'True Blood' Fans Weigh in After Actor Sam Trammell Dishes on Spinoff Possibilities
After actor, Sam Trammell weighed in on the possibilities of a True Blood spinoff in an exclusive [...]
After actor, Sam Trammell weighed in on the possibilities of a True Blood spinoff in an exclusive with PopCulture.com earlier this month, fans of the HBO series are gushing over the chance for a return to Bon Temps, Louisiana. During a feature with Trammell for his Showtime series, Homeland, set to end this month after eight seasons, the 51-year-old admitted that as far as a revival or spinoff for his former series goes, "anything's possible."
"I think the biggest problem would be getting everybody back together because it's such an international cast," Trammell told PopCulture on April 8 in a telephone interview. "It's just all over the place and everybody's working so much. I loved working on the show, we all did — it was a really big part of all of our lives."
When news of Trammell's admission hit social media, fans flocked to PopCulture.com's Facebook page, airing their excitement over the prospect with many eager for a new chapter in the series based off the acclaimed horror novels by author, Charlaine Harris and adapted by showrunner Alan Ball. The series continues to be a beast with fans and new viewers years later with on demand streaming, sparking a new found love for the show. Scroll through to see reactions from fans, and let us know if you want a spinoff as well!
A big blood-suckin' YES
"Yes. please do! We need True Blood to come back more than ever now," wrote one fan.
"Yes! Please! Love the show. Going to watch the series again…" wrote another as the sentiment went on with many chiming in alongside prayer hand emojis, and similar comments exclaiming "YES!"
Another fan interjected that a revival or spinoff would be "amazing," writing: "It's one of my all-time favorite shows. I miss it and the cast so much. So many of them have had great success after the show ended. I wasn't happy the way the show ended. Maybe that could have been a dream? [Laughing out loud] I was hoping Bill could be alive and him and Sookie get married and have kids. [thinking emoji] Anyway, I would love to see the show back on. [heart emoji]."
prevnextMore, please!
"[Oh my God] yesssss! My favorite show ever!!! I need me some half naked Eric Northman," joked another, referencing actor, Alexander Skarsgard's role on the series.
"PRETTY PLEAAAASE !?" exclaimed another. "Currently re-watching the entire show. It's amazing how strong and relevant it still is, even watching it in 2020!"
"That would be awesome!! I just finished the entire series a few days ago !! Was a favorite," added another fan.
"I've been rewatching the series -I'd love to see a reboot," another fan wrote.
prevnextThe problems with a spinoff or revival...
"Hmmm... that would be hard to do considering the vamps aren't supposed to age," posited one fan. "They'd have to recast all of them or figure out how to explain how they aged just like the humans. But the last season wasn't that great anyway...felt like the writers just phoned it in. So something akin to the actual books would be nice."
"It really only followed the books (lightly) in the first 2 seasons [sad emoji]," added another. "Sookie should be married to Eric and a lot of stuff different, I wish they could go back to the books but it's too late now."
"They could do a complete reboot and follow the books," suggested another fan. "But If they picked up where they left off with Anna Paquin and Sam Trammell, it's have to be set years down the road and with all new people playing the vampires."
prevnextNot the same without Nelsan Ellis
While the sentiment went over well with some fans, others were a little more hesitant on the show returning, especially in light of actor Nelsan Ellis' death in 2017, who played Lafayette Reynolds — a short order cook, medium, and major character on the HBO original series.
"Well it won't have Lafayette so whats the point," one fan wrote.
I feel like this (iconic) scene and this character really helped my self image as a gay black man. That is a hard journey to be on but things like this taught me my self worth. This is why representation matters.
— TreVaughn Roach-Carter (@Diva_prince) April 17, 2020
Rest In Peace Nelsan Ellis #TrueBlood
pic.twitter.com/h3GfVatsau
"Won't be the same without [him]," one fan wrote, while another added, "Sorry, without Lafayette [Ellis' character]… Leave it alone."
"Don't you dare," warned another. "Especially if you're gonna replace Lafayette with someone else."
prevnextAlternate endings?
Another fan entertained the idea for an alternate ending to the series, which ended in 2014, writing: "Only if Sookie is going to end up with Eric this time [laughing out loud]."
"Yes I hated the ending," added another. "Bring back bill Sookie's and Eric and give the show the ending it deserves."
"Nothing will help them, unless Alan Ball will comeback," wrote one fan, referencing the showrunner.
prevnextWhat Trammell would want to see
True Blood became a landmark series for the network with its addictive storyline blended with graphic thrills, steamy romance, and biting social commentary for its fans. Revolving around a telepathic waitress named Sookie Stackhouse (Anna Paquin), she soon encounters a strange new supernatural world upon meeting the mysterious Bill Compton (Stephen Moyer), a southern Louisiana gentleman and vampire.
Trammell made his debut on the series in Season 1 as the easy-going and compassionate, Sam Merlotte, a shapeshifter and former owner of Merlotte's Bar and Grill in Bon Temps, Louisiana. By the end of the series in Season 7, Sam walks away safely and serves as mayor of the city. Sharing how one of the biggest aspects of taking part in a revival would be the chance to reconnect with his former castmates, Trammell says it would be "fun" to see his friends after all this time.
"I've seen Chris Bauer who played Andy Bellefleur; I see Anna and Stephen sometimes, but I haven't seen a lot of people in a long time. I haven't seen Alex [Skarsgard] in a while or Ryan Kwanten [either]," he told PopCulture.
The series picked up 36 wins and 156 nominations over the course of its broadcast and is something the actor and Homeland star still feels so humbled to be a part of.
"Alan was such a great leader and creator and he set a great tone," Trammell said. "I don't know, anything's possible. They're doing a lot of revival things and I don't know how they would do or what they would put together, but I'm always open-minded about anything. Especially projects that were that great!"
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