Elsbeth is currently on a mini break in the 2025 TV schedule, but CBS dropped some exciting news to tide fans over until the next new episode in early April. The primetime drama with a knack for recruiting celebrities to play killers is bringing back a bunch of them for the Season 2 finale in May. I'm already excited to see them again, but I also can't help but wonder if the in-universe reasoning for all these killers coming back is because Elsbeth herself is in trouble.

The Season 2 finale is called "Ramen Holiday" and will air on Thursday, May 8 at a special time earlier than usual on CBS. I already got a kick out of the title, since it's presumably a play on words for the classic Audrey Hepburn film, Roman Holiday, after Elsbeth went full Breakfast at Tiffany's for Halloween. The network's description of the finale doesn't give much away, though. It reads:

The episode was written by showrunner and executive producer Jonathan Tolins, and fans won't have to wait more than a month for details of which familiar suspects will appear in the finale. Fans can count on the return of the True Blood star who was Elsbeth's very first killer as well as some much more recent guests. Check out the list:

• Stephen Moyer – theater director Alex Modarian
• Retta – matchmaker Margo Clarke
• Gina Gershon –  plastic surgeon Dr. Vanessa Holmes
• Elizabeth Lail – tech CEO Quinn Powell
• Arian Moayed – bar owner Joe Dillon
• André De Shields – fashion designer Matteo Hart
• Alyssa Milano – mafia princess Pupetta Del Ponte

The episodes that introduced all of those characters are available streaming with a Paramount+ subscription now, and the finale will also bring back two guest stars who haven't yet made their Elsbeth debuts. Weeds alum Mary-Louise Parker arrives in the new Season 2 episode on April 3 and Wicked's Ethan Slater appears in the April 10 episode, before both return for the finale in May. Jonathan Tolins previewed what's to come, complete with crediting the former guest stars going above and beyond to return:

Elsbeth has a knack for endearing herself even to the murderers of the week, so I normally wouldn't think there's much risk in her encountering any of them again. In light of Judge Milton Crawford as her Season 2 nemesis, though, I can't help but wonder if Michael Emerson's character has a scheme to use the killers against her in a court that he controls. Elsbeth certainly has unconventional methods, and if anybody on this show could – or would – exploit that for their own gains, it would have to be Crawford.

All of this said, I'm excited in particular to see the guest stars from early Season 1 who will be returning. Elsbeth has become a major hit for CBS, and it could be fun to look back at some of the show's first killers when Carrie Preston's character was still the new kid on the block.

And fortunately, Elsbeth was renewed for Season 3 weeks before the news broke about the finale's stacked guest lineup, so fans haven't had to worry about whether or not the end is nigh. There are still a number of episodes left before the finale on May 8, though, and you can look forward to the next new installment on Thursday, April 3 at 10 p.m. ET on CBS.

The Night Agent Season 2 is finally set to return to the Netflix schedule in January 2025, but the show isn’t going to be a two-season-then-canceled wonder. Instead, we already know the popular agent thriller is coming back for Season 3, and apparently the streamer is more excited than ever about casting some big TV names. And when I say big I mean it, as a major True Blood alum and more will be joining the show.

Per a new report from the streaming service, a slew of new members will be joining The Night Agent Season 3 cast, many of whom you probably already know:

• Jennifer Morrison
• Stephen Moyer
• David Lyons
• Genesis Rodriguez
• Callum Vinson
• Suraj Sharma (Recurring)

Jennifer Morrison, of course, made her name on House MD and then starred in ABC’s popular and long-running Once Upon A Time. (Plus, HIMYM fans should also know her.) David Lyons had gigs on ER and later NBC’s series Revolution. Then, of course, there’s Stephen Moyer, who most recently made a name for himself for appearing as the very first high-end guest star on CBS’ Elsbeth, but who is, of course, most known for playing Bill Compton in HBO’s True Blood.

The only unfortunate thing about this gig for True Blood fans is that Moyer will not be playing a southern vampire (sorry, wrong genre), which means we won’t hear any delicious sounds like “Sookie” escaping his lips anytime soon. Ah well, it’ll be nice to have him back in a major TV role anyway.

What I find most intriguing about all of this is how major some of the names are for Season 3. Outside of D.B. Woodside (and don’t get me started on what happened in Season 1), the original Night Agent cast wasn’t super well-known. Coming up, The Night Agent is adding some newcomers in Season 2, but no one near as heavy-hitting as Stephen Moyer or Jennifer Morrison will be joining. Season 2 will add The Leftovers’ Amanda Warren and a few other names including Louis Herthum and Arienne Mandi.

