May 27, 2009|Denise Martin; Lisa Rosen; A Kansas wife and mother faces down four problematic characters, all of them facets of her own shattered personality. In California, a charming former con man uses his manipulative powers for good instead of gain. In Washington, D.C., a doctor has developed a method to decipher what people are really saying, despite their words. In Louisiana, vampires fight for equal rights; in Botswana, a woman sets up a detective agency in her quiet little town. And in small-town North Carolina, a foul-mouthed baseball burnout teaches PE to middle schoolers.
These series -- Showtime's "United States of Tara," CBS' "The Mentalist," Fox's "Lie to Me" and three from HBO: "True Blood," "The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency" and "Eastbound & Down" -- are all rookie shows that have broken free of the first-season pack. Not only are they getting ratings that will likely guarantee a second season -- they're also gleaning critical acclaim, an ever-rarer combination in series television.
All of them are, ultimately, about discovery, more overtly, of course, with the detective series but also in unexpected ways with the others. In "Tara," the lead is trying to uncover the roots of her disorder; "Blood" is a murder mystery set amid clashing cultures; and in "Eastbound," well, let's just say he's currently discovering life outside the limelight, but we hope something more enlightening heads his way soon.
So what is it about these shows that clicks? Across the next few pages, the stars and creators weigh in with theories on why the shows are hitting with audiences and, in the process, reveal why they were drawn to the material themselves.
--
'TRUE BLOOD' SO IT'S AN ACQUIRED TASTE
When it comes to HBO's swampy Southern Goth horror story, "True Blood," about a feisty, telepathic waitress who charms the fangs off a Southern gent cum vampire with excellent sideburns, Emmy voters might not want to cry "camp" too quickly.
The Charlaine Harris book series, as re-imagined by "Six Feet Under" creator Alan Ball, is a political satire, romance and murder mystery set in a world where vampires don't need to feed on humans -- but sometimes do -- and where the buxom Sookie Stackhouse is the literal center of the action.
During the first season, she is pursued by a killer and courted by both a 173-year-old vampire named Bill and her tender boss, Sam (not a werewolf but a shape-shifter), all while having to deal with dead bodies piling up around her, the vile thoughts of her vampire-hating human clientele and a brother addicted to sex and vampire blood, a potent hallucinogen.
"It's powerful and moving and scary and completely crazy," says Anna Paquin, who says she stalked Ball for the part of Sookie. "Our show is definitely not for everyone, but all of us who work on it are obsessed."
The mix is an acquired taste, to be sure, but ratings for the show indicate a growing group of thrill seekers. According to HBO, the "True Blood" audience started small but grew throughout the season.
Chasing after the role has already paid off for Paquin. She won a Golden Globe for lead actress in January, and, unlike other Hollywood actors who feign indifference about award season, she doesn't quickly dismiss it.
"Obviously, I'm really grateful for [award season] as a concept. If I hadn't won an Oscar when I was, like, 11, I'm guessing I wouldn't have a career right now," the actress says. In 1993, she became the second youngest performer in history to win an Oscar for her portrayal of a child translating for her mute mother in Jane Campion's "The Piano."
It will likely be more of an uphill battle for "True Blood" when it comes to Emmy voters, a group long spooked by genre shows, snubbing critical favorites like "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" season after season. But timing could be on its side. Season 2 premieres June 14, less than two weeks before nomination ballots are due, and the intensity hasn't let up. Sookie and her vampire suitor are now the adoptive "parents" to Jessica, the teen Bill was forced to turn into a vampire as punishment for killing another vampire.
"Trouble, as usual," Paquin says. "But if you already watch the show, you know that's going to be the least of it."
-- Denise Martin
--
'LIE TO ME' THE TRUTH THAT GOES UNSAID
Dr. Cal Lightman (Tim Roth) has developed a process by which one can tell from reading a person's facial expressions whether that person's lying, or embarrassed, or contemptuous, or just about any other emotion. He and his colleagues, who include Kelli Williams ("The Practice"), solve cases by analyzing what witnesses aren't saying. As they work, Roth notes, "We carry the audience with us; they're part of the team. They learn something in the process of solving the whodunit." So the familiar procedural is given a cool scientific twist.
And as creator Samuel Baum points out, "Most people are inherently interested in busting liars."
