The fifth season of the

HBO Home Box Office (HBO) is an American pay television service, which is the flagship property of namesake parent-subsidiary Home Box Office, Inc., itself a unit owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. The overall Home Box Office business unit is based a ...

supernatural drama series ''

True Blood ''True Blood'' is an American fantasy Horror fiction, horror Drama (film and television), drama television series produced and created by Alan Ball (screenwriter), Alan Ball. It is based on ''The Southern Vampire Mysteries'', a series of novels ...

'' premiered on June 10, 2012 and features 12 episodes, bringing the series total to 60. It picks up right after the events of season four. It is loosely based on the fifth book in ''

The Southern Vampire Mysteries ''The Southern Vampire Mysteries'', also known as ''The True Blood Novels'' and ''The Sookie Stackhouse Novels'', is a series of books written by The New York Times Best Seller list, bestselling author Charlaine Harris. The first installment, '' ...

'' series, ''

Dead as a Doornail ''Dead as a Doornail'' is the fifth book in Charlaine Harris's series ''The Southern Vampire Mysteries''. Summary It's the first full moon since Jason was bitten by the werepanther Felton Norris (in ''Dead to the World''). Calvin Norris come ...

'', but incorporates much more of the following books than the previous seasons have.

Cast and characters

Main cast

Anna Paquin Anna Helene Paquin ( ; born 24 July 1982) is a New Zealand actress. Born in Winnipeg and raised in Wellington, she made her acting debut in the romantic drama film ''The Piano'' (1993), for which she won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Act ...

Sookie Stackhouse Sookie Stackhouse is a fictional character and protagonist of ''The Southern Vampire Mysteries'' book series, written by Charlaine Harris. In HBO's television adaptation, ''True Blood'', Sookie is portrayed by Anna Paquin. Creation and casting ...

Stephen Moyer Stephen John Moyer (né Emery; born 11 October 1969) is an English actor and film director. He is best known for portraying the vampire Bill Compton in the HBO television series '' True Blood''. This was followed by the television film ''Lord ...

as Bill Compton *

Sam Trammell Sam Trammell (born January 29, 1969) is an American actor, best known for his role as Sam Merlotte on the HBO fantasy drama series ''True Blood''. He was nominated for the Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Play for his performance as Richa ...

Sam Merlotte Sam Merlotte is a fictional character from ''The Southern Vampire Mysteries'' book series, written by author Charlaine Harris. He is introduced in the first novel of the series, '' Dead Until Dark.'' In ''True Blood,'' the HBO television adaptati ...

Ryan Kwanten Ryan Christian Kwanten (born 28 November 1976) is an Australian actor and producer. He played Vinnie Patterson from 1997 to 2002 in the Australian soap opera ''Home and Away''. After his stint ended, he joined the American teen drama series '' ...

Jason Stackhouse Jason Stackhouse is a fictional character from ''The Southern Vampire Mysteries'' book series by author Charlaine Harris. Introduced in the first novel, '' Dead Until Dark'', Jason is Sookie Stackhouse's older brother and a road crew supervisor ...

Rutina Wesley Rutina Wesley (born December 21, 1978) is an American actress. She is best known for her roles as Tara Thornton in the HBO fantasy drama series ''True Blood'', Nova Bordelon on the OWN drama series ''Queen Sugar'', and Maria in the HBO post-ap ...

Tara Thornton Tara Mae Thornton is a fictional character in Charlaine Harris' ''The Southern Vampire Mysteries'' and its television adaptation, HBO's ''True Blood''. Fictional biography Tara Mae Thornton is a Louisiana native in her twenties and lifelong fri ...

Alexander Skarsgård Alexander Johan Hjalmar Skarsgård (; born 25 August 1976) is a Swedish actor. A son of actor Stellan Skarsgård, he began acting at age seven but quit at age thirteen. After serving in the Swedish Navy, Skarsgård returned to acting and gained ...

Eric Northman Eric Northman is a fictional character in ''The Southern Vampire Mysteries,'' written by Charlaine Harris. The character is introduced in the first novel, Dead Until Dark, as vampire living to be about a thousand years and is included in all subs ...

Christopher Meloni Christopher Peter Meloni (; born April 2, 1961) is an American actor. He is known for portraying NYPD Detective Elliot Stabler on the NBC legal drama series '' Law & Order: Special Victims Unit'' (1999–2011, 2021–present) and its spin-off '' ...

as Roman Zimojic *

Chris Bauer Chris Bauer is an American actor. He is best known for his television work in ''The Wire'', '' Third Watch'', '' True Blood'', '' Survivor's Remorse,'' '' The Deuce'', and the Apple TV+ original science fiction space drama series ''For All M ...

