Positive Early Review for ‘True Blood’

Check out this optimistic review from Rob Salem of the Toronto Star:

After a sadly fallow period in the wake of such industry-upheaving triumphs as The Wire and The Sopranos, HBO finally seems to be getting back on its game. And indeed, it has turned to yet another of its most successful creators, Six Feet Under‘s Alan Ball, for a new series even darker and more off-beat, a Louisiana-set horror comedy called True Blood, to debut Sept. 7.

Ball reinvents the old Alien Nation scenario, substituting an ancient race of marginalized vampires for the former’s extraterrestrial slaves, now trying to find their place in contemporary society after “coming out of the coffin” en masse thanks to the development of an artificial blood substitute.

Former teen cutie-pie Anna Paquin stars as a sassy psychic waitress who befriends a fanged and forlorn stranger, played by Swedish actor Alexander Skarsgard, who also happens to be in Generation Kill. How She Move‘s Rutina Wesley is an absolute hoot as her motormouth gal pal.

The Television Critics Association gathers in Los Angeles for their annual press tour, previewing the new season’s offerings and sharing the scoop with the rest of us. HBO is one of the first to present their lineup, so we expect to be hearing more about True Blood in the next few days.