True Blood - Season 1

Based on the novels of Charlaine Harris, True Blood is not the first vampire story to be set in the Deep South (hello, Anne Rice). The steamy swamps of Louisiana seem to be a natural setting for the darkness and sensuality required by a good fang tale. But this not just a traditional vampire outing; there's a lot more, um, at stake. Created by Six Feet Under's Alan Ball, it's a funny, kinky essay in racial, sexual and religious intolerance.

The series' premise is that vampires walk among humans openly (only at night of course) as the advent of the synthetic "Tru Blood" means they no longer have to feed on people. The threat once posed to humanity has passed, and vampires are struggling to be accepted by mainstream America. Indeed, it's the vampires who are frequently the target of voracious humans - drinking vampire blood has an effect somewhere between heroin and ecstasy.

These vampires don't sparkle, and nor are they mere one-dimensional brooders, but fully developed characters. The living inhabitants of the town of Bon Temps are well rounded too: psychic waitress Sookie Stackhouse (Anna Paquin); her reprobate brother Jason (Sydney's own Ryan Kwanten); lovelorn bartender Sam (Sam Trammell); and drug dealer Lafayette (Nelsan Ellis). We can't wait for season two.

Extras Mockumentary Vampires in America (about the impact of the revelation that vampires were real on the world); six episodes with commentary by cast and crew.

More television, DVDs, games and gadgets in Sydney? Sign up to our weekly newsletter