The fourth season of the television series ''

True Blood ''True Blood'' is an American fantasy horror drama television series produced and created by Alan Ball. It is based on '' The Southern Vampire Mysteries'', a series of novels by Charlaine Harris. A reboot is currently in development. The ser ...

'' contains 12 episodes, bringing the series total to 48. The season premiered on June 26, 2011. Though the storyline picks up twelve and a half months after the events of season three; the season still begins immediately after final scene of "Evil Is Going On". It is loosely based on the fourth novel 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 bestselling author Charlaine Harris. The first installment, '' Dead Until Dark'' (2001), won the A ...

'' series, '' Dead to the World''.

Episodes

Production

Filming for season four commenced in Los Angeles, California, on December 1, 2010. As a special promotional broadcast, the season's second episode "You Smell Like Dinner" was made available on

HBO Go HBO Go is a partly-inactive authenticated video on demand of the pay television service HBO. The service allowed subscribers to HBO via television providers to access its programming on-demand via the HBO website, mobile apps, and digital medi ...

a week earlier than usual. This, combined with the 4th of July holiday, is theorized to account for the dramatic decline in ratings for that particular episode. The series hit record high ratings with episode 9 of season 4, titled "Let's Get Out of Here". The episode drew 5.53 million viewers, making it the most watched episode of True Blood to date.

Cast and characters

Main cast

Anna Paquin Anna Hélène Paquin ( ; born 24 July 1982) is a New Zealand actress. Born in Winnipeg and raised in Wellington, Paquin made her acting debut portraying Flora McGrath in the romantic drama film '' The Piano'' (1993), for which she won the ...

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 cast ...

* Stephen Moyer as Bill Compton *

Sam Trammell Sam Trammell (born January 29, 1969) is an American actor, 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 Richard Mi ...

Sam Merlotte Sam Merlotte is a fictional character from ''The Southern Vampire Mysteries/Sookie Stackhouse Series'' by author Charlaine Harris. Sam lives in the fictional town of Bon Temps, Louisiana, and is the owner of a bar named Merlotte's. Sam has stra ...

* Ryan Kwanten as Jason Stackhouse *

Rutina Wesley Rutina Wesley (born December 21, 1978) is an American actress. She is best known for her roles as Tara Thornton on the HBO television series ''True Blood'', and Nova Bordelon on OWN’s ''Queen Sugar''. Early life and education Wesley was bor ...

Tara Thornton Tara Mae Thornton is a fictional character in Charlaine Harris's ''The Southern Vampire Mysteries'' and their television adaptation, HBO's ''True Blood''. Profile Tara Mae Thornton is a twenty-something Louisiana native and lifelong friend of ...

Alexander Skarsgård Alexander Johan Hjalmar Skarsgård (; born August 25, 1976) is a Swedish actor. Born in Stockholm, he began acting at age seven but quit at 13. After serving in the Swedish military, Skarsgård returned to acting and gained his first role in th ...

Eric Northman Eric Northman is a fictional character in ''The Southern Vampire Mysteries,'' a series of thirteen books written by ''New York Times'' bestselling author Charlaine Harris. He is a vampire, slightly over one thousand years old, and is first intr ...

Kevin Alejandro Kevin Michael Alejandro (born April 7, 1976) is an American actor and film director. He is known for his roles as Nate Moretta in the crime drama '' Southland'', Forklift Mike in '' Parenthood,'' Jesús Velázquez in the supernatural thriller '' ...

as Jesus Velasquez *

Marshall Allman Marshall Scot Allman (born April 5, 1984) is an American actor. He is known to television audiences for his role as L. J. Burrows on the Fox television series ''Prison Break''. He is also known for playing Tommy Mickens on ''True Blood''. Earl ...

as Tommy Mickens * Chris Bauer as Andy Bellefleur *

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 Pamela Swynford De Beaufort *

Lauren Bowles Lauren Elizabeth Bowles is an American actress. Early life and education 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 ...

as Holly Cleary *

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

as Lafayette Reynolds *

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

as Luna Garza *

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 o ...

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 of ...

Alcide Herveaux Alcide Herveaux is a fictional character from the '' Southern Vampire Mysteries''/Sookie Stackhouse novels by author Charlaine Harris. He is a Were (a full blooded werewolf) who owns a construction company in Jackson, Mississippi with his father. ...

