HBO is pulling quite the impressive stunt with True Blood. The series was the first to pull HBO’s numbers back up into the respectable after The Sopranos went away and Generation Kill and John Adams both went the miniseries route instead of the full-blown serial.

True Blood did so well that HBO picked it up for a second season before critics and viewers alike we ready to call Suki and Bill characters we’d be willing to spend a few Sundays with. The announcement that a second season would be coming around sent HBO’s True Blood website into a flurry of fan activity and - this is a hypothesis - I believe convinced us all to keep watching it.

True Blood is not the highest of drama, what with all the nipples and vampires that live by some different set of rules, but letting an audience know that they would be paying for a second season of True Blood while they are paying for their HBO subscription. For me, at least, that sent the message that these characters were going to be around for awhile, and it was fine if they took their own sweet time to develop. Not to mention that season one revealed who the serial killer was, but did not bring him to justice.

Now, True Blood’s marketing has taken the form of these stunning posters touting the series’ return in June.

Who’s coming back for more? Well, I’m still paying for HBO, so that’s still a fraction of my money going to more Anna Paquin boobs.