Alan Ball bring new "Blood" to HBO

"Six Feet Under'"creator Alan Ball is back in HBO's court, as the pay cabler has officially picked up the vampire series "True Blood."
The vampire drama drew 3.7 million viewers for the 9 p.m. airing and 1.4 million more for the 11 p.m. telecast, making for the largest Sunday audience for an episode of the series. The series also has received critical acclaim and won several awards, including one Golden Globe and an Emmy. The show's second 12-episode season had its premiere on June 14, 2009 and the third season on June 13, 2010. On June 21, 2010, HBO renewed True Blood season 4 dvd.
"It even surpassed our expectations," Michael Lombardo, president of the HBO programming group and West Coast operations, told Daily Variety. "What we saw last season was a phenomenon that grew by word of mouth and that has continued. People who finished with the show brought friends with them. The word had gotten out."
On August 11, 2011, HBO announced that True Blood DVD Box Sets was renewed for a fifth season of twelve episodes to air in summer 2012. However, although Alan Ball signed a multi-year contract with HBO in July 2011, he has only agreed to produce the show for the fifth season. Despite this agreement, Ball has stated that he has no desire to leave the show.