Andy Bellefleur ''True Blood'' is an American television drama series created and produced by Alan Ball, airing from 2008 to 2014. It is based on ''The Southern Vampire Mysteries'' by Charlaine Harris. This article includes main characters (i.e., characters pl ...

Kristin Bauer van Straten Kristin Bauer van Straten ( Neubauer) is an American film and television actress, notable for her roles as vampire Pamela Swynford De Beaufort on the HBO television series ''True Blood'', Jerry's girlfriend Gillian ("man hands") on ''Seinfeld'' ...

as Pam Swynford De Beaufort *

Lauren Bowles Lauren Bowles is an American actress. Early life Bowles was born in Washington, D.C., to Judith (née LeFever) and L. Thompson Bowles. Her half-sister (on her mother's side) is actress Julia Louis-Dreyfus. She majored in drama at New York Unive ...

as Holly Cleary *

Valentina Cervi Valentina Cervi (born 13 April 1976) is an Italian film and television actress. Cervi was born in Rome. She is the daughter of director Tonino Cervi and granddaughter of actor Gino Cervi. Her mother is the Italian producer of Austrian-Hungaria ...

Salome Agrippa ''True Blood'' is an American television drama series created and produced by Alan Ball, airing from 2008 to 2014. It is based on ''The Southern Vampire Mysteries'' by Charlaine Harris. This article includes main characters (i.e., characters pl ...

Nelsan Ellis Nelsan Ellis (November 30, 1977 – July 8, 2017) was an American actor. He achieved critical acclaim for his portrayal of Lafayette Reynolds in the HBO television series '' True Blood'' (2008–2014), for which he won a Satellite Award f ...

as Lafayette Reynolds *

Scott Foley Scott Kellerman Foley (born July 15, 1972) is an American actor, director and producer, who is known for roles on shows such as ''The Unit'', '' Scrubs'', '' Felicity'', and ''Scandal''. In film, he's most known as Roman Bridger in ''Scream 3'' ...

as Patrick Devins *

Janina Gavankar Janina Zione Gavankar (; born November 29, 1980) is an American actress and musician. She is trained as a pianist, vocalist, and orchestral percussionist and majored in theatre at the University of Illinois Chicago. Her roles include Eva "Papi" ...

as Luna Garza * Lucy Griffiths as Nora Gainesborough *

Todd Lowe Todd Lowe (born May 10, 1977) is an American actor. He is best known for his role as Terry Bellefleur, a PTSD-suffering Iraq War veteran who works as a short order cook at Merlotte's Bar & Grill on HBO's '' True Blood'' and as Zack Van Gerbig ...

as Terry Bellefleur *

Joe Manganiello Joseph Michael Manganiello ( ; , ; born December 28, 1976) is an American actor. His professional film career began when he played Flash Thompson in Sam Raimi's ''Spider-Man''. His breakout role was as werewolf Alcide Herveaux in five seasons ...

Alcide Herveaux Alcide Herveaux is a fictional character in ''The Southern Vampire Mysteries'', a series of novels by author Charlaine Harris. He is introduced in the third novel, Club Dead. In the television series, he was portrayed by the actor Joe Manganiello. ...

Michael McMillian Michael McMillian is an American actor and writer, known for his roles as Henry Gibson on '' What I Like About You'', Steve Newlin on the HBO series ''True Blood'', Owen on ''Hot in Cleveland'' and Tim in '' Crazy Ex-Girlfriend''. McMillian is a ...

as Steve Newlin *

Denis O'Hare Denis Patrick Seamus O'Hare (born January 17, 1962) is an American actor noted for his award-winning performances in the plays '' Take Me Out'' and '' Sweet Charity'', as well as portraying vampire king Russell Edgington on the HBO fantasy serie ...

as Russell Edgington *

Jim Parrack Jim Parrack (born February 8, 1981) is an American actor best known for his role as List of True Blood characters#Hoyt Fortenberry, Hoyt Fortenberry in HBO series ''True Blood''. He has also appeared in the film ''Battle: Los Angeles'' and as "Sl ...

as Hoyt Fortenberry *

Carrie Preston Carrie Preston (born June 21, 1967) is an American actress, director, and producer. She is best known for her roles as Arlene Fowler in the HBO fantasy drama series '' True Blood'' (2008–2014) and as Elsbeth Tascioni in the CBS legal drama ...

as Arlene Fowler Bellefleur *

Deborah Ann Woll Deborah Ann Woll (born February 7, 1985) is an American actress. She played Jessica Hamby in the HBO drama series ''True Blood'' (2008–2014), which earned her a nomination for a Screen Actors Guild Award. She portrayed Karen Page in four tele ...

