Is True Blood the Adult Substitute for Twilight?

Posted by Ashley Demma (ashley@filmschoolrejects.com) on September 9, 2008

True Blood

The new queen of vampires, Stephenie Meyer, has quite the cult following thanks to her internationally bestselling “Twilight” saga. Her books are chock-full of romance, excitement, danger, and moral questions. While fans are loyal to her stories about Bella and Edward, it seems like HBO might sway them to try something a bit more…mature.

HBO’s latest drama “True Blood“ is wild and sexy, pushing the limits of what people define as acceptable in society. “True Blood” asks the question, “What if vampires came out of the coffin?” What if vampires made their presence known and tried to coexist with humans peacefully? Naturally, there are two warring sides in the country. The American Vampire League supports vampire rights while the Fellowship of the Sun condemns them. The show is satirical in many ways, dealing with acceptance issues, hate crimes, politics, and counterculture. The AVL is the liberal to the Fellowship’s conservative.

The viral campaign is delicious, packed with extras that show just how far the “True Blood” universe spans. Vampire bars like Fangtasia, online dating sites like Lovebitten, radio stations like WDED Radio…the list goes on and on. Great attention to detail is really what made me appreciate the pilot episode. For example: a marquee reading “GOD HATES FANGS” (close to another hateful cry in our own world, eh?) HBO.com and a special feature on On Demand also display fake news reports and bulletins. Alan Ball (“Six Feet Under”) and the creators of the show have gone above and beyond to make their world seem tangible.

“True Blood’s” hold over “Twilight” is that television can go places that a book simply cannot. The power of online media and the depth of what a camera can capture knocks Meyer’s universe on its ass. Meyer can make her characters seem believable by explaining the depth of Edward and Bella’s love, and how far Carlisle and his family have gone to maintain peace and humanity. But where Meyer fails to gain a mature audience are her Mormon values. Her books are all about resistance while “True Blood” isn’t afraid to go all the way (and boy, do they!) However, in many ways I appreciate Meyer’s sense of modesty to the overt sexuality of “True Blood.” Maybe it’s a ‘why have the cow when you can get the milk for free’ thing? I like the cow. I like the free milk…er… blood, too.

It’s pretty clear that vampirism is hot. Vampires are sexy, sensual, and unattainable. People can’t get enough of it. From the beginning with Bram Stoker’s Dracula, to Anne Rice’s Vampire Chronicles, to Joss Whedon’s “Buffy” and “Angel” and everything in between and beyond: vampires are here to stay. That being said, let’s just say that there’s a reason “True Blood” is on HBO and not the CW. This show is not for the kids, so wait until they go to sleep before catching the next episode.

What do you think? Did you catch “True Blood” this past week? If so, do you think it can capture that same “Twilight” magic for adults?


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  • I thought True Blood was great. I am a fan of the Sookie Stackhouse series. I can't wait to see some of the other characters.

    I haven't read Twilight yet but I have a feeling I won't like it as much as Charlaine Harris' vampire series.
  • Adults don't swoon over anything and eat it up blindly like teenage girls. Well, except for Obama apparently. So that means that while we adults may vote a Vampire into office someday in the future, we wont propel True Blood to the upper echelons of CHA-Ching. It is a good show though.
  • CJ
    I think True Blood is not only an "adult" sub for Twilight, but I like how it reaches viewers on an intellectual and contemporary level. I have read the Twilight series and find it entertaining most of the time. For me it was too predictable and I wish the writing were a bit more sophisticated; however I know this is suppose to reach a much younger fan base, so not really too big of a deal. While I have not read, and am unfamiliar with the Sookie Stackhouse series (but I will be looking for it now) I am more excited to see where this story goes. I was very impressed with True Blood and I have recommended the show to a few friends who I think will really enjoy it.
  • Misty
    I have read all of the Charlaine Harris books and love them. I would not compare them to the twilight series except for the fact that vampires are present. The rest are your typical night venturing, fang bearing, blood sucking vampires. She is funny though. Extremely funny! Stephenie Meyer is in a world of her own and her books can’t be compared to ANYTHING!
    I watched the 1st episode of True Blood and look forward to more!
  • Wray
    Although I haven't read all of Harris' books, I would compare True Blood more to the Anita Blake series by Laurell K. Hamilton rather than Twilight. I have read the Twilight books and enjoyed them, but the only thing they really have in common with True Blood is the vampires. Twilight is first and foremost a love story. As for True Blood, I am waiting to see how (or if) they bring all of the outside elements in the viral campaign into the show. The show should really be able to stand alone. I know LOST does these things too ("mobisodes", RPGs, "stolen" film clips, etc.) some of which are canon, some not. I'm excited though!
  • On a high-concept level, True Blood and Twilight are the same. Non-vampire dates vampire. It's not totally original, but it's definitely a shared aspect.

    Plus, you throw in the idea of vampires being able to survive without killing humans, and the similarities continue.

    But for the most part, it just seems like the only "adult" aspect of True Blood is the rampant sex. And the visual layout of how it's presented. Twilight has a ton of sex. Just not very graphic. I'd say the result of that sex is pretty graphic though, and probably more fucked up than most things True Blood can do on screen.
  • celticbikerbabe
    I think it is too early to tell if True Blood is going to be a "must see" every week. So far, I found it entertaining and interesting. Even the opening credits were cool, although in many ways they seemed like a copy of a NIN video..

    The casting was fairly well done, the creepy couple who tried to drain Bill in the parking lot really looked like authentic junkie trash. However I thought Anna Paquin just seemed a little too ditzy and vapid. I know the character is supposed to be "innocent", but the frequent blank faced, open mouth stares were a bit much. She did a better job as Rogue.
  • kelsey
    I never read the series, but I can promise you that it's better then this show. The accents are absolutely awful. The fangs look so fake. Twilight pulls you in and makes you think that maybe somewhere, something like this could be true. There is nothing genuine about this show.
  • Angela
    I am an adult and I have read all of the Twilight books and I also tuned in to catch the premiere of Trueblood. I must say I enjoy the Twilight books better. I am very interested to see where Trueblood's story goes, but I have a lot of issues with the show in general, mainly that the actors suddenly and often lose their southern accents (its not subtle) and that some the choices they have made in terms of actors leave much to be desired. The character of Tara is over the top and enough to make me stop watching the show. Meyer's universe to me was intriguing from the very beginning and held my interest til the very end and I am excited for the movie adaptations. I'm not sure Trueblood has the stay power of Sopranos, but we shall see.
  • Lisa
    I read Twilight and liked it, but I did acknowledge that the characters were really flat and the series relied too much on over-the-top romance. True Blood, on the other hand, seems like it will blend romance with interesting characters and plotlines. I like that Sookie is not-quite human vs. Bella who had the really boring "I'm just an ordinary girl" quality. Anyway, the series really shouldn't be watched with comparison to Twilight, since the subject matter of vampires has been around a lot longer than Stephenie Meyers' books.
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