For several years, HBO’s True Blood was a bloodcurdling hit, becoming one of the channel’s successes alongside a certain mob drama. It aired during the height of the vampire craze, led by franchises like Twilight, and was based on a book series that the show’s creator discovered entirely by chance. True Blood, which portrayed vampires in a romantic, suburban setting, was also infused with topical social commentary about vampires.
The show, like all good things, eventually came to an end, coinciding with the market saturation of vampire media. True Blood was not canceled or ended due to audience disinterest or negative views, despite its run implying otherwise. Here’s why HBO and True Blood’s creators finally said goodbye.
True Blood Season 8 Premiere Date
The seventh and final season of HBO’s supernatural drama series True Blood debuted on June 22, 2014, with ten episodes. On July 15, 2013, the season was ordered. It was announced at the beginning of September that this would be the final season. The season was preceded by a farewell special titled “Farewell to Bon Temps,” in which executive producers Alan Ball and Brian Buckner joined forces with various cast members to reminisce about the series and provide a special preview of the final season.
What Was True Blood?
True Blood, based on Charlaine Harris’s Southern Vampire Mysteries books, followed Anna Paquin’s, Sookie Stackhouse. She falls in love with the long-lived vampire Bill Compton as a psychic waitress in a small town in Louisiana, at a time when vampires are becoming more and more a part of everyday human society.
This occurs following the development of the scientific breakthrough “Tru Blood,” an artificial plasma that allows vampires to avoid human prey and attempt to live openly among humans.
Dual factions of vampires emerge, each seeking either coexistence or dominance, and several other fantasy species are introduced into the otherwise grounded show. Humans are also divided about how to deal with vampires, particularly as tensions between the two species rise.
These topics were hot at the time the show debuted, with obvious parallels drawn between vampires and real-life minorities, specifically the LGBTQ+ community. The central concept of vampires “coming out of the coffin” only served to emphasize the allegory.
Why Did True Blood Season 7 End?
True Blood’s final seventh season began and ended in 2014, roughly six years after the show first aired. While some shows end due to low ratings or behind-the-scenes drama, HBO’s vampire drama ended for far more natural reasons.
For starters, ratings for season premieres and throughout each season remained consistent throughout the show’s run, even improving in some seasons when compared to others. This popularity placed it in the same league as HBO’s beloved show The Sopranos, which is widely regarded as one of the best television shows of all time.
This allowed it to ride the wave of vampire fanaticism to its conclusion without extending the show’s run beyond its sell date. Michael Lombardo, HBO’s programming director, explained why the network decided to end the series in 2014. “Every season, we sit down with the creator and say, ‘Tell us about the next year,'” he explained.
“And we’ll be skeptical if there aren’t any exciting, unbelievable, undeniable ideas in the coming season. And, in the case of True Blood, I believe we had reached a point where the storytelling had hit a brick wall.” With no idea where to take the series, HBO and the show’s producers decided that True Blood Season 7 would be the final season. Thankfully, a True Blood reboot is on the way for fans who are itching to get their hands on more of the show.
What Happened in the Season 7 Finale?
Eric and Pam slaughter the Yakanomo and Mr. Gus in the series finale and take Sarah Newlin hostage. Bill convinces Sookie to accept his death, but she refuses to kill him with her Fae powers (which would reduce her to human and, in his eyes, give her the “normal life” that he believes she deserves).
Bill asks Jessica and Hoyt to marry her before he dies; Jason, Andy, Arlene, Holly, and Sookie attend. Bill leaves his house and land to Andy, his last living descendant, with the condition that Jessica and Hoyt live there for $1 a month. Sookie approves of Jason’s relationship with Brigette.
Sookie meets Bill in the Bon Temps cemetery after getting advice from Reverend Daniels. She says her Fae powers are a part of her, like Bill’s. After saying goodbye, she helps Bill stake himself in his Civil War grave. She then fills the grave with dirt and weeps.
Four years later, Eric and Pam run a multi-billion dollar company called New Blood. Claiming to have found a “sample” of Sarah Newlin’s blood after she escaped, they have synthesized a Hep V cure and a new vampire food source.
Pam keeps Sarah in Fangtasia’s basement and charges vampires a fortune to feed on her while Eric sits on his throne on the stage. Steve’s ghost haunts Sarah. Sookie (now married to an unnamed man and expecting a child) and Jason (married to Brigette, with three kids) host a Thanksgiving party in Bon Temps for new and old faces (including Sam and his family). The end credits play Led Zeppelin’s “Thank you.”
