents is that each actor had a different one 

Anna is beautiful, though I found her breasts "odd"...like they're not in the right place or something...no complaints, though 

I didn't recognize that LaFayette was the same guy (kitchen and work crew) until the end when he said he was there during the arrest...

SP is staying...this is great...


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## TivoFan (Feb 22, 2000)

Sacrilegium said:


> I always pictured Ellen Muth as Sookie.
> 
> Just watched the pilot (the real one now) and part of the 2nd episode. Loving it so far. There's been plenty of subtle nods toward what's going to come.


Love the actress (although I had to google her to figure out who you meant) but she's better at sly wit than innocent naivete.


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## MusicMama (Mar 6, 2005)

Didn't watch the pre-air, watched this (on InDemand). That's an hour or so I'll never get back. Hated it.

Never read the books, and I'm not sure this would make me want to read them. Daughter-15 wanted to watch and I said 'no way' based on the murder victim. Definitely in the Six Feet vein in terms of quirky and sex, but I liked the characters in SFU and the only character I found interesting in True Blood was the gay guy. I'll look forward to hearing about episode 2 before I consider giving it a second chance.


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## pendragn (Jan 21, 2001)

I just watched the Pilot last night. I liked it. All of the critisms above are spot on (bad dialog, worse accents, etc) but the concept was still interesting. The bad news is that I have to watch them alone. My wife doesn't like scary stuff, and this qualifies.

tk


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## ronsch (Sep 7, 2001)

My wife watched most of the this ep with me last night but as I expected she has no interest in continuing the series. Picked up the subtle clue that Sam isn't exactly normal either.


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