‘True Blood’ season 7 will be the end for Anna Paquin, Alexander Skarsgard, and the cast

Sad news for those like us hoping for two more years of “True Blood” before the show came to a close. HBO announced on Tuesday that the upcoming seventh year of the vampire drama would be its last, which means that there are only now ten episodes left of a show that was once a huge phenomenon. (That’s right: The series is sticking with its shorter episode order next year, despite no one being pregnant like Anna Paquin was this past season during production.

In a statement, HBO president Michael Lombardo took the opportunity to praise the series extensively for what it has brought to television since first arriving on the scene:

“True Blood has been nothing short of a defining show for HBO. Alan Ball took the books by Charlaine Harris, assembled a brilliant cast led by the magnificent Anna Paquin in the role of Sookie Stackhouse, and crafted a show that has taken its many devoted fans on an unforgettable journey. Alan passed the baton to Brian Buckner, who led our fantastic writers and crew in crafting a spectacular sixth season, and he will lead us through the seventh and final season of this amazing show. Together with its legions of fans, it will be hard to say goodbye to the residents of Bon Temps, but I look forward to what promises to be a fantastic final chapter of this incredible show.”

The good news about this announcement coming at this point is that it allows the show the time that it needs to craft a capable, satisfying conclusion rather than something pieced-together at the last second. However, at the same time it also is not a ton of time to work with as the series starts to wrap.

From a ratings perspective, this move was not a shocker given that the show has lost some of its audience over the past two years, as some (including us) felt that season 6 was not nearly as “spectacular” as Lombardo claimed. We just feel sad for Buckner, who had the show going strong after he took over for Mark Hudis midway through production.

HBO’s big challenge now is trying to figure out what their next big hit will be. While “Girls” is buzzed about, it’s not a ratings smash by any means; “Game of Thrones” is really all they have at this point, while AMC and Showtime have taken some of their thunder in recent years.

What do you think about this year being the end for “True Blood”? Be sure to share some of your thoughts below, and if you want to read more about some of the character debates we are in the process of creating for the series, just be sure to click here.

Photo: HBO