If you have loved Gary Oldman as the dark and sensual blood-drinking Dracula in the popular namesake movie, and gentlemanly vampires sensually drawing blood from simpering girls are your pet thrills, chances are you will be glued to your TV sets the next few weeks. Reason: Golden Globe Award nominated television drama, True Blood, kicks off with its first season this Sunday on HBO.

With the perfect combo of soft southern romance and a sprinkling of adult flavour, True Blood is based on the popular Sookie Stackhouse novels written by Charlaine Harris.

Romance in your blood
The series, based in Bon Temps (meaning 'good time' in French), a fictional small northern Louisiana town, tells the tale of Sookie Stackhouse, a perky waitress with telepathic skills and her relationship with two vampires. Bill Compton, the gentleman vampire from the American Civil War era is pitted against Eric Northman, his vampire higher-up and Sam Merlotte, Sookie's boss and a shape-shifter. The twist in the tale is the conflict that arises when Sookie is torn between the bloody affections of Bill and Eric.

Vampire tales
Starring newly-crowned Golden Globe winner Anna Paquin as Sookie and Stephen Moyer as Compton, a handsome 173-year-old vampire, True Blood zooms into the future where vampires no longer need humans for their daily fix and can mingle freely, if not yet comfortably, with their living counterparts. Though a walk in the daylight is still a taboo!

Legacy counts
"HBO's legacy of presenting original entertainment has immense following among Indian cine buffs. True Blood takes a new look at the archetypal man-vampire genre of stories and is a part of that legacy," says Shruti Bajpai, country manager, HBO South Asia.

So, indulge your fetish for ruggedly handsome vampires romancing dreamy belles in lacy gowns!