The sixth series of HBO’s True Blood is set to air this year, continuing the story of the eccentric, sexy and violent Bon Temps opera of vampires, oafs, shape shifters, werewolves and faeries. Fans who remember the shocking events of the last series will be expecting a reinvented story now that Bill Compton, played by Stephen Moyer, has been transformed into an unstoppable vampire god apparently intent on eating each and every character on the show. “We always have these amazing new characters played by unbelievable actors,” says van Straten, who plays the vampire Pam, and the sixth series promises to continue the trend by continuing to introduce more guest stars, characters and supernatural concepts.

True Blood has changed the DNA makeup of its characters since its inception, turning bar tenders into dogs, bikers into wolves, and Rutina Wesley’s Tara into a vampire sired by the character of Pam, who was herself sired by the Viking vampire Eric – the increasingly operatic, convoluted and always entertaining tapestry of characters, backstories, motivations that make up True Blood will be continuing in full force this year. “There’s a real energy and excitement,” Joe Manganiello exclaims, temporarily out of character as the tall, dark and handsome werewolf Alcide, “and I think that came this year from the top down. The show got really big in its scope during seasons three, four and five… In season six, there’s a concerted effort to make this show return to what made it great.”

Narrowing the Scope

The scope of True Blood has radically expanded in the past few years, introducing more races, more clans and more mythologies that have made the show all but impenetrable for new viewers looking to get a bite in on the action. Lengthy recaps before the airing of the shows serve to narrow that gap of information, but even loyal viewers have become somewhat disconnected from the immediacy of the ever-complicating story.

The last season reached a crescendo by working its own mythology back into the origination of the vampire, complete with the biblical character Lilith, and there’s every indication the creative team behind True Blood knows that it can’t keep trying to top itself without falling over the weighty ambitions that come from continually raising the stakes.

The Bloody Heart of True Blood

Some things, of course, will never change, and series six promises a new love interest for Sookie Stackhouse, played by Anna Paquin. Romance and sexuality are a large part of the True Blood brand, and Sookie remains at its center, tempted by dangerous men and inevitably faced with their own complicated and unpredictable backstories. The character of Sookie might have run her course with Alexander Skarsgard’s Eric, and Stephen Moyer’s godly original vampire probably has no intention of doing anything but killing her, but that doesn’t mean the new series can’t come with its patented love triangle courtesy of a new character, Ben, played by Robert Kazinsky.

Paquin acknowledges as much herself. “Sookie usually starts out every season saying, ‘I’m not getting involved with anyone. I’m going to be my own person and stay away from trouble’,” she says. “But,” Paquin admits, “that doesn’t make interesting television.” As for Skarsgard, Sookie’s erstwhile vampire tempter, the actor promises that he continues to lose his shirt and pants, but teases new developments fans have not seen before. “There’s a war going on this season because for the first time in 1,000 years, humans are a real threat,” Skarsgard says. “You’ll find out how and why, but humans have become a danger.”