New 'Blood' lacks bite

There’s a conversation late in the season six premiere of HBO’s hit vampire soap “True Blood” where sweet Louisiana waitress Sookie Stackhouse and former lover, enemy, friend, etc. Eric Northman discuss how Sookie used to just be that girl in the white dress and how they wish she could just go back to being that innocent young woman. Six seasons in, I can’t help agreeing with Sookie and Eric. This sudsy southern gothic was much better when Sookie was still the girl in the white dress.

After years of glorious vampire sex, skin and scandal, “True Blood” has lost the fun that used to make it cable’s most awesomely insane series. The decline in season five was tangible, but with the departure of creator and show runner Alan Ball, it seems like the creative team has hit an artistic wall with season six.

We pick up right where things left off in Bon Temps with Sookie & Co. on the run from “Billith,” the bloody, naked reincarnated Bill who arose after drinking the rest of the alleged vampire god’s blood last season. The ragtag band of humans and vampires run, argue, fight and yell. It’s all so dull and blandly staged you’ll wonder if the HBO production budget may have run dry.

Luckily, most of the cast is still wringing what they can from the material. Deborah Ann Woll as Jessica has always been a stand out player and continues to deliver some of the best work on television. Same goes to exquisite Kristin Bauer van Straten as Pam, who continues to fire zesty zingers as other mediocrity flies. Unfortunately, the cast of “True Blood” has become so largely overgrown that some characters’ plot lines hardly cause a blip on the radar. Joe Manganiello’s Alcide shows up for a few seconds to get naked and have a threesome, and the long-suffering Sam (Sam Trammell) gets a few lines. The show is in desperate need of some quick and easy deaths.

A couple times here and there in the premiere, we’re reminded of the gory, campy fun of its prime in seasons two and three. A new political plotline involving the anti-vampire Louisiana governor could take us back to those glory days, but it’s still up in the air whether this season is out for blood or deader than a doornail.