Review: True Blood (HBO)

Review: True Blood, premiering September 7, 2008 on HBO.

What's it about:
Based on the popular 'Southern Vampire,' book series by Charlaine Harris, "True Blood" follows the adventures of a small-town cocktail waitress Sookie Stackhouse (who all her life was an outsider due to her gift/curse of being a telepath) and how her life is turned upside down when a member of the undead (the vampire race 'came out of the coffin' several years earlier) walks into her life one fateful night. (TV Rage

Who's in it:
Anna Paquin (Sookie Stackhouse) : X-Men: the Last Stand, X2, X-Men
Stephen Moyer (Bill Compton): Ultraviolet, Empathy, The Starter Wife, Lilies
Brook Kerr (Tara) : Cane, Passions
Sam Trammell (Sam Merlotte): AVPR: Aliens vs Predator- Requiem, What if God Were The Sun?, Cold Case, Dexter
Ryan Kwanten (Jason Stackhouse): Dead Silence, Summerland, Flicka, Home and Away

Who's responsible:
Alan Ball: 6 Feet Under






What others say:
The Futon's First Look

Quote: "if Renee tells you you're to young to watch a scary movie on HBO, than I'm siding with him."

What I say:
Folks I think we have a winner. I loved it, but than what do you expect. There's vampires, Stephen Moyer, and H/C...even better that's all found in just one scene. Oh and did I mention vampires?

There are so many characters I love and can't wait to see their story play out. There were some good lines, little jokes, good sex, deadly sex and even scary vampire sex...got to love HBO.

Can I tell you how excited I was to see Stephen Moyer from Ultraviolet? I really liked watching that series and would have liked to see where that story would have went...(cue dream sequence) after Jack gets resurrected Michael and him have hot makeup/breakup sex which is so hot it sends Michael back in time where he wakes up a Commodore chasing pirates in the Caribbean. Meanwhile heartbroken over losing M, Jack changes his name to Bill (Who would name a vampire Bill?) and heads to Lousiana where he meets up with Sookie Stackhouse...and the rest as they say, will be on HBO.

I will say there's nothing I love more than bad New Orleans accents *she says sarcastically*. In what world do people think British actors sound southern? I think that might just be the worst thing about this series I can come up with.

I hate to say it but this series is to niche and far out of the mainstream for HBO that I just can't see it lasting for to long...and Allen Ball has already moved on. True Blood we hardly knew ya. Prepare for it to go the way of some of the greats. I think I'll start building the memorial alter right next to Carnivale's.

Rating:
Watchability: 4 out of 5
S2 Chances: 0 out of 5

REVIEW: Fringe (FOX)

Yes folks it's that time again, the 2008 fall pilots are showing up around town and I'll be checking them out until I can't stand the sight of them.

First up is Fringe premiering on FOX September 9th at 8/7c.

who's in it:
Anna Torv: the Secret Life of Us, Young Lions
John Noble: All Saints, The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, Home and Away
Joshua Jackson: Dawson's Creek
Lance Reddick: The Wire, Oz
Kirk Acevedo: The Black Donnelly's, Law & Order: Trial by Jury, Oz
Mark Valley: Swingtown, Boston Legal, Days of Our Lives, Shrek 3
Jasika Nicole

who's responsible:
J.J. Abrams : Lost, Alias, Felicity, etc, etc, etc
Alex Kurtzman : Hercules: The Legendary Journeys, Xena: Warrior Princess, Jack of All Trades, Alias
Roberto Orci: Alias, Jack of All Trades, Xena, Hercules
Alex Graves: Director





What other's say:
the Futon's First Look
TV.Com Review Roundup

What I say:
This show was on my short list of fall series and one of the few offered in the meager pickings for scifi fans. Zap2it described it as, A young FBI agent has to team up with an eccentric, volatile scientist and his estranged genius son to solve crimes involving fringe science, the science of the supposedly impossible.

I call it X-Files meets Miracles meets 4400 meets The Cell meets...well you get the picture. Other than the X-Files (and The Cell) this show is every recycled plot from previously canceled scifi series that's been on television for the last 10 years. There were a few times I was even expecting crystal trees or Captain Jack to show up.

The pilot is such a mishmash of miscellaneous scifi plots I began to wonder if the writers had a spinning wheel of previously used ideas that they continuously spun to find what came next. Spin the wheel and land on infected plane. Need another idea, spin the wheel and land on cynical partner.
JJ: "What should we do next?"
Alex: *shrugs shoulders* Got me. Any suggestions Roberto?
Roberto" *yawning* Why not just spin the wheel to find out.
JJ spins wheel landing on "conspiracy theory".
Alex: JJ, you're a genius.


As much as I was looking forward to seeing this series I'm sad to say there wasn't an original idea in the 1 1/2 hour pilot. I found myself with, "Been there, seen that, lamented the cancellation" feelings. Given the unoriginality of the series I doubt the show will hold on to many of the viewers that were brave enough to last the complete premiere.


Ratings:
Watchability: 2 out of 5
Second Season Chances: 0 out of 5. I doubt it will get past the magic 13. Don't get to involved.

I wasn't expecting to hate this series as much as I do. There are times like this when as I read other reviews I begin to wonder what I missed...or how much they were bribed to write a good review.

Until next time.