Home > True Blood > Season 1 « TV Series Page True Blood: Season 1 (2008) SEASON: Season 1 Season 1 Season 2 Season 3 Season 4 Season 5 Season 6 Season 7 Want to see Episode List Season 1 True Blood Critics Consensus It's unabashedly soapy and it occasionally wavers in its social commentary, but True Blood is a gory, sexy genre romp with a strong supporting cast. 61% TOMATOMETER Critic Ratings: 31 85% Audience Score User Ratings: 367 See score details Rate And Review Submit review Want to see Edit Submit review Super Reviewer Verified Super Reviewer Verified Edit Super Reviewer Rate this season Oof, that was Rotten. Meh, it passed the time. It’s good – I’d recommend it. Awesome! So Fresh: Absolute Must See! What did you think of this tv season? (optional) Submit Continue Super Reviewer Step 2 of 2 How did you buy your ticket? Let's get your review verified. Submit By opting to have your ticket verified for this movie, you are allowing us to check the email address associated with your Rotten Tomatoes account against an email address associated with a Fandango ticket purchase for the same movie. You're almost there! Just confirm how you got your ticket. Super Reviewer Rate this season Oof, that was Rotten. Meh, it passed the time. It’s good – I’d recommend it. Awesome! So Fresh: Absolute Must See! What did you think of this tv season? (optional) Submit How did you buy your ticket? Submit By opting to have your ticket verified for this movie, you are allowing us to check the email address associated with your Rotten Tomatoes account against an email address associated with a Fandango ticket purchase for the same movie. Episodes 1. Strange Love Air date: Sep 7, 2008 Based on Charlaine Harris' Southern Vampire books, the series opens with Bon Temps, La., waitress Sookie Stackhouse welcoming the first vampire, Bill, to Merlotte's bar, while her brother, Jason, deals with the unfortunate fallout of a one-night stand. View Details 2. The First Taste Air date: Sep 14, 2008 After Bill helps Sookie out of her dangerous run-in with the Rattrays, she invites him to her grandmother's house to meet the family, but Jason is unnerved when they leave together or a nighttime stroll, which ends at the Compton's antebellum mansion. View Details 3. Mine Air date: Sep 21, 2008 Sookie becomes the focal point of a heated dispute between Bill and his more bloodthirsty vampire associates; Sam and Tara find common ground in their current states of romantic affairs; Jason begs Lafayette for help with a personal problem after Dawn kicks him out. View Details 4. Escape From Dragon House Air date: Sep 28, 2008 Another murder throws the citizens of Bon Temps for a loop, and once again the prime suspect is Jason, who's also coping with the extremely uncomfortable consequences of Lafayette's assistance; Sookie convinces Bill to take her to a vampire bar in Shreveport, where she hopes to learn more about her hometown's killings and get her brother off the hook. View Details 5. Sparks Fly Out Air date: Oct 5, 2008 Bill proves to be a popular attraction for Adele's historical society, but his stories of the Civil War dredge up painful memories of the wartime experiences that changed his life forever. Meanwhile, Jason decides to give "V" another try; Sam finally asks Sookie for a date; and Andy and Bud keep the murder investigations open. View Details 6. Cold Ground Air date: Oct 12, 2008 A tragedy sends Sookie in search of a place far from others' inner voices; Jason suffers withdrawal symptoms from a recent habit; and Tara's mother reaches out to her in a time of need. View Details 7. Burning House of Love Air date: Oct 19, 2008 Bill takes action after hearing Sookie's distressing recollection about her uncle; Tara resorts to desperate measures to help her mother; Jason takes a road trip to Fangtasia to satisfy his latest craving; and a group of vigilantes hunts for vampires who made a scene at Merlotte's. View Details 8. The Fourth Man in the Fire Air date: Oct 26, 2008 Jason's latest girlfriend, Amy, is a hit at Merlotte's, but her mood darkens when the "V" runs out. Meanwhile, Bill asks Sookie to help Eric in his hunt for a Fangtasia thief; Tara marvels at her mother's transformation; and Rene proposes to Arlene. View Details 9. Plaisir D'Amour Air date: Nov 2, 2008 Bill's concern for Sookie's safety causes him to run afoul of the vampire's code. Meanwhile, Jason and Amy resort to extreme measures to satisfy their "V" habit, Tara follows in her mother's footsteps and Sam is tapped by Bill to look after Sookie while he faces disciplinary action. View Details 10. I Don't Wanna Know Air date: Nov 9, 2008 Sam tells Sookie a secret when he's caught in a difficult position; Jason and Amy plot their next move with Eddie; Arlene and Rene have their engagement party at Merlotte's; and Bill goes on trial for his recent offense. View Details Show More Episodes True Blood: Season 1 Photos View All Photos (8) Tv Season Info In the not-too-distant future, vampires have