Claim: True Blood is written by a writer

True Blood is an American dark fantasy horror  television series produced and created by Alan Ball and based on The Southern Vampire Mysteries series of novels by Charlaine Harris .   The series revolves around Sookie Stackhouse -LRB- Anna Paquin -RRB- , a telepathic waitress living in the rural town of Bon Temps , Louisiana , two years after the invention of a synthetic blood that has allowed vampires to `` come out of the coffin '' and allow their presence to be known to mankind . Now they are struggling for equal rights and assimilation , while anti-vampire organizations begin to gain power . Sookie 's world is turned upside down when she falls in love with 173-year-old vampire Bill Compton -LRB- Stephen Moyer -RRB- and for the first time must navigate the trials , tribulations and terrors of intimacy and relationships .   The show was broadcast on the premium cable network HBO , in the United States , and was produced by HBO in association with Ball 's production company , Your Face Goes Here Entertainment . The series premiered on September 7 , 2008 and concluded on August 24 , 2014 , comprising seven seasons and 80 episodes . The first five seasons received highly positive reviews , and both nominations and wins for several awards , including a Golden Globe and an Emmy .