True Blood (season 5)

The fifth seson of the HBO original series True Blood premiered on June 10, 2012 and features 12 episodes, bringing the series to a total of 60. It picks up right after the events of season four. It's loosely based of the fifth book in The Southern Vampire Mysteries series Dead as a Doornail but will incorporate much more of the following books than the previous seasons have.

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
 * Alexander Skarsgard as Eric Northman
 * Christopher Meloni as Roman Zimojic (5 episodes)
 * Chris Bauer as Andy Bellefleur
 * Kristin Bauer van Straten as Pam De Beaufort
 * Lauren Bowles as Holly Cleary (6 episodes)
 * Valentina Cervi as Salome Agrippa (8 episodes)
 * Nelsan Ellis as Lafayette Reynolds
 * Scott Foley as Patrick Devins (8 episodes)
 * Janina Gavankar as Luna Garza (7 episodes)
 * Lucy Griffiths as Nora Gainsborough
 * Todd Lowe as Terry Bellefleur
 * Joe Manganiello as Alcide Herveaux
 * Michael McMillian as Steve Newlin (6 episodes)
 * Denis O'Haire as Russell Edgington (6 episodes)
 * Jim Parrack as Hoyt Fortenberry
 * Carrie Preston as Arlene Fowler-Bellefleur
 * Deborah Ann Woll as Jessica Hamby

Special guest stars

 * Alfre Woodard as Ruby Jean Reynolds (2 episodes)
 * Kevin Alejandro as Jesus Velasquez (3 episodes)
 * William Sanderson as Bud Dearborn (3 episodes)
 * Adina Porter as Lettie Mae Thronton (1 episode)
 * Bill Joe Armstrong as Himself (final 3 episodes)

Guest cast
Christopher Heyerdahl as Dieter Braun (6 episodes) Peter Mensah as Kibwe Akinjide (6 episodes) Dale Dickey as Martha Bozeman (6 episodes) Kelly Overton as Rikki (5 episodes) Louis Herthum as JD (6 episodes) Tina Majorino as Molly (4 episodes) Jacob Hopkins as Alexander Drew (3 episodes) Brendan McCarthy as Nate (3 episodes) Mariana Klaveno as Lorena Krasiki (1 episode) Dale Raoul as Maxine Fortenberry (1 episode) Aaron Christian Howles as Rocky Cleary (1 episode) Noah Matthews as Wade Cleary (1 episode) Tara Buck as Ginger (1 episode) Jessica Clark as Lilith (2 episodes) Camilla Luddington as Claudette Crane (3 episodes)
 * Carolyn Hennesy as Rosalyn Harris (7 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 Stephen Moyer 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 producer Angela Robinson has joined the writing staff. She will write episodes five and eleven.

Series co-star Rutina Wesley confirmed that the character Tara would be returning.