The course of true love never did run smooth. Particularly when one of the runners is dead.

Sexy, witty and unabashedly peculiar, "True Blood" is a blood-drenched Southern Gothic romantic parable set in a world where vampires are out and about and campaigning for equal rights. Part mystery, part fantasy, part comedy and all wildly imaginative exaggeration, "Blood" proves that there's still vibrant life — or death — left in the "star-crossed lovers" paradigm. You just have to know where to stake your romantic claim.

Adapted by Alan Ball ("Six Feet Under") from Charlaine Harris' "Southern Vampire Mystery" series, "Blood" follows the adventures of Sookie Stackhouse, wonderfully played with an amusing mix of sass and innocence by a grown-up Anna Paquin. Sookie is cursed with the ability to read thoughts, which is one of the reasons she falls for the first man whose mind she can't read: Civil War-veteran vamp Bill Compton.

The other, obvious reason is that — thanks to Stephen Moyer — Bill is smoking hot and incredibly appealing.

But then, so are many of the people in this remarkably well-cast show: Ryan Kwanten as Sookie's dumb brother, Rutina Wesley as her hilariously tough-talking best friend, Sam Trammell as her crush-struck boss, Nelsen Ellis as a gay short-order cook who takes orders from no one. Throw in an endearing performance from Lois Smith as Sookie's grandmother and, coming later, Alexander Skarsgard ("Generation Kill"), and you have one of the best (and best-looking) ensembles of the new season.

That acting talent is tied to a story that serves old myths and new mysteries equally well and a town pulsing with eccentric life. Thanks to artificial blood, vampires are claiming their place in society, clearing up some "lies" about them (they're not afraid of crosses or garlic), while confirming some truths (sun, not so hot).

There are vamps, however, who don't want to go "mainstream" and humans who don't want them to — and someone in one of those groups is killing women in Sookie's low-rent Louisiana town.

Ball is a man of many talents, but subtlety does not appear to be one of them, and viewers should keep that in mind. Many of the twists on the vampire minority metaphor are clever — a church billboard reads "God Hates Fangs" — but you do wish Ball would hammer his points home with a slightly smaller hammer.

Even so, for a network that has lost its way of late in series, "Blood" is a much-needed infusion of new ... well ... blood. Drink up.