True Blood season 3

The third season of the television series True Blood premiered on June 13, 2010 simultaneously on HBO and HBO Canada. It concluded its run on September 12, 2010 and contained 12 episodes, bringing the series total to 36. It loosely follows the plot of the third novel of The Southern Vampire Mysteries series, Club Dead.

Plot
The third season loosely follows the plot of the novel Club Dead, which finds Sookie teaming up with a werewolf sent by Eric, named Alcide in Mississippi in order to track down Bill, who has been kidnapped and is being held hostage by a vampire King. Season three is set throughout the course of 10 days.

Main cast

 * Anna Paquin as Sookie Stackhouse
 * Stephen Moyer as Bill Compton
 * Sam Trammell as Sam Merlotte
 * Ryan Kwanten as Jason Stackhouse
 * Rutina Wesley as Tara Thornton
 * Kevin Alejandro as Jesus Velasquez
 * Marshall Allman as Tommy Mickens
 * Chris Bauer as Andy Bellefleur
 * Kristin Bauer van Straten as Pamela Swynford De Beaufort
 * Nelsan Ellis as Lafayette Reynolds
 * Mariana Klaveno as Lorena Krasiki
 * Todd Lowe as Terry Bellefleur
 * Denis O'Hare as Russell Edgington
 * Jim Parrack as Hoyt Fortenberry
 * Carrie Preston as Arlene Fowler
 * Lindsay Pulsipher as Crystal Norris
 * William Sanderson as Sheriff Bud Dearborne
 * Alexander Skarsgård as Eric Northman
 * Deborah Ann Woll as Jessica Hamby

Special guest cast

 * Evan Rachel Wood as Sophie-Anne Leclerq
 * Adina Porter as Lettie Mae Thornton
 * Alfre Woodard as Ruby Jean Reynolds
 * Tiffany Taylor as Nan's girl

Guest cast

 * Theo Alexander as Talbot
 * Grant Bowler as Coot
 * James Frain as Franklin Mott
 * Joe Manganiello as Alcide Herveaux
 * J. Smith-Cameron as Melinda Mickens
 * Melissa Rauch as Summer
 * Gregory Sporleder as Calvin Norris
 * Don Swayze as Gus
 * Tanya Wright as Deputy Kenya Jones
 * Natasha Alam as Yvetta
 * James Harvey Ward as Felton Norris
 * Cooper Huckabee as Joe Lee Mickens
 * Brit Morgan as Debbie Pelt
 * Lauren Bowles as Holly Cleary
 * Jessica Tuck as Nan Flanagan
 * Tara Buck as Ginger
 * Grey Damon as Kitch Maynard
 * Lindsey Haun as Hadley Hale
 * Željko Ivanek as Magnus the Magister
 * Lara Pulver as Claudine
 * John Rezig as Deputy Kevin Ellis
 * Carlson Young as Tammy
 * Bryan Becker as Louie
 * Ronnie Gene Blevins as T-Dub
 * John Burke as Jerry McCafferty
 * Greg Cipes as Bufort Norris
 * Gregg Daniel as Reverend Daniels
 * Kevin Fry Bowers as Turk
 * John Hillard as Hank
 * Allan Hyde as Godric
 * Kate Lyuben as Natalie
 * Andy Mackenzie as Creepy Biker
 * Dakin Matthews as Dr. Robideaux
 * Michael McMillian as Reverend Steve Newlin
 * Tess Alexandra Parker as Rosie
 * Dale Raoul as Maxine Fortenberry
 * Michael Raymond-James as Rene Lenier
 * Jeanne Baron as Hostess
 * John Billingsley as Mike Spencer
 * Sean Bridgers as Big Bobby
 * Arielle Kebbel as Charlene
 * Daniel Gillies as Jon
 * John Prosky as David Finch
 * Stewart Skelton as Minister
 * Michael Steger as Tony
 * Jorge Diaz as Husband

Production
On January 20, 2010 HBO released a teaser trailer announcing that a third season of True Blood was in production, aiming for a Summer 2010 release date. The teaser featured images of bottles of TruBlood being manufactured on an assembly line. This was followed by a trailer featuring new footage and the song The Difference Between Us by The Dead Weather. This was released by HBO on May 13.

Crew
Alan Ball returned to executive produce and run season three. Michael Lehmann, who had directed five episodes at the end of the second season, is expected to return again to direct three more. Writers Alexander Woo and Raelle Tucker also returned to script episodes.

Casting
Anna Paquin, Stephen Moyer, Sam Trammell, Ryan Kwanten, Rutina Wesley, Chris Bauer, Nelsan Ellis, Mariana Klaveno, Todd Lowe, Jim Parrack, Carrie Preston, William Sanderson, Deborah Ann Woll and Alexander Skarsgård all reprise their respective roles in the third season. Additionally, Kristin Bauer, who plays vampire Pam in the series, is promoted to series regular.

After a long search, it was announced that Joe Manganiello was cast as werewolf Alcide Herveaux. He was later joined by Brit Morgan as Debbie Pelt. Marshall Allman is added to the third season as a series regular, cast as Sam Merlotte's younger brother Tommy Mickens and Cooper Huckabee plays Sam Merlotte's long-lost father. Alfre Woodard was cast as Lafayette's mother and Southland actor Kevin Alejandro as Jesus, her caretaker and a potential love interest for Lafayette. Denis O'Hare plays Russell Edgington, the Vampire King of Mississippi, while New Zealand actor Grant Bowler plays the leader of a werewolf biker gang and Theo Alexander plays the role of Edgington's partner Talbot. Allan Hyde has confirmed he will reprise his role as Godric in the form of flashbacks. James Frain appears as Franklin Mott.

Awards and nominations
The series won the GLADD Award for Best Drama Series, Alfre Woodard received a nomination for Best Guest Star in a Drama Series and the show received the "Holy Shit Scene of the Year" award at the Scream Awards for the scene in which Bill twisted Lorena's neck 180 degrees whilst the two were having sex.

United Kingdom
United Kingdom ratings data is taken from the Broadcasters' Audience Research Board.