Filmsane

First of all let me state a couple of obvious things about the upcoming True Blood reboot, by HBO. 1. It’s really a bad idea. 2. It’s too soon for a reboot. 3. There’s no way HBO can improve or elevate the show. 4. True Blood is flawed but perfect as it is. 5. The reboot will be a disaster of epic proportions. Mark my words on that. But first things first.

You’ve probably heard the news. HBO just announced the upcoming reboot of the classic True Blood series. The TV show which aired from 2008 to 2017 and spanned 7 seasons will get a remake treatment. And I’m not too happy about it. It’s a bad idea, and it will not do the original TV justice. I’m not being pessimistic about it. I’m just realistic. There’s a different culture right now. And a culture that’s very different than the one circa 2008. After the „MeToo“ movement and the PC culture that is ravaging modern TV/Cinema, it’s going to be a real snoozefest. I just know it.

But aside from the shift in tone, culture and values, there’s the added bonus of trying to improve what was great, to begin with. Look, I’ll be the first to admit that True Blood was far from perfect. It was a flawed, and at times dumb show but it had grit. It was celebratory of the southern charm, the southern way of living and the atmosphere really blended with the vampire lore. That being said, the vampire lore was so much more than that. The splintered groups between the vampires really reflected the polarizing nature of our society. In just about anything I might add. And add to this the themes of redemption, forgiveness and guilt, you have a great gravitas to otherwise would have been a very bland vampire show.

Which brings me to the characters. How awesome were they? Yes some of them were annoying, abrasive and moronic (Arlene, Sookie, Tara) but most of them were truly fantastic. My favorite was and still is Sam, but I also adored Pam, Erik and Jessica. And here’s my biggest beef with the show. I just know that the same character won’t be as gritty, layered, or memorable as they were. They’ll be toned down and turn into one-dimensional characters that lack just about everything.

Oh, and please don’t skimp on the sex, nudity and the overall R-rating. Seriously. The liberal stance on those things it’s what made this show so great. I know it wasn’t easy on the cast to film those scenes, but damn they were fun. Sam is a particular favorite of mine, and I just loved his progression. He’s a true puppy. Cute and loyal and that’s not a metaphor. He really is a puppy. Those of you who’ve seen the show, know what I’m talking about. And why fix something that’s not broken to begin with? That goes for Sam and pretty much the entire show.

But yeah. I just know that it won’t be good. Both in the tone, sexually charged atmosphere, nudity, atmosphere, and overall quality. Mark my words on this. I’ll be the first to admit if by any chance I’m pleasantly surprised but yeah. I don’t think the reboot will be even remotely true to The Southern Vampire Mysteries. Or the original True Blood TV show. I suppose time will tell on that. Stay tuned. I’m planning to write about this yet again. When the time is right.