come out of the coffin...no longer in need of a human fix. But can a young woman (Anna Paquin) forge a love match with a vampire? HBO presents this drama series based on the books by Charlaine Harris. Genre: Horror Network: HBO Premiere Date: Sep 7, 2008 Creator: Alan Ball Exec. Producer: Alan Ball Cast & Crew Chris Bauer Jim Parrack Hoyt Fortenberry Nelsan Ellis Lafayette Reynolds Anna Paquin Rutina Wesley Stephen Moyer Bill Compton Carrie Preston Michael Raymond-James Rene Lenier William Sanderson Sheriff Bud Dearborne Ryan Kwanten Jason Stackhouse Alexander Skarsgård Sam Trammell Sam Merlotte Lois Smith Adele Stackhouse Adina Porter Lettie Mae Thornton Kristin Bauer Pam De Beaufort Lizzy Caplan Lynn Collins Dawn Green Aisha Hinds Stephen Root Todd Lowe Terry Bellefleur Alan Ball Show all Cast & Crew News & Interviews for True Blood: Season 1 10 Great TV Shows That Failed In Their Final Seasons View All True Blood: Season 1 News Episodes 1. Strange Love Air date: Sep 7, 2008 Based on Charlaine Harris' Southern Vampire books, the series opens with Bon Temps, La., waitress Sookie Stackhouse welcoming the first vampire, Bill, to Merlotte's bar, while her brother, Jason, deals with the unfortunate fallout of a one-night stand. View Details 2. The First Taste Air date: Sep 14, 2008 After Bill helps Sookie out of her dangerous run-in with the Rattrays, she invites him to her grandmother's house to meet the family, but Jason is unnerved when they leave together or a nighttime stroll, which ends at the Compton's antebellum mansion. View Details 3. Mine Air date: Sep 21, 2008 Sookie becomes the focal point of a heated dispute between Bill and his more bloodthirsty vampire associates; Sam and Tara find common ground in their current states of romantic affairs; Jason begs Lafayette for help with a personal problem after Dawn kicks him out. View Details 4. Escape From Dragon House Air date: Sep 28, 2008 Another murder throws the citizens of Bon Temps for a loop, and once again the prime suspect is Jason, who's also coping with the extremely uncomfortable consequences of Lafayette's assistance; Sookie convinces Bill to take her to a vampire bar in Shreveport, where she hopes to learn more about her hometown's killings and get her brother off the hook. View Details 5. Sparks Fly Out Air date: Oct 5, 2008 Bill proves to be a popular attraction for Adele's historical society, but his stories of the Civil War dredge up painful memories of the wartime experiences that changed his life forever. Meanwhile, Jason decides to give "V" another try; Sam finally asks Sookie for a date; and Andy and Bud keep the murder investigations open. View Details 6. Cold Ground Air date: Oct 12, 2008 A tragedy sends Sookie in search of a place far from others' inner voices; Jason suffers withdrawal symptoms from a recent habit; and Tara's mother reaches out to her in a time of need. View Details 7. Burning House of Love Air date: Oct 19, 2008 Bill takes action after hearing Sookie's distressing recollection about her uncle; Tara resorts to desperate measures to help her mother; Jason takes a road trip to Fangtasia to satisfy his latest craving; and a group of vigilantes hunts for vampires who made a scene at Merlotte's. View Details 8. The Fourth Man in the Fire Air date: Oct 26, 2008 Jason's latest girlfriend, Amy, is a hit at Merlotte's, but her mood darkens when the "V" runs out. Meanwhile, Bill asks Sookie to help Eric in his hunt for a Fangtasia thief; Tara marvels at her mother's transformation; and Rene proposes to Arlene. View Details 9. Plaisir D'Amour Air date: Nov 2, 2008 Bill's concern for Sookie's safety causes him to run afoul of the vampire's code. Meanwhile, Jason and Amy resort to extreme measures to satisfy their "V" habit, Tara follows in her mother's footsteps and Sam is tapped by Bill to look after Sookie while he faces disciplinary action. View Details 10. I Don't Wanna Know Air date: Nov 9, 2008 Sam tells Sookie a secret when he's caught in a difficult position; Jason and Amy plot their next move with Eddie; Arlene and Rene have their engagement party at Merlotte's; and Bill goes on trial for his recent offense. View Details Show More Episodes Critic Reviews for True Blood Season 1 All Critics (31) | Top Critics (20) | Fresh (19) | Rotten (12) Unless the thought of vampire/human love makes your pulse quicken - or, even better, makes you wish you didn't have a pulse to quicken - most of it is not really worth seeing. Sep 7, 2008 | Full Review… Alan Sepinwall Newark Star-Ledger Top Critic In Ball's droll, neo-gothic "True Blood," the vampire community isn't willing to roll over and accept our pity. Sep 7, 2008 | Full Review… Matthew Gilbert Boston Globe Top Critic Appetizingly pulpy and yet not at all crass, the series presents a new angle on the phenomenon of shows-so-bad-that-they're-good: It sucks hard and thus plays very well. Sep 7, 2008 | Full Review… Troy Patterson Slate Top Critic True Blood is a show with plenty of bite. Sep 7, 