True Blood

I really enjoyed True Blood which premièred on Channel 4 this evening. From the director of Six Feet Under – this is just the type of US import that I’m predisposed to enjoy – like Mad Men, Sopranos or Damages. It’s adult drama – not for the masses (unlike Flash Forward, which is). It’s full of filthy language (much of it in southern drawl), illicit sex and also violence. It’s gritty, colourful and above all – absorbing. And it reminded me of our own home-grown vampire drama, Being Human, made by the BBC last year – which I enjoyed.

True Blood is much better and has far more appeal than the dumbed-down, cliché-ridden Flash Forward which has also just started on UK tv, of which I’ve seen the first two episodes. That had wooden, stereotyped and politically correct characters that just feel really bland and anodyne – especially compared with this. Sure – the plot and premise are good – but the acting isn’t.

I’m now really looking forward to the next episode. If you didn’t catch it – it’s set in the present-day Deep South – vampires live alongside humans. It’s the kind of thing that’s not quite so easy to describe; you have to watch it. More on HBO’s site.