True Blood season 1

Storyline

Sookie Stackhouse, a waitress with telepathic abilities, becomes involved with vampire Bill Compton. She works for Sam Merlotte, a shapeshifter who owns Merlotte's bar and has a crush on her. Sookie's best friend Tara Thornton begins bartending there after quitting her job at the Super Save-A-Bunch, alongside Tara's cousin Lafayette Reynolds, a short order cook and hustler, and Arlene Fowler, a thrice-divorced waitress who becomes engaged to Rene Lenier.

Sookie's brother Jason, a road crew labourer and ladies' man, is suspected of being a serial killer when his sexual partners begin dying. Jason's co-worker Hoyt Fortenberry admires his way with women. Jason and Sookie's grandmother Adele Stackhouse raised them after their parents' deaths. Jason's love interest Amy Burley shares his addiction to vampire blood, or "V"; they kidnap Eddie Gauthier to use his blood.

In the vampire community, Eric Northman is Sheriff of Area 5 and owns the bar Fangtasia, assisted by Pam and Chow. Bartender Longshadow is killed by Bill to protect Sookie. As punishment, Bill is taken to the Magister and forced to sire Jessica Hamby, who is later left with Bill by Eric. Tara's mother Lettie Mae undergoes an exorcism for her alcohol addiction, performed by "Miss Jeanette" (Nancy LeGuare), and then kicks Tara out.

After a DUI crash, Tara is taken in by Maryann Forrester, who presents herself as a social worker; there Tara meets "Eggs" Benedict Talley and feels a strong attraction to him.

Production

Series creator Alan Ball signed a two-year agreement with HBO in October 2005 after the finale of Six Feet Under. True Blood was the first project under that deal. Ball discovered the first Southern Vampire Mystery book, Dead Until Dark, while early for a dentist appointment at Barnes & Noble. He read subsequent entries and became interested in adapting Harris' vision.

Harris had two other adaptation options but chose Ball because she felt he understood her work. Ball wrote and directed the pilot episode. Other directors included Scott Winant, John Dahl, Michael Lehmann, Daniel Minahan, Nick Gomez, Marcos Siega, Anthony Hemingway, and Nancy Oliver, who also directed the finale. Nancy Oliver joined as a producer.

Ball wrote the first three episodes; Brian Buckner, Alexander Woo, Raelle Tucker, and Chris Offutt each wrote two episodes; Oliver wrote and directed the eleventh episode, her directorial debut. Buckner, Tucker, and Woo were credited as producers, Offutt as executive story editor, Christina Jokanovich as associate producer, and Carol Dunn Trussell as line producer.

Reception

The first season debuted with 1.44 million viewers, lower than HBO's past drama premieres such as Big Love (4.56 million) and John from Cincinnati (3.4 million). By late November 2008, weekly viewership including repeats and on-demand reached 6.8 million. The season finale drew 2.4 million viewers. At that time, True Blood had become HBO's most popular series since The Sopranos and Sex and the City.