Jessica Hamby Jessica Hamby is a fictional character in the ''True Blood'' series, portrayed by Deborah Ann Woll. In the series, which chronicles the life of human waitress Sookie Stackhouse and her friends after vampires make themselves known to humans, Jessi ...

Special guest cast

Kevin Alejandro Kevin Michael Alejandro (born April 7, 1976) is an American actor and director. He has worked steadily in TV since 2003, with some film credits. He is best known to viewers for his roles as Nate Moretta in the TNT crime drama '' Southland'', For ...

Jesus Velasquez ''True Blood'' is an American television drama series created and produced by Alan Ball, airing from 2008 to 2014. It is based on ''The Southern Vampire Mysteries'' by Charlaine Harris. This article includes main characters (i.e., characters pl ...

William Sanderson William Sanderson (born January 10, 1944) is a retired American actor. He played J. F. Sebastian in the feature film ''Blade Runner'' (1982), and had regular roles on several television series, playing Larry on ''Newhart'' (1982–1990), E. B ...

as Bud Dearborn *

Alfre Woodard Alfre Woodard ( ; born November 8, 1952) is an American actress. Known for portraying strong-willed and dignified roles on stage and screen, she has received various accolades, including four Emmy Awards, a Golden Globe Award, and three Scree ...

as Ruby Jean Reynolds *

Adina Porter Adina Elizabeth Porter is an American actress. She is best known for her roles as Lettie Mae Thornton on the HBO fantasy horror series ''True Blood'' (2008–2014), Kendra James on the HBO drama series '' The Newsroom'' (2012–2014), Indra on t ...

as Lettie Mae Daniels

Guest cast

Carolyn Hennesy Carolyn Hennesy (born June 10, 1962) is an American actress, writer, and animal advocate. Hennesy's early work consisted of guest appearances and roles in shows and television movies, including ''Dark Justice'' and in '' Deadly Invasion: The Ki ...

as Rosalyn Harris *

Peter Mensah Peter Mensah (born 27 August 1959) is a Ghanaian-British actor, based in Canada. He is best known for his role as Oenomaus on the Starz television series ''Spartacus'' (2010–2013). He has also appeared in such films as ''Tears of the Sun'', '' ...

as Kibwe Akinjide *

Giles Matthey Giles Ingram Matthey (born 11 November 1987) is a British actor best known for his role as Claude Crane on the HBO original series ''True Blood'', Gideon on the ABC series ''Once Upon a Time'', and Jordan Reed on FOX series '' 24: Live Another D ...

as Claude Crane *

Dale Dickey Diana Dale Dickey is an American character actress who has worked in theater, film, and television. She began her career on stage, performing in the 1989 Broadway version of ''The Merchant of Venice'', before appearing in popular revivals of '' ...

as Martha Bozeman *

Louis Herthum Louis Herthum (born July 5, 1956) is an American actor and producer. Herthum has worked as a stage, television, and film actor, and he has also appeared in national television commercials. He is best known for his recurring role as Dep. Andy Broom ...

as JD Carson *

Christopher Heyerdahl Christopher Heyerdahl (born September 18, 1963) is a Canadian actor who portrayed Alastair (Supernatural), Alastair in ''Supernatural (American TV series), Supernatural,'' the Wraith (Stargate), Wraith Todd in ''Stargate Atlantis'', Sam in ''Van ...

Dieter Braun Dieter Braun (born 2 February 1943) is a German former professional motorcycle road racing, road racer. He competed in Grand Prix motorcycle racing from to . He won the 1970 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season, 1970 Fédération Internationale ...

