Where did this show start to go wrong?

Mid-Season 3 for me, although there's definitely moments from the remaining seasons I thought were good.

------

Wait a minute... who am I here?

Lol. "OF COURSE HE WOULD!". So, a straight person couldn't have written proper storylines for characters that were already well established? Your whole post sounds kind of prejudiced towards straight people. It is possible that the new writers and show runner just didn't care (or didn't know what to do with their ideas). As a straight man who really enjoyed this show for the first couple seasons, I could've probably done a better job with the fan fiction, guaranteed. Doesn't mean the terrible direction was based on a prejudice.

https://www.datalounge.com/thread/17028066-gossip-from-the-sets-of-various-tv-shows-part-ii

How come there is no bts True Blood gossip? That set must be on lockdown! I asked in the other thread but all I got was 'a friend of a friend who worked on the set thinks there might be a book coming out'. Bleh.

Doesn't anybody else find it weird that you can't even find a blind item about the goings-on at TB? I mean, surely Skarsgard hated Moyer for using his wife to take over that set so he could keep his ugly mug front and center while the fans wanted more of Skarsgard? The final season was a disaster that had Moyer's fingerprints all over it. Surely somebody knows something about how the people felt about Moyer destroying their show for the sake of his ego?!!

—Anonymous

reply 177 06/08/2016

I dont know much but i've heard True Blood was another messy writers room situation where the writers cared more about partying than work. Also Nelsan Ellis is gay but extremely closeted and self hating and delusional about his own fame. And Alex Skarsgard is 'no labels'/bisexual yet has been dating men exclusively for years now. Kevin Alejandro and Rob Kazinsky are also bi (maybe fully gay now).

—Anonymous

reply 193 06/08/2016

That's what I'm talking about , [R331]!! Nobody seems to know a dang thing about TB. No way was that set drama-free, especially with the way Alan Ball AND his immediate successor Mark Hudis left the show--the former in the middle of rumored shouting marches with HBO suits, the latter in the middle of filming season 6! (Not coincidentally, Hudis had promised a much less heroic Bill Compton and seemed to be on track to fulfill that promise when he was dumped. Consequently Bill began the season as a monster but finished as a 'savior'. The final season under Moyer's butt boy Brian Buckner was a Moyer-centered disaster.

—Anonymous

reply 333 06/11/2016

Well, what goes around comes around for Moyer. He and Paquin were crowing a out getting a two year development deal from HBO that final year. It probably was in exchange for not having to up their salaries. Anyway, they sent out a press release that they were doing some project with HBO and Paquin would star. HBO was silent on the whole thing and let the deal expire. I think HBO was just glad to be done with them.

Meanwhile the woman who played Arlene on TB did Getting On for HBO, and Skarsgard just wrapped a third project with HBO with Reese "Do you know who I am" Witherspoon and Kidman. That set seems like it would be high tension even though Kidman and Skarsgard are friends.

—Anonymous

reply 426 06/14/2016

[R428], it was a "first look" deal. That means whatever project they developed, HBO had the right of first refusal, but was in no way obligated to work with them. People are constantly pitching projects to HBO, but precious few are chosen and even less make it on the air. That press release was over confident and embarrassing when HBO never acknowledged it. I would say Moyer hurt her career, but she helped him.

HBO has been in a tailspin since the end of last year through that abortion known as Vinyl. That is why they have been firing people and bringing in Oscar winners/nomined directors like Bigelow, McKay and Vallee. HBO is apparently so happy with the HBO series Valle just wrapped with Witherspoon, Kidman and Skarsgard they already signed him on another with Amy Adams.

—Anonymous

reply 445 06/14/2016

I'll say Moyer hurt Paquin's career. Had they never gotten together Moyer wouldn't have been able to hold that set and writer's room hostage to his ego. His ham fisted interference with storylines (and editing--- oh yes i bet you didnt know that Moyer admitted that he and Buckner had 'digitally manipulated' Skarsgard's full frontal nude scene which explains his less than impressive showing. No wonder he was bitter.) nearly ruined Paquin's professional reputation along with the writers. Moyer was bound and determined that Skarsgard's name would never rise above his in the credits in spite of the fact that Skarsgard was the selling point of the show from season 2 onward. Had Skarsgard's character been paired more or less permanently with the female lead, as he was in the books, ipso facto he would have become the male lead. Instead, Moyer used the access afforded by his wife in an attempt to undermine Ball, who was planning to reveal Moyer's character as not just your average Big Bad villain but as a Salo-level force of facist evil. I'm talking pedophilia, genocide, necrophilia, the works. Moyer wasn't having it. He ran a whispering campaign with HBO suits, one of whom ended up accusing Ball of using TB to further some sort of unspecified agenda. Moyer even tried to get hold of some footage of alternative scenes that were shot for the big reveal. (He may have succeeded, i dont know) Watch season 5, which was Balls last season as showrunner, very carefully. Chris Meloni, Ball's stand in, was the victim of a bloody (backstage) coup--and it was ultimately revealed that 'Bill' was responsible having hid behind a woman to achieve his victory.