Jim Parrack Jim Parrack (born February 8, 1981) is an American actor best known for his role as Hoyt Fortenberry in HBO series ''True Blood''. He has also appeared in the film '' Battle: Los Angeles'' and as "Slim" in the 2014 Broadway production of ''Of M ...

as Hoyt Fortenberry *

Carrie Preston Carrie Preston (born June 21, 1967) is an American actress known for her work on the television series ''True Blood'', ''Person of Interest (TV series), Person of Interest'', ''Crowded (TV series), Crowded'', ''The Good Wife'', ''The Good Fight ...

as Arlene Fowler Bellefleur * Fiona Shaw as Marnie Stonebrook *

Jessica Tuck Jessica Tuck is an American actress, best known for her performances on television as Megan Gordon Harrison on the ABC soap opera ''One Life to Live'', Gillian Gray in the CBS drama series ''Judging Amy,'' and as Nan Flanagan on the HBO series ...

as Nan Flanagan *

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

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

* Brit Morgan as Debbie Pelt *

Lois Smith Lois Arlene Smith (née Humbert; born November 3, 1930) is an American character actress whose career spans eight decades. She made her film debut in the 1955 drama film ''East of Eden (film), East of Eden'', and later played supporting roles i ...

as Adele Stackhouse * Adina Porter as Lettie Mae Daniels *

Evan Rachel Wood Evan Rachel Wood (born September 7, 1987) is an American actress and activist. She is the recipient of a Critics' Choice Television Award as well as three Primetime Emmy Award nominations and three Golden Globe Award nominations for her work ...

Sophie-Anne Leclerq ''True Blood'' is an American television drama series created and produced by Alan Ball. It is based on ''The Southern Vampire Mysteries'' by Charlaine Harris. This article includes main characters (i.e. characters played by a main cast member) ...

Gary Cole Gary Michael Cole (born September 20, 1956) is an American television, film and voice actor. Cole began his professional acting career on stage at Chicago's Steppenwolf Theatre Company in 1985. On television, he has had starring roles in the ...

as Earl Stackhouse

Recurring cast

* Dean Chekvala as Roy *

Fiona Dourif Fiona Christianne Dourif (born October 30, 1981) is an American actress and producer. She is known for her role as Bart Curlish in BBC America's ''Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency'' and as the young Diane Jones in Dustin Lance Black's ''W ...

as Casey *

Paola Turbay Paola Turbay Gómez (born November 29, 1970) is a Colombian-American actress, model, beauty queen, and television presenter. Related to Julio César Turbay Ayala, Turbay represented Bogotá in the Miss Colombia beauty pageant and won in 199 ...

as Antonia Gavilán de Logroño * Dale Raoul as Maxine Fortenberry *

Courtney Ford Courtney Braden Ford is an American actress. She is best known for her roles on television, such as playing Christine Hill on ''Dexter'' (2009), Portia Bellefleur on ''True Blood'' (2011), Lily on '' Parenthood'' (2012), Tonia Pyne on '' Murder ...

as Portia Bellefleur * Vedette Lim as

Naomi Naomi or Naomie may refer to: People and biblical figures * Naomi (given name), a female given name and a list of people with the name * Naomi (biblical figure), Ruth's mother-in-law in the Old Testament Book of Ruth * Naomi (Romanian singer) (bor ...

* Brendan McCarthy as Nate * Chloe Noelle as Emma Garza *

Alexandra Breckenridge Alexandra Hetherington Breckenridge is an American actress. She began her career with supporting roles in the teen comedy films '' Big Fat Liar'' (2002) and '' She's the Man'' (2006). She later played reporter Willa McPherson in the FX series ...

as Katerina Pelham * Nondumiso Tembe as Mavis * Tara Buck as Ginger *

Dane DeHaan Dane William DeHaan ( ; born February 6, 1986) is an American actor known for his roles as Andrew Detmer in ''Chronicle'' (2012), Lucien Carr in '' Kill Your Darlings'' (2013), Harry Osborn / Green Goblin in ''The Amazing Spider-Man 2'' (2014), ...

as Timbo * Alec Gray as Coby Fowler * Lindsay Pulsipher as Crystal Norris * James Harvey Ward as Felton Norris * Laurel Weber as

Lisa Fowler Lisa Fowler (also Shaw) is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'', played by Lucy Benjamin. The character was introduced as a "home-wrecking blonde" by executive producer Matthew Robinson on 7 December 1998. The characte ...

* Del Zamora as Don Bartolo * Chris Butler as Emory *

J. Smith-Cameron Jean Isabel Smith (born September 7, 1957), credited professionally as J. Smith-Cameron, is an American actress. She spent a majority of her career in theatre but began transitioning to film and television later in life. She is known for her suppo ...

as Melinda Mickens * Christina Moore as Susanne McKittrick *

Lara Pulver Lara Pulver (born 1 September 1980) is an English actress. She has played Erin Watts in the BBC spy drama '' Spooks'' and Irene Adler on BBC's TV adaptation '' Sherlock''. She won the 2016 Olivier Award for Best Supporting Actress in a Musical i ...