* John Rezig as Deputy Kevin Ellis *

Jamie Gray Hyder Jamie Gray Hyder is an American actress and model. She performed voice and motion capture work for the role of Lieutenant Nora Salter in '' Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare'' and voice acted for the operator Roze in '' Call of Duty: Modern Warfare ...

as Danielle *

Tina Majorino Albertina Marie Majorino ( ; born February 7, 1985) is an American actress. She started her career as a child actress, starring in films such as ''Andre (film), Andre'', ''When a Man Loves a Woman (film), When a Man Loves a Woman'', ''Waterworl ...

as Molly * Kelly Overton as Rikki Naylor * Chloe Noelle as Emma Garza * Jessica Clark as

Lilith Lilith (; ), also spelled Lilit, Lilitu, or Lilis, is a feminine figure in Mesopotamian and Jewish mythology, theorized to be the first wife of Adam and a primordial she-demon. Lilith is cited as having been "banished" from the Garden of Eden ...

Camilla Luddington Camilla Anne Luddington (born 15 December 1983) is an English actress, best known for her role as Dr. Jo Wilson in the ABC medical drama series ''Grey's Anatomy''. She is also known for voicing Lara Croft in the ''Tomb Raider'' video games and ...

as Claudette Crane *

Jacob Hopkins Jacob Turner Hopkins (born March 4, 2002) is an American actor who voiced Gumball Watterson in the animated series ''The Amazing World of Gumball'' from 2014 to 2017. Early life Hopkins was born Jacob Turner Hopkins on March 4, 2002 in San Fra ...

as Alexander Drew * Brendan McCarthy as Nate * Tanya Wright as Deputy Kenya Jones *

John Billingsley John Billingsley (, born May 20, 1960) is an American actor best known for his role as Doctor Phlox on the television series '' Star Trek: Enterprise''. Early life and education Billingsley was born in Media, Pennsylvania, and subsequently liv ...

Mike Spencer Michael Spencer is an English record producer and recording engineer. He has worked with various pop acts, including Newton Faulkner, Jamiroquai, John Newman, Ellie Goulding, Alex Clare, and Emeli Sandé, among others. Many of his productions ...

Emma Greenwell Emma Greenwell (born 14 January 1989) is an American-born English actress. She made her acting debut as Mandy Milkovich in the second season of the Showtime comedy-drama '' Shameless'' (2012–2016), then appearing as a series regular in the th ...

as Claudia Crane *

Robert Patrick Robert Hammond Patrick (born November 5, 1958) is an American actor. Known for portraying villains and authority figures, Patrick is a Saturn Award winner with four other nominations. Patrick dropped out of college when drama class sparked his ...

as Jackson Herveaux *

Patricia Bethune Patricia Bethune, sometimes credited as P.B. Hutton, (born July 27, 1956) is an American television actress. In 2019, she received Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Special Guest Performer in a Drama Series at the 46th Daytime Emmy Awards for h ...

as Jane Bodehouse * Tara Buck as

Ginger Ginger (''Zingiber officinale'') is a flowering plant whose rhizome, ginger root or ginger, is widely used as a spice and a folk medicine. It is an herbaceous perennial that grows annual pseudostems (false stems made of the rolled bases of l ...

* Allan Hyde as Godric * Dale Raoul as Maxine Fortenberry * Aaron Christian Howles as Rocky Cleary * Keram Malicki-Sánchez as Elijah Stormer * Noah Matthews as Wade Cleary * Alec Gray as Coby Fowler * Mariana Klaveno as Lorena Krasiki * Laurel Weber as Lisa Fowler *

Erica Gimpel Erica Fawn Gimpel (born June 25, 1964) is an American actress, singer, dancer, and composer. She is best known for her roles on television shows '' Fame'' as Coco Hernandez and on '' Profiler'' as Angel Brown. She is also known for her recurrin ...

as Faerie Elder

Episodes

Production

''True Blood'' was officially renewed for a fifth season on August 11, 2011. In February, 2012 it was announced that creator Alan Ball would be stepping down as showrunner at the end of the fifth season. Ball will continue on as executive producer in a more advisory role and leave the day-to-day production of the series to others. "Because of the fantastic cast, writers, producers and crew, with whom I have been lucky enough to work these past five years, I know I could step back and the show will continue to thrive," said Ball in a statement. Series co-star

made his directorial debut with the eighth episode of season five, titled "Somebody That I Used to Know." '' D.E.B.S.'' writer/director and former ''

The L Word ''The L Word'' is a television drama series that aired on Showtime in the United States from 2004 to 2009. The series follows the lives of a group of lesbian and bisexual women who live in West Hollywood, California. The premise originated wit ...

'' producer Angela Robinson has joined the writing staff. She wrote episodes five and eleven. Series co-star

confirmed that the character Tara would be returning.

Ratings

References

{{True Blood 2012 American television seasons True Blood Iraq War in television