True Blood Show Runner, Alan Ball, Stepping Down

True Blood’s fifth season is still months away from premiere, and now there’s confirmation that change is indeed in the air. EW has confirmed the rumors that have been swirling around that series creator Alan Ball will be stepping down as show runner if the show returns for a sixth season.

Just last July Ball was singing a different tune at True Blood's panel at the Television Critics Association press tour. "There will be an end for me at some point, but I just closed a deal to do another season," he told reporters. "I don't have any desire to leave because I'm having more fun than I ever had in my life."

My how things change in just a few months. The Network released a statement saying “When we extended our multi-year overall deal with Alan Ball in July 2011, we always intended that if we proceeded to True Blood’s sixth season that Alan would take a supervisory role on the series and not be the day-to-day showrunner.  If we proceed to season six, the show will remain in the very capable hands of the talented team of writers and producers who have been with the show for a number of years.  This is the best possible world for both HBO and Alan Ball.  Alan will remain available as executive producer to consult and advise on True Blood and he will be free to develop new shows for both HBO and Cinemax. Banshee, on which Alan serves as executive producer, is the first in house series for Cinemax and is expected to begin production this spring.”

But Ball had a little different tune, “True Blood has been, and will continue to be, a highlight of not only my career but my life.  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 as I look forward to new and exciting ventures.”

The fantastically addicting series is based on Charlaine Harris’ Sookie Stackhouse books which Ball adapted into the television series in September 2008. So dry your tears trubies, its not the end of True Blood just the end of Ball’s run, which for some isn’t a bad thing. As long as I keep getting some Eric and Alcide on my screen I’ll remain a happy girl.