Casting lesser known names has worked for this show so far, but it makes me wonder if the show is amping up its budget a bit as The Night Agent moves to a more global setting and continues to be popular during its streaming run. The Night Agent is certainly one of the best Netflix shows to binge-watch, and maybe that means more money is in play. Whatever the reason, though, I don’t hate it, as I’ve been champing at the bit to see Moyer back in a major TV role ever since The Gifted got canceled. For it to be one of my favorite streaming shows is just the icing on the cake.

Spoilers ahead for the series premiere of Elsbeth on CBS.

Carrie Preston is back in primetime in the 2024 TV schedule as Elsbeth Tascioni after playing the attorney on The Good Wife and The Good Fight, but she's not in the courtroom as the star of Elsbeth. The character relocated to New York to work as an outside observer to the NYPD... or at least, that was supposed to be her role. She was quickly investigating clues herself and searching for motive in the series premiere, and she caught onto the killer before anybody else. In a fun twist, the killer was played by none other than Stephen Moyer, and Preston shared the story behind her former True Blood co-star joining the show.

Elsbeth was onto theater director/murderer Alex Modarian well before he realized he needed to take her seriously as a threat. As he noted, it was a chess game between the pair of them, ranging from her wearing him down by chattering on about Broadway to him putting her job in jeopardy. Moyer's character definitely wasn't a good guy, but he had a great dynamic with Preston as Elsbeth.

And while they definitely weren't channeling their True Blood characters on CBS' newest show, fans of the HBO series and True Blood cast could enjoy seeing them share the screen again. When I spoke with Carrie Preston about Elsbeth, she explained what brought the former vampire actor to CBS:

"Well, I was the one that suggested him. I said to to Robert and Michelle [King] and the casting director and everybody that I thought that he would just really crush it and that he would be such great casting and that he could play it in his native dialect as a Brit, and that it would be really a nice texture to add to the character. And when they did offer it to him, he was so lovely. He came in and was completely prepared, as I knew he would be. Also, when you're doing a pilot, you're just so nervous and you want it to be great and you want to have that kind of institutional history with the people that you're working with."

Apparently, Carrie Preston pitched Stephen Moyer to the Elsbeth creators and executive producers, and Robert and Michelle King obviously went ahead with adding the True Blood alum as the show's first villain. He also didn't have to change his accent for the role, which isn't always the case for the British actor. The leading lady continued, explaining why it was helpful to team up with somebody she already knew well for a pilot:

"So I felt very fortunate that he and I have that history together even though on True Blood we didn't really have a lot of scenes together. Because he was the vampire, I was the human. Like, I was on a show about a bar and he was on a vampire show. [laughs] But we were a pretty tight group on that show, and he was one of our kind of cast leaders. He would really bring everybody together and he showed up on [Elsbeth] set with that same energy and everyone fell in love with him. I was just happy every day to be doing these very dialogue-heavy, really fun scenes with someone that I love and respect so much."

Unfortunately, the end of the series premiere suggests that the case is thoroughly closed on Alex Modarian, so fans shouldn't count on seeing the former True Blood co-stars facing off again on Elsbeth. Still, it was a great way to launch a new series. Plus, just as you don't need to know The Good Wife or The Good Fight to enjoy Elsbeth, Preston and Moyer were an entertaining pair whether or not you were familiar with the True Blood connection.

Critics had a lot to say about Elsbeth prior to the premiere on February 29, but now it's up to viewers to determine how successful the new show will be in primetime. New episodes will continue airing on Thursdays at 10 p.m. ET on CBS. Thursday night is generally a strong night for the network, opening with the final season of Young Sheldon at 8 p.m., continuing the comedy with Ghosts at 8:30 p.m., switching to drama at 9 p.m. for So Help Me Todd, and then finishing with Elsbeth. You can also find the series streaming with a Paramount+ subscription.

It has been six years since HBO's True Blood went off the air, and now one of its stars has boarded a new TV show. Stephen Moyer is heading back to television screens in a return to the horror genre. Will Moyer’s new TV role be anything like his character on True Blood? Here is what you need to know.

Deadline reports that Stephen Moyer has boarded creator James Seale’s 10-episode horror series, Safehaven, not be confused with the Julianne Hough/Josh Duhamel movie with a similar name but very different premise. Moyer’s show finds him playing John Rayburn, an enigmatic new school counselor. John is determined to save Safehaven’s protagonist, Jenna Frost (Queen America’s Bella Shouse), even though his methods might endanger her life and his.

Safehaven will reportedly find Stephen Moyer’s John uncovering his own “personal demons,” and I already have a theory. Could one of them be that he was never around for his daughter growing up? Could Jenna be his biological daughter, and that is why Moyer’s John is going to all of this trouble to save her?

