It's September; it's TV time. We'll have our TiVo's and DVRs full in no time. Right off the bat HBO had two premieres. The freshmen attempt True Blood from the creator of Six Feet Under and the fifth season premiere of Entourage.
It's no longer blasphemy to make fun of HBO, so here I go: the last year has been pretty brutal for the good 'ol Home Box Office. Thank God for John Adams and Generation Kill, otherwise the network may no longer have any subscribers. (Yes, I love Flight Of The Conchords as much as the next guy, but c'mon).
True Blood--from SFU creator, Alan Ball--has been overhyped for quite some time now. It depicts a world where vampires have merged with society, outting themselves to all mankind. Now the world appears to be divided into two groups--those who fear them and those who are sexually intrigued. Since it's HBO, we are promised graphic sex and violence but, just like Six Feet Under, the world is so dull and depressing that it'll take a lot for this one to keep our attention. The story focuses on a young southern belle named Sookie, played by X-Men's Anna Paquin. She appears to have psychic powers that she violently denies to her family and friends. She views vampires with a level of awe reserved for celebrity sightings, so when one shows up in her restaurant she immediately falls in love. This vampire can sense her psychic powers and is drawn to her. The series was set up nicely with its diverse characters, moderately interesting world, and southern flavor (if that counts for anything). True Blood will be judged by its next few episodes to be sure. If I was a betting man--which I am--I have a feeling we'll all have our minds made up by mid-season.
Entourage returned for the fifth time tonight with the same low level fluff that has made it popular. We pick up six months after Medallin bombed at Cannes and it is now bombing in theaters. Vince and Turtle have left L.A. and ride jet skis on a deserted island and have sex with women all day. (See what kind of fluff we're dealing with?) Ari finally gets a project lined up for Vince, who at this point is nearly unemployable, and the gang has to get back together. For anyone who watches the show, you know everything will be wrapped up in a nice little package by the end of its 30 min running time. That's the appeal of Entourage, I suppose. Yes, it's dumb. Yes, it's fluff. But at the end of the day, it's only 30 min of your time and I have to admit there were some funny moments.
So lets keep our fingers crossed for HBO. John From Cincinnati, Tell Me You Love Me, and In Treatment are behind us and will be easily forgotten. Conchords will be back sometime next year and so for now we have True Blood and Entourage on Sunday nights. I'll take it...for now.
