Pilot Review: True Blood

True Blood (HBO)
Premiered September 7 at 9pm

This show really surprised me. Teaser posters for the series made it look vastly intriguing, but actual trailer clips made me doubt its actual potential as a show. Fortunately, I was wrong. The first half of the pilot episode is terrific, with an excellent opening scene and some dazzling opening credits. I love Anna Paquin's character and the relationship she has with the vampire, and I think the supporting cast does a great job as well. Ryan Kwanten's dalliance with the now-murdered girl who's intrigued by her vampire client makes for a fascinating sequence of scenes. The latter half of the episode isn't quite as focused, but I'm confident that next week will bring things back to where they should be. I'm especially fond of this universe where humans and vampires coexist, and I'm thrilled for next week's episode, which I'm sure will give me much to discuss.

How will it work as a series? I'm confident there's a compelling story arc at work here, and it's based upon a book series, so like Showtime's series "Dexter," there's probably a lot to be mulled for future plotlines. Like any other HBO show, however, you'll need to watch every episode to be able to understand what's going on.
How long will it last? I'm not sure how well the pilot did with ratings, premiered to mixed critical reviews, but in my conversation with creator Alan Ball today (about his film "Towelhead"), he indicated that they've already wrapped shooting on season one and he was discussing season two as if it was already happening. I think this one will be back for at least a second round next year.

Pilot grade: B+