Claudine Claudine may refer to: Name * Claudine (given name), a feminine given name of French origin Culture * ''Claudine'' (film), a 1974 American film by John Berry ** ''Claudine'' (soundtrack), its soundtrack album. Music by Curtis Mayfield and Gladis ...

Chris Coy Christopher James Coy (born May 1, 1986) is an American actor. He is known for portraying Calvin Bunker on Cinemax’s ''Banshee'', L.P. Everett on HBO's '' Treme'', Martin on AMC's '' The Walking Dead'', and Paul Hendrickson on HBO's '' The De ...

Barry Horowitz Barry Horowitz (born March 24, 1959) is an American professional wrestler, best known for his time in the World Wrestling Federation (WWF). Early life Horowitz attended Florida State University, where he studied sports nutrition and wrestled ...

* Scott Foley as Patrick Devins *

Katherine Helmond Katherine Marie Helmond (July 5, 1929 – February 23, 2019) was an American actress. Over her five decades of television acting, she was known for her starring role as Jessica Tate on the sitcom ''Soap'' (1977–1981) and her co-starring role as ...

as Caroline Bellefleur *

Neil Hopkins Neil Edward Hopkins (born May 13, 1977) is an American television and film actor. He is a trained actor and singer, best known for his portrayal of Charlie's heroin-addicted brother Liam on ''Lost''. Early life Hopkins was born in Trenton, New J ...

as Claude *

Allan Hyde Allan Hyde (born 20 December 1989)"Allan Hyde"
''Danskefilm'', retrieved 14 September 2021 . is a < ...

as Godric *

Michael McMillian Michael McMillian (born October 21, 1978) 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-Girl ...

as Reverend Steve Newlin * Michael Raymond-James as Rene Lenier * John Rezig as Deputy Kevin Ellis *

Rebecca Wisocky Rebecca Wisocky (born November 12, 1971) is an American actress. Best known for her role as Evelyn Powell in the Lifetime comedy-drama series ''Devious Maids'' (2013–16), as of 2021 she is starring as Hetty Woodstone on the CBS sitcom ''Ghosts' ...

Queen Mab Queen Mab is a fairy referred to in William Shakespeare's play ''Romeo and Juliet'', where "she is the fairies' midwife". Later, she appears in other poetry and literature, and in various guises in drama and cinema. In the play, her activity i ...

Casting

On November 8, 2010, ''

Deadline Deadline(s) or The Deadline(s) may refer to: * Time limit, a narrow field of time by which an objective must be accomplished Arts, entertainment, and media Comics * Deadline (DC Comics), a fictional villain * ''Deadline'' (magazine), a British ...

'' reported that Irish stage actress/director Fiona Shaw (best known in the United States for her role as Aunt Petunia in the '' Harry Potter'' films) had been cast as Marnie, an insecure and timid palm reader who is possessed by the spirit of a powerful witch. Former '' Dexter'' star

has been cast in the recurring role of Portia Bellefleur, sister to Andy. Actor

(''

In Treatment ''In Treatment'' is an American drama television series for HBO, produced and developed by Rodrigo Garcia, based on the Israeli series '' BeTipul'' ( he, בטיפול), created by Hagai Levi, Ori Sivan and Nir Bergman. The series is about a ...

'') has also been cast as Timbo. On November 23, Deadline reported that actress

, who portrays vampire spokesperson Nan Flanagan, will be promoted to series regular starting this season. Three new female cast members were announced:

(''

The L Word ''The L Word'' is a television drama that aired on Showtime from January 18, 2004 to March 8, 2009. The series follows the lives of a group of lesbian and bisexual women who live in West Hollywood, California. The premise originated with Ilene ...

'', ''

The Gates ''The Gates'' were a group of gates comprising a site-specific work of art by Bulgarian artist Christo Yavacheff and French artist Jeanne-Claude, known jointly as Christo and Jeanne-Claude. The artists installed 7,503 vinyl "gates" along of ...

'') will play a public school teacher named Luna, who is also a shapeshifter;

('' Life Unexpected'', '' Family Guy'') will play a wiccan named Katie; and relative newcomer Vedette Lim will play Naomi, a fierce cage fighter. Daniel Buran will play Marcus, the pack master of the Shreveport werewolves and Alcide's superior and, as in the previous season,

Allan Hyde Allan Hyde (born 20 December 1989)"Allan Hyde"
''Danskefilm'', retrieved 14 September 2021 . is a < ...

will reprise his role as Godric.

(''

Office Space ''Office Space'' is a 1999 American black comedy film written and directed by Mike Judge. It satirizes the worklife of a typical 1990s software company, focusing on a handful of individuals weary of their jobs. It stars Ron Livingston, Jennifer ...

'', '' Harvey Birdman: Attorney at Law'') will play Earl Stackhouse.

Ratings

References

{{True Blood 2011 American television seasons True Blood Films about spirit possession