It's Official: Alan Ball Steps Down From True Blood After Season 5

I can hear some fans cry out in sorrow while I can hear the fans who hate the pairing of Sookie and Bill sigh a great relief under the belief that Alan Ball's influence over that couple will end. I frankly adore anything Alan Ball touches. I admired, loved and esteemed Six Feet Under as a seamless work of TV art, and I believe True Blood wouldn't have half its multiple and colorful layers if it weren't for Ball's savant storytelling genius. So with the announcement of his exit from the show, I hope he leaves behind a legacy of gifted storytellers who learned from the Yoda himself. I might not always like the direction of the show, especially in the last portion of Season 4, but I believe it was and will remain a high-quality show. I don't think the writers will want to try and put their own stamp on a tried-and-true show that is the second highest rated show in HBO history following only after the incomparable Sopranos.

I am such a fan of Ball's impeccable work that I own all the box sets of Six Feet Under and True Blood; I also own an old copy of American Beauty. In my opinion, Alan Ball cannot go wrong. He knows how to tell not just a great story, but a compelling, memorable and colorful story that resonates emotionally and touches something deep down inside of all of us. His work in so many ways is poetry albeit in True Blood's case often campy poetry. Even in the case of telling Marnie's story, it's secretly a story about bullying on the playground. What happens to the misfit or girl who is abused, can't fit in, and becomes embittered? That is really the "wicked witch's" story as seen through the lens of True Blood and Ball's endless and relentless imagination. So, he's tired and stepping down. You know what Mr. Ball, I get it! I'm a writer, too. I've got multiple projects boiling all at once. Some days you're pursuing all of your goals and enjoying the ride. Other days, you're just a little burned out. I only wish that as he considers other HBO projects, he would ask to see the California Girl Chronicles TV series Bible. You see my dream! With Ball in charge of my project, it would be as complex as it rightly should be! So be tired genius storyteller, but don't retire ... not just yet. The world awaits your next hugely fabulous project!!