Although True Blood was rather slow out of the idiot box gate, it made up for it in its second and third week with some killer ratings. That being so, HBO was high enough on it to order a second season.

With a second season now secured for the writers and producers, they’re moving forward with adding some new blood to the cast to flesh out the impending storylines down the road; Mehcad Brooks, Todd Lowe, Deborah Ann Woll and Michelle Forbes have been moved into the coveted slots of series regulars for the show’s  second season. 

The new blood will appear in the first-season finale later this fall, and, of course, make regular appearances next season.

Based on Charlaine Harris’ series of books Dead Until Dark (Southern Vampire Mysteries), True Blood centers on waitress/mind reader Sookie Stackhouse (Anna Paquin) and her redneck family and friends in the backwoods of Louisiana and how her life is thrown into a whirlwind when Vampire Bill walks into her watering hole two years after vampires have come out of the coffin on national television.

True Blood airs Sunday nights in HBO. Check your local listings to confirm the times.