Smallscreen News

Werewolves of Bon Temps, True Blood on HBO June 13

By April MacIntyre May 19, 2010, 6:17 GMT

01/31/2010 - Alfre Woodard - 52nd Annual GRAMMY Awards - Arrivals - Staples Center - Los Angeles, CA, USA © Albert L. Ortega / PR Photos

Now that vibrating MaryAnn and the Maenads’ reign of terror has abated and Jason is away from Jesus camp, sister Sookie Stackhouse begins her search for the whereabouts of beau Bill Compton, while her fellow townspeople face new threats that make their previous problems seem tame by comparison.

HBO's Southern Gothic potboiler from Alan Ball kicks off its 12-episode third season Sunday, June 13 (9:00-10:00 p.m. ET/PT), exclusively on HBO, followed by other new episodes on subsequent Sundays at the same time. 

Fans of the show cruising Los Angeles need only take a drive out Calabasas/ Monte Nido way down Malibu Canyon and Mulholland to see the True Blood sets often times erected off the Santa Monica Mountains and nearby King Gilette Ranch. 

Premise

The vampires have come out of the coffin, thanks to the invention of mass-produced synthetic blood that means they no longer need humans as a nutritional source.  The show follows the romance between waitress Sookie Stackhouse (Anna Paquin), who can hear people’s thoughts, and her boyfriend, 173-year-old vampire Bill Compton (Stephen Moyer), who went missing at the end of season two last year, and is now the object of a frantic search. 

Alan Ball based the series on the best-selling Sookie Stackhouse novels by Charlaine Harris.

Other returning cast regulars:

Ryan Kwanten as Sookie’s trouble-prone brother Jason Stackhouse; Rutina Wesley as her in-mourning best friend Tara Thornton; Sam Trammell as Sookie’s shape-shifting boss Sam Merlotte; Nelsan Ellis as Tara’s sharp-tongued cousin Lafayette Reynolds; Chris Bauer as on-the-wagon detective Andy Bellefleur; Carrie Preston as Sookie’s fellow waitress Arlene Fowler; Todd Lowe as Terry Bellefleur; Jim Parrack as Hoyt Fortenberry; Alexander Skarsgård as vampire sheriff Eric Northman; Deborah Ann Woll as teen vamp Jessica Hamby; William Sanderson as Sheriff Bud Dearborne; Mariana Klaveno as Lorena Krasiki; and Kristin Bauer van Straten as Eric’s vampire sidekick Pam.

New cast in season three: 

Denis O’Hare as Russell Edgington, the Vampire King of Mississippi; Joe Manganiello as Alcide, a benevolent werewolf assigned to help Sookie; Brit Morgan as Debbie Pelt, Alcide’s werewolf ex-girlfriend; Theo Alexander as Russell Edgington’s royal consort Talbot; Grant Bowler as Coot, a werewolf; Lauren Bowles as Holly, a new Merlotte’s waitress; Marshall Allman as Sam’s long-lost brother Tommy Mickens; J. Smith Cameron as Sam’s mother Melinda Mickens; Cooper Huckabee as Sam’s father Joe Lee Mickens; Alfre Woodard as Ruby Jean Reynolds, Lafayette’s mom; James Frain as Franklin Mott, a vampire with a hidden agenda; Kevin Alejandro as Jesus Velasquez, an orderly who connects with Lafayette; and Lindsay Pulsipher as Crystal Norris, a mysterious girl from out of town who shares an instant connection with Jason.  Returning this season is Evan Rachel Wood as Sophie-Anne, the Vampire Queen of Louisiana.

June’s episodes:

Episode #25:  “Pack of Wolves”

SUNDAY, JUNE 13 (9:00-10:00 p.m. ET/PT)

Other HBO playdates:  June 13 (11:00 p.m.), 15 (11:00 p.m.), 16 (10:00 p.m.), 19 (10:35 p.m.) and 30 (8:00 p.m.), and July 4 (9:00 p.m.)

HBO2 playdates:  June 14 (8:00 p.m.), 17 (10:00 p.m.), 18 (11:00 p.m.) and 20 (4:00 p.m.)

 Sookie (Anna Paquin) turns to Eric (Alexander Skarsgård) for help in finding Bill (Stephen Moyer); Andy (Chris Bauer) urges Jason (Ryan Kwanten) to stay the course; Sam (Sam Trammell) reconnects with his past; Tara (Rutina Wesley) seeks refuge from her grief.

Episode #26:  “Beautifully Broken”

Debut:  SUNDAY, JUNE 20 (9:00-10:00 p.m.)

Other HBO playdates:  June 20 (11:00 p.m.), 22 (11:00 p.m.), 23 (10:00 p.m.), 26 (10:30 p.m.) and 30 (9:00 p.m.), and July 4 (10:00 p.m.)

HBO2 playdates:  June 21 (8:00 p.m.), 24 (10:00 p.m.), 25 (11:00 p.m.) and 27 (3:00 p.m.)

Russell Edgington (Denis O’Hare), the Vampire King of Mississippi, concocts a plan to consolidate his power; Eric remembers his past; Sam tests the strength of his family bonds; Tara finds an ally in shady vampire Franklin Mott (James Frain).

Episode #27:  “It Hurts Me Too”

SUNDAY, JUNE 27 (9:00-10:00 p.m.)

Other HBO playdates:  June 27 (11:30 p.m.), 29 (11:30 p.m.) and 30 (10:00 p.m.), and July 3 (4:40 a.m.), 4 (11:00 p.m.), 6 (11:30 p.m.), 7 (10:00 p.m.) and 10 (10:30 p.m.)

HBO2 playdate:  June 28 (8:00 p.m.)

In search of Bill, Sookie heads to Jackson, Miss. in the company of Alcide (Joe Manganiello), a werewolf bodyguard assigned by Eric to protect her.  Jason is distracted from his police exams; Bud (William Sanderson) reaches the end of his rope; Arlene (Carrie Preston) copes with unexpected news; Franklin charms Tara, and gets Jessica (Deborah Ann Woll) out of a jam; Eric bequeaths a gift to Lafayette (Nelsan Ellis).  Haunted by visions from his past, Bill (Stephen Moyer) makes a surprising pledge of allegiance.

“True Blood:  The Complete Second Season” will be released on DVD and Blu-ray May 25.  Bonus features include “Character Perspectives,” “Vampire News,” trivia and in-depth audio commentary.