Watching Sitcoms

So I bit. Pun intended. I saw the trailers for the new HBO show True Blood and, being a vampire fan, I decided to watch. I’m still not exactly sure what I think.

Afterwards, I saw one review - I think it was TV Guide - that called it “sexy and scary.” That I completely disagree with, at least for the ep I saw. There was nothing scary about it at all. As for sexy, I guess it depends on your definition of the word. While there was some sexy, there was also lots of sex, which is not necessarily sexy in and of itself. Actually, it was more like porn, or what I imagine porn must be like, random naked strangers banging away at each other. For me that was more uncomfortable than sexy, although I guess others may disagree. I just happen to think that showing everything takes away the sexy part of sex. I’d rather have some things left to my imagination, thank you.

Another thing I didn’t like was how the characters looked. I know that sounds strange, but here’s what I mean. Anna Paquin, who plays Sookie, is an adorable actress, but somehow, they made her look not so cute. But not just her, it was everyone, they all looked too real, as though their makeup was highlighting their flaws rather than their good points. Maybe that’s just me  being picky, but it bothered me.

I guess the main reason I’m not sure what I think is I can’t tell yet what the show will really be like. My first vampire experience was probably Barnabas Collins, from Dark Shadows, who was the quintessentially tortured and conflicted soul. From there, I moved on to Stephen King’s Salem’s Lot and Kurt Barlow. These guys were pretty mainstream when it comes to vampirism, and yet they didn’t take themselves so seriously that they seemed stupid. I’m not an Anne Rice fan for that very reason. But I’m not sure what way True Blood is gonna go. It has the potential, I think, to be pretty good, but it might just suck. (Did I mention that all puns are intended?) Its probably too soon to determine how Stephen Moyer’s portrayal of vampire Bill Compton will turn out. He does seem somewhat tortured, which is a good start.

I will watch again, but overall, I found myself missing Moonlight.