TRUE BLOOD
Argueably one of the best shows I have seen in a while (and yes, it does help that the characters are very sexy).. But thanks to my good friend Judy, I got introduced to the books. Charlaine Harris, the author of the Southern Vampire series, where the characters are introduced and the show is based on is very visual in her style of writing, you get a definite sense of what the characters look and sound like. Anna Paquin who plays Sookie is very similar to her character in the books. The other supporting 'human' cast Jason Stackhouse, Granny Stackhouse and Lafayette are very well represented by their human conterparts. Lafayette is also a delight and I am very glad *spoiler* he continues to live in the tv show, he died to early in the books *end spoiler*
The vampires... That's what all the online fans seem to have a gripe with. Personally, I didn't like Bill Compton in the books, he seemed very arrogant, very uptight and generally very possessive. In the tv show, he seems a little of all those characteristics but they don't dominate him like in the books. In terms of the look, Steven Moyer is a very handsome guy and no doubt does 'look' like Bill Compton. Everyone's favorite Norseman is a different matter. Eric Northman is from Scandinavia like the actor playing him, Alexander Skarsgaard. However, that's where the similarity ends. In the books, he is supposed to be a tall, broad Viking, whereas Skarsgaard is a bit slimmer and more brooding. I don't think that's a failure in casting because as mentioned for Compton's character, Skarsgaard plays him quiet and brooding which adds another dimension to Eric Northman not seen in the books.
What I enjoyed about the tv show is that it strayed a lot from the books. I am sure I will get a lot of grief about this but it's a good thing. Although I enjoyed Harris's books, I truly enjoyed the tv show a lot more. It gave the characters more to play around with and plus, you don't want the same things repeated on screen! You want to see depth and character growth. An example that is sighted quite often is Tara's character. Tara in the books is not seen much, she is an acquaintance of Sookie's and owns a clothing store. In the show, she is one of Sookie's best friends and shags everyone! :) While Harris loyalists claim this is dishonoring the books, I think it's a good thing. Sookie in her lonely journey needs a friend. I think that's what's missing in the books. She is facing all these problems alone, whether it is fighting off werewolves or maenads or trying to sort out her feelings about Bill, she is always alone in the books. On screen, it would seem quite lonely and it would make her a more reclusive person. Also, in the books, she is much like a petulant child, constantly loosing her temper and acting very childish, but in the show, she shows a maturity which shows her attractive to Bill, who is much older and wiser. In reading the books, I did not understand why Bill would be around her.
DEXTER
Again, an enjoyable read. I love the tv show, and I surprisingly liked the books too. The creators of Dexter must have felt that way as well, because they closely follow the books in their approach to the show. The first book, "Darkly Devoted Dexter" is in fact the first season of the show. The show did the book justice as the episodic format enhances the story. As the books are written in Dexter's perspective, the show helps to expand the views of points of view of the characters especially Debra which greatly improves the story. By doing this, it allows TV Dexter to remain accessible and sympathetic even while his brutal extracurricular activities are made even more graphic by the medium of television.
In terms of casting, the creators did a marvelous job. Micheal C. Hall deserves every acolade he can recieve for his performance. He is a wonderful actor but he doesn't detach us from Dexter, in fact, he makes him very likable and accessable. All the supporting cast, including Jennifer Carpenter, Julie Benz among many others just add to the story and make the writing truly come to life.
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