The classic HBO series True Blood has recently joined the TNT lineup. However, the episodes have seen their content edited and censored to meet general cable television air standards. This longstanding practice for HBO shows goes back well into the ’90s when popular HBO shows made the jump to cable or regular networks. It started when a later season of Dream On aired edited for primetime broadcasts on the Fox Network in the mid-90s. It also happened when Sex and the City began airing on basic cable in the 2000s. True Blood will likely not be the last case this occurs, with Silicon Valley also receiving cable television edits for TBS broadcasts.
Despite the established history of editing HBO shows for cable television broadcast standards, for True Blood, the practice is especially detrimental to both the series and the audience. Here’s why editing such a groundbreaking and iconic show detracts from its unique, adult, and mature viewing experience.
The Maturity of ‘True Blood’
True Blood was groundbreaking for its time, not just as an adult drama, but as a dark, modern fantasy story. True Blood told a fantasy story, but with a modern, grounded, and realistic lens. Fantastical and magical creatures, vampires, shapeshifters, and werewolves all exist in the world of True Blood, but the series always had a grounded, believable viewpoint. The adult content, situations, and thematic material added to that because there had never been a show like this packaging together the adult drama, horror, and fantasy elements. Keep in mind, True Blood on HBO predated such shows as Spartacus, Game of Thrones, Westworld, and Outlander. True Blood helped pave the way for other premium shows that could mix adult dramatic thematic material along with more fantasy story elements and settings and then packaged them to appeal to more mature audiences. The show’s unique blend of fantasy, horror, drama, and comedy was a success, and True Blood became one of HBO’s highest-rated shows since The Sopranos.
True Blood’s groundbreaking, progressive take on sexuality and sexual relationships contributed to the innovative show. Throughout the series, characters were open regarding their sexuality and sexual relationships. True Blood depicted adults in adult situations and creator Alan Ball represented the adult thematic material with maturity and subtlety lacking in many shows of that era. Despite the show’s premise with fantasy creatures, the gothic Southern setting rang true and was authentic, thanks to Alan Ball’s personal experiences as a gay man who grew up in the south. Charlaine Harris, the original author of The Southern Vampire Mysteries novels also grew up in the South and framed the vampires as an allegory for a minority group fighting for its civil rights and LGBTQ+ rights. True Blood was unflinching in its depiction of sexuality and diversity in sexual relationships. Editing the show’s sexual thematic material detracts from the show’s unique and progressive vision.
Throughout the series, Ball did a tremendous job fleshing out the cast and depicting a diverse cast of characters of the fictional Louisiana town, Bon Temps. The show put LGBTQ+ characters and relationships front and center, with characters such as Pam Swynford de Beaufort (Kristin Bauer van Straten) and Tara Thornton (Rutina Wesley). They were not the exception in the show’s depiction of LGBTQ+ relationships, since other characters such as Lafayette (Nelsan Ellis) and Jesus Velasquez (Kevin Alejandro) played strong roles in the series. The show’s villains would prove to have interesting facets. Lead characters, such as Sookie Stackhouse (Anna Paquin) and Bill Compton (Stephen Moyer), were flawed. Audiences resonated with the characters of the series, which avoided the use of stereotypes.
True Blood was not only an “adult” series, but it dealt with adult subject matter in a mature, intelligent fashion. As the show’s creator and executive producer Alan Ball once told NPR, the series is about “how we deal with our primal desires. How do those elements of our psyche manifest themselves in a world where monsters were real?” The editing of the adult elements about the primal desires Ball described alters the fabric and meaning of the show.
‘True Blood’ Is Going From TV-MA… to TV-MA
Ultimately, it’s ironic that the TNT version of True Blood is still rated TV-MA. That is the television equivalent of an R-rating, so the show is suggested for ages 17 and older. So, the series has been edited down from a TV-MA rating… to a rating that’s still TV-MA. In 2023, there are available options for the original unedited episodes. Most AT&T subscribers have access to HBO Max and every season of True Blood. There are cheaper options for viewing the original, uncensored HBO versions of True Blood rather than watching it on TNT through cable or satellite. Even if younger viewers are trying to sneak in some edited True Blood viewing on TNT, they are still watching a show that is above the suggested age range.
Ultimately, it’s up to the viewer to decide how to watch and enjoy True Blood. However, True Blood, in its original form, became such a prestigious, award-winning show for a reason. It was unique and special for its time, not just for the way Alan Ball brought the world of Charlaine Harris’ books to life, but through its mature and progressive depictions of adult subject matter. Editing the show is like censoring or defacing art in its original purest form. WarnerMedia is simply editing the show to cable broadcast standards that have long been obsolete due to the widespread availability of streaming, premium content. One could watch the edited versions of True Blood on TNT, but why? That would be a disservice to the show and the viewers. Of note, a planned reboot of the show that began development at HBO starting in December 2020 recently fell apart in February. If somehow another reboot or revival does materialize again, hopefully, the show will not depart from the smart, mature thematic material that made True Blood such a groundbreaking, exceptional, and unique series when it was originally on the air.