Ball's Momma didn't raise no fool.

—Anonymous

reply 465 06/14/2016

[R471] oh hey you're welcome. I'm not the insider but I had to listen to a lot of whining crying and complaining from...let's just say a source close to the action, while this was all going on. ( a lot of my comment consists of pure set gossip) My source couldn't stand Moyer, a lot of people couldn't but they kept it to themselves or they were soon out a cushy and, early on at least, a highly sought after job in the industry. Fwiw source loved Kwanten, admired his professional attitude, the work was always more important than his ego. Moyer otoh was always trying to weasel and finesse scenes to make himself look better. He thought he was slick and came off 'concerned for the good of the show' but my source says he was painfully transparent. Moyer was particularly hated when he would show up on days when Paquin was shooting sex scenes with other guys, especially Skarsgard, and 'make suggestions' that my source felt was counter to the writers' intent. But alas he was allowed to get away with it--truly ,people were afraid to challenge him but my source is certain Moyer felt it was because he was beloved. Paquin also became a figure of derision when it became clear she was all about appeasing Moyer and his fragile ego even if it meant her own part suffered, which it did, big time. Skarsgard was well liked and professional but he didn't challenge anything, just did what he was told, goofed off a bit with cast and crew and went home. Kristen Bauer van Staten was a whatever way the wind blows kind of gal. She was on the side of whoever had the upper hand.. her last scene was shot behind her good friend Skarsgard's back, without protest, and the scene pretty much assassinated his character. They had to use old footage of 'Eric' because they knew Alex would be furious if he knew what they were doing. Alex is pretty bitter with the whole lot of them, even Ball for folding up, but he will never discuss it because he values his relationship with HBO too much..

—Anonymous

reply 552 06/15/2016

Yes, [R558]. Skarsgard and Bauer are good friends and he says he talks to her all the time. Why would Skarsgard give a *beep* about them when he still getting gigs at HBO? All you have to see is the goodbye TB special they did and Paquin and Moyer were by themselves, save a couple other people. The rest of the cast did not film with them, but separately together.

Moyer is creepy (involved in his wife's sex scenes), and transparently opportunistic and wants to be a director, despite that movie he got Paquin to do for him was a huge joke, and she gave up other gigs to do it. Dumb. They are not going to be the power couple he invisioned. That Sound of Music nonsense was the icing on the cake.

HBO is over Ball, too. He gave them two successful shows (and Banshee) but they dropped the pilot for his new show and nothing more has been said about it. New management is cleaning house over there.

—Anonymous

reply 590 06/16/2016

[R558] it was assassinating the character because what was done to Sarah Newlin was an example if human slavery/trafficking for profit. I don't know why but I always have to remind people that this is a bad thing. A lot of people don't realize that Ball wasn't glorifying vampires or using the blood suckling murdering psychopaths as a metaphor for gays he was using them as a metaphor for powerful elites who amass power by corrupt means. From Ball's viewpoint, Sarah Newlin was a resistance fighter. Of course Ball's original plan to 'take down the man' aka the vampires was thrown by the wayside and the status quo was reinforced. Makes you wonder about HBO's politics, eh? In any case 'Eric' was originally planned to be the Kennedy-esque traitor to his species, possibly even literally assassinated for his heroic stance against 'authority' (which if you notice began to happen in season 5 but was quickly aborted once Ball was out). Moyer wasn't about to allow that to happen. If you'll think back, remember that it was BILL who was a procurer of human blood slaves for the queen, yet the final season saw him as a hero of the Underground Railroad while Eric was smeared with HIS former human slaver racket. It is so transparently clear what happened I have no idea why Moyer isn't an actual laughingstock.

—Anonymous

reply 596 06/17/2016

I literally clicked this topic to reply *beep* fairies". I'm glad I'm not the only one.

I loved the first 3 seasons and had the show's final episode gone differently I could have forgiven the awfulness of the following seasons. Sookie and the random guy was a stinging slap to the face. I haven't read the books but from what a couple friends have said a lot of people didn't like how they ended and they thought the show might make up for it.. nope.