Of 2 new acclaimed TV shows, only 1 is worth watching

 2 comment(s)  
 E-mail Story
 Print Story
  Share

 digg it!
 Facebook
 del.icio.us
Seed Newsvine
Fark It
Reddit

Text Size: 

Tools Sponsor

BY MICAH MERTES / Lincoln Journal Star

Fall TV has kicked off on some networks, with two of the most-buzzed-about shows of the season already under way or about to be.

Both revolve around edgy, potentially compelling subjects (vampires and biker gangs). But only one of the shows is worth watching.

“True Blood” (MA): Premieres at 8 p.m. Sunday on HBO

[+]Enlarge

Left: Ron Perlman and Charlie Hunnam star in "Sons of Anarchy," a new show now on FX. Right: Anna Paquin and Stephen Moyer star in HBO's new series "True Blood," which starts Sunday. (AP photos)

Left: Ron Perlman and Charlie Hunnam star in "Sons of Anarchy," a new show now on FX. Right: Anna Paquin and Stephen Moyer star in HBO's new series "True Blood," which starts Sunday. (AP photos)

On paper, “True Blood” sounds promising. It’s from Alan Ball (creator of “Six Feet Under” and writer of “American Beauty”). It’s got a nice sweaty, sleazy backdrop (a dark little corner of Louisiana). And it’s about vampires.

More specifically it’s about how humans and vampires get along.

In this alternative version of modern times, vampires exist. Scientists have created a synthetic blood drink called Tru Blood, and vampires no longer have the need to feast on humans or live in secrecy. So the undead have “come out of the coffin” en masse. And humans are still a little afraid of them.

The series is based on the “Southern Vampire” books from author Charlaine Harris. Like the books, the series follows Sookie Stackhouse (played by Anna Paquin), a waitress with psychic powers and a romantic inclination toward vampires.

In the pilot, Sookie saves a vampire from a couple of bad humans. He owes her his life (or is it his “un-life”?), but that doesn’t mean he doesn’t want to lunge for her throat.

There’s a lot going on in the first episode of “True Blood,” and Ball can’t handle it all. The tone spins wildly out of control after only a few minutes and never recovers.

Whenever it starts to get scary, the series is interrupted by goofy humor. And whenever it  starts to get funny, Ball throws in several heapings of tedious melodrama.

A world in which vampires and humans must coexist is a clever concept ripe with satiric possibility. The show’s deep South setting  screams for parallels to the Civil Rights movement.

But so far, Ball doesn’t seem too interested in tapping into anything relevant, save a few throwaway lines.

I have no idea where “True Blood” is going. I have no idea what “True Blood” wants to be. I don’t know why Ball doesn’t want us to have fun with his new show.

Maybe it’ll get better, but right now “True Blood” is (oh, here comes the plasma pun!) quite anemic. 

“Sons of Anarchy” (MA): 9 p.m. Wednesdays on FX

It’s a little early to say, but “Sons of Anarchy” might be the best new show of the season.

It’s mean, it’s gritty, it’s harrowing, it’s fun. Like “The Sopranos” or “Mad Men,” it thrusts us into a secret little world of soul-searching anti-heroes that’s as thrilling as it is repulsive.

I love this show, which some critics are calling “Hamlet on a Harley.”

We’re immediately caught up in the problems of the Sons of Anarchy Motorcycle Club Redwood Original, a biker club/criminal organization in a small California town. After their warehouse of guns is raided and destroyed by a rival gang, the Sons (led by Ron “Hellboy” Perlman) decide to strike back.

In the midst of the conflict, club veep Jax (“Green Street Hooligans’” Charlie Hunnam) is going through his own personal hell. His junkie ex-wife (played by “Sopranos” star Drea de Matteo) just gave birth to his son, who has a congenital heart defect and a hole in his stomach. And on top of that, Jax is starting to wonder if the club’s increasingly illegal dealings gel with SAMCRO’s original intent.

Though all the cast is strong, the show’s ace card is Katey Sagal (Peg Bundy from “Married With Children” and the voice of Leela on “Futurama”) as Jax’s mother and club prez Perlman’s wife. She’s ambitious, cruel, loving and protective as she towers over this world like a leather-jacket-wearing Queen Gertrude. 

The pilot sets up a rich collection of compelling characters and plot threads, laying the groundwork for a season that will follow not only the inner workings of the club, but also Jax’s moral struggle.

If you’ve got a strong stomach and still haven’t gotten over the end of “The Sopranos,” tune into FX on Wednesday nights.

Reach Micah Mertes at 473-7395 or mmertes@journalstar.com.