The Summer's Best TV

It goes without saying that vampire soap True Blood is this summer’s true winner, not just continuing in the reinvention of HBO’s brand identity, but giving the pay cable channel its first bona fide ratings hit since the days of The Sopranos. The third season launched with 5.1 million viewers in June, a 38 percent increase over the second season. But the real testament to the show’s overwhelming success is revealed when you look at the cumulative numbers across the week. Over seven days, an average of 13.2 million viewers sank their teeth into True Blood, a staggering number that puts the bloody drama on par with major broadcast network hits during the regular TV season. No survey of the summer television landscape can be complete without acknowledging the pervasiveness of this show, which has become a major part of the pop culture zeitgeist, landing cover stories on Rolling Stone and Entertainment Weekly, and has won over critics and audience members alike.