HBO’s 2008 fantasy hit, True Blood, is a vampire hit like none other. It’s simultaneously dark, gritty, graphic, girly, and political — thanks in large part to its equally unique source material. True Blood ran the risk of fantasy fatigue both in the genre at large (among the likes of The Vampire Diaries, The Originals, and others) and within its own world as it explored not only vampires but werewolves, fairies, and witches.

Yet for all the classic blood and vampire/werewolf tension, True Blood felt grounded throughout its run. Its characters, led by empathetic waitress Sookie Stackhouse, kept the show feeling real even when its plot was anything but. While True Blood is memorable in its own right, this is thanks in large part to its masterful adaptation of Charlaine Harris’ Southern Vampire Mysteries novels.

True Blood Is An Ambitious Adaptation

True Blood is based on the 13+ stories following Sookie in the Southern Vampire Mysteries novels. There are 13 main novels, with Sookie Stackhouse making additional appearances in Harris’ short stories and other books. Adapting such a sprawling franchise into a TV series is a feat in itself, especially considering that on the surface, nothing about the books screams HBO.

During their Peak TV era, HBO aimed to put everything taboo on TV and to do it well. This often looked like sex and violence, but True Blood found something else in the Southern Vampire Mysteries novels. Indeed, edgy, graphic, and mature aren’t the first words that come to mind to describe the novels, but they are excellent, and True Blood knew what made them special: Sookie Stackhouse.

Sookie is dainty and feminine, but also steadfast in her beliefs, strong, and true to herself. True Blood maintains the novel’s unique tone by continuing to tell a dark, violent story from her perspective — one that brings levity, charm, and Southern manners to ancient fantasy disputes.

True Blood really gets the best of both worlds by utilizing its visuals to satisfy the HBO brand. The show drops Sookie into a visually dark landscape (it helps that the story demands most action happens at night) and doesn’t shy away from the drinking, spilling, and splattering of blood. It’s a juxtaposition that is advantageous in every regard, challenging the vampire genre to engage with modern ethics.

True Blood Makes Some Changes To The Southern Vampire Mysteries Novels

True Blood adapts the 13 Southern Vampire Mysteries Novels into a seven-season series. To do this without overwhelming the world of the show with story and characters, True Blood necessarily makes some changes. Some characters are cut out entirely, like Sookie’s high school admirer JB du Rone, and some plot points are significantly minimized, like Jason’s run-in with the werepanthers.

Yet other characters are added or elevated into much bigger roles and go on to become fan favorites, like Bill’s protégé Jess, Tara’s cousin Lafayette, who is killed in only the second novel, and the troubled yet lovable Terry Bellefleur. These choices reflect True Blood‘s focus on what makes the novels truly special: its knack for challenging Southern traditions and prejudices through Sookie’s frank open-mindedness.

True Blood Remains True To The Heart Of The Novels

Scary and violent things happen to Sookie in the novels, though, since that is intermingled with Sookie’s mild-mannered stream of consciousness and ancillary thoughts of cleaning, money, tanning, and clothes, this darkness doesn’t permeate the books the same way it does the show. However, this allowsTrue Blood to drive home the novels’ themes even more strongly.

Visually seeing the polite, small, well-groomed Sookie physically in the mix of monsters fighting in the night is what makes her story unique. And those same monsters are similarly out of place in the run-of-the-mill town of Bon Temps, Louisiana, making it all the more impressive when Sookie is able to be open-minded and accepting, even when going against the grain of the literal mob of her townsfolk.

Ultimately, the Southern Vampire Mysteries novels are a compelling read on their own, and even more worthwhile after seeing how perfectly adapted they were by HBO’s True Blood.

Release Date

2008 – 2014-00-00

Network

HBO Max

Showrunner

Alan Ball

Directors

Daniel Minahan

Writers

Raelle Tucker, charlaine harris, Brian Buckner, Alan Ball, Alexander Woo

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  Kristin Bauer van Straten