2008 | Full Review… David Hinckley New York Daily News Top Critic After watching five episodes, I can say True Blood stands out as one of the strongest new series in an uncertain fall. Sep 7, 2008 | Full Review… Hal Boedeker Orlando Sentinel Top Critic So far, True Blood isn't deep, it doesn't have the undertow of mortality and loss that made Ball's previous hit, Six Feet Under... But its take on contemporary gothic does have a knowing connection to a dark side of American life. Jun 21, 2018 | Full Review… Thomas Sutcliffe Independent (UK) Top Critic Part of the appeal of True Blood, especially in its first few seasons, was its over-the-top shock value, often bloody and sexual in nature. Sep 6, 2018 | Full Review… Eric Diaz Nerdist After dealing with all the hype and hubbub that came through the media with last year's soft vampire love story Twilight, it's nice to see a show that actually has some teeth to it. Jun 21, 2018 | Rating: 3.5/5 | Full Review… Kevin Carr 7M Pictures A creative dramedy bolstered by both an unusual premise and strong, well-developed, colorful characters who add a touch of campy humor. Jun 21, 2018 | Rating: 3/5 | Full Review… Melissa Camacho Common Sense Media The show is basically one big pile of meh. Most the rest of the actors fall somewhere on the scale between "yikes" to "yawn," and most the rest of the dialogue is just as bad as the words poor Paquin is forced to spit out. Jun 14, 2018 | Full Review… Seth Freilich Pajiba When Tara and Sookie speak truth to each other (or seem to), True Blood is almost shrewd. Sep 7, 2008 | Rating: 6/10 | Full Review… Cynthia Fuchs PopMatters True Blood is a sexy affair that sets up an entirely believable world where humans and vampires co-exist. It's a soap, to be sure, but a soap with an eye for social commentary. Sep 7, 2008 | Full Review… Rob Owen Pittsburgh Post-Gazette View All Critic Reviews (31) Audience Reviews for True Blood: Season 1 May 08, 2020 It was entertaining for awhile. Too much sex for me. I enjoyed the episodes with more comedy in them. Janel G Sep 03, 2019 It is sooooo bad, that it even starts to be good. Actors actually tried so hard to play it bad, at least i think so, because it is not possible to act that horribly naturally. Enjoyed every overplayed cringe causing scene, yummy! Tatiana K Mar 30, 2019 Any "subtext" about the relations between Humans and Vampires are on the nose to the point of being text. But, it works. Tino P Feb 11, 2019 A seven season supernatural ride in the American landscape, delivered by an awesome cast & crew!! Truly imaginative storyline that takes the Vampire franchise in a new direction- a must see for fans of the genre!! Phil C Apr 10, 2017 One of the things I love the most about this show is the parallelism between vampires and the LGBT community (ie "god hates fangs" messages on the church's board during the intro). Linda C Jul 08, 2016 I had this sold to me by a friend of mind as follows; 'it's like soft porn for girls' she didn't mention the amazing kitchy, vampire, fantasy element that got me so badly hooked! Love it, really worth a watch. Caroline S Jan 29, 2016 I was a HUGE fan of True Blood when it first appeared on HBO. Before True Blood, the vampire genre was all campy with neon eyes and moody lighting. True Blood broke the mold and set their vampires in the real world looking almost human. Did I love this series more the 2nd time around? Mostly. I found myself skipping some of the lesser character scenes and focusing on Sookie and her relationships. In hind sight, I think this season would have been much better if they'd centered on Sookie more. That's where the action was. Rebecca T Nov 30, 2015 A welcome addition to the vampire genre. This series progressed through romance and emotional ties of family, friendship, etc. It illustrated the struggle between diversity and open-minded acceptance of those who are different from us versus small-minded prejudice and intolerance. It superbly demonstrated aspects of dominance and submission, sensuality, sex, love and many of the varieties of romantic entanglements available to our human experience. It touched on aspects of Fae that aren't overly popularized. Faeries are often considered light, happy and sweetly biddable in popular fiction. It would have been interesting to see how other creatures from mythology and fiction might have been incorporated. Allegra G Sep 01, 2015 Heard great things about this series; unfortunately, I didn't see them on the screen. What I saw was a cry-baby mind-reader who is quick to judge others without any internal examination of her own prejudices and a love-sick puppy of a vampire who will do anything, including perish, to please the cry-baby. Can't get attached to characters because they die are a frequent clip. Will not be watching any more seasons. Don S Jun 06, 2015 Interesting enough to keep me watching and look forward to the next season. Top, quality entertainment! 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