This does not sound like it will be a comic book show à la Moyer’s past TV show – The Gifted on Fox, which ended in February 2019. That said, there will be a comic book element in that Jenna is a high-school-aged comic book artist who is plagued by frightening visions of her drawings coming to life.

These terrifying visions also threaten everyone around her. Jenna and Stephen Moyer’s character are not the only ones involved in the drama. Antonio Cipriano’s Will is a passionate soul who wants to help Jenna, but Jenna is conflicted over letting him help her or not. It will be wild to find out what ends up happening, and if my long-lost-father theory proves to be true.

The very good news here is that Stephen Moyer is coming back to television within the horror genre. The True Blood star has not remained a stranger to TV. Interestingly, he starred in the second season of an ITV show called Safe House.

Time will tell if Stephen Moyer’s wife and True Blood co-star Anna Paquin will have any advice for her husband this go around. Regardless, Moyer, Paquin, and the rest of their fellow True Blood stars have remained busy since it wrapped. As a fan of the show, it feels like both just yesterday and another lifetime ago that happened.

When will fans get to check out Stephen Moyer’s latest TV saga? Production on Safehaven is set to begin in January 2021 in Louisiana. True Blood was also set in Louisiana. This news is kind of full circle for Moyer, and I am here for it.

Safehaven does not have a premiere date yet. It is impossible for it to arrive before this fall’s premieres. The earliest I suppose it could be out is in 2021. That seems a bit hopeful, in my opinion, though. While you wait for Stephen Moyer’s next TV show, you can take a bite out of all seven seasons of True Blood streaming on HBO Max.

In 2008, HBO introduced the world to more sexy vampires, but this time they weren’t bound by the same rules as most vampires. This series was True Blood. For seven seasons, the show focused on Sookie Stackhouse, a girl who could hear people’s thoughts. She resided in Bon Temps, a sort-of magical proposed Utopia where vampires, other creatures, and humans attempted to live together in harmony. Of course that didn’t happen.The series shot many of the True Blood cast to stardom, including Anna Paquin, Stephen Moyer, and Alexander Skarsgard.

True Blood developed a strong cult following, and received many accolades and praise from TV critics and fans. It’s been 12 years since the series aired, and six since it ended in 2014. The cast have been using the momentum and success of the series to propel their careers even further.

Let’s check in with some of the main and supporting True Blood cast to see what they’ve been up to since the series ended. Warning: This may contain minor spoilers about the True Blood plot. Don't read further if you don't regularly visit Fangtasia.

Anna Paquin (Sookie Stackhouse)

Anna Paquin played Sookie Stackhouse, the faerie torn between two vampires, a shapeshifter, a vampire-faerie, and a wolf. At least, that's how True Blood was advertised, but most of the series really revolved around Bill (Stephen Moyer) and Sookie. It was a constant romance cycle until the very end.

After True Blood, Anna Paquin stayed very busy. In 2017, she appeared in a Canadian police mystery called Bellevue. That same year, Paquin played Nancy Montgomery in the miniseries Alias Grace. In 2019, she took on a major role in The Affair as Joanie Lockhart, the adult daughter of Cole (Joshua Jackson) and Alison (Ruth Wilson). Anna Paquin plays the lead in PopTV’s series Flack. Her character Robyn is an American publicist who represents scandalous celebrities in London. Paquin also had roles in The Irishman, Pixar’s The Good Dinosaur, and reprised her role as Rogue in X-Men: Days of Future Past.

Stephen Moyer (Bill Compton)

Stephen Moyer played Sookie’s main love interest, vampire Bill on True Blood. Like many vampires, he struggled with his vampire instincts, ambition, lust, and many other dark addictions. He rose and lost power many times throughout the show.

In 2015, Moyer appeared in the series The Bastard Executioner, a historical fiction about a man who tries to leave his violent past behind, but that is harder than expected. The former True Blood actor also had a role in Concussion, the bio, sports drama that starred Will Smith. His next major role was in 2017 with Safe House, a British crime drama. He starred in Season 2. Also in 2017, Moyer took on a lead role in Fox's Marvel X-Men TV series The Gifted. Moyer appeared in that series until 2019. In 2020, he has a lead role in the Canadian espionage drama Fortunate Son.

Alexander Skarsgard (Eric Northman)

Eric Northman, Sookie’s other vampire love interest and the vampire sheriff of Bon Temps. He also owns Fangtasia with his trusted side-kick Pam (Kristin Bauer van Straten).

Alexander Skarsgard appeared in a few movies after True Blood, including The Giver, The Diary of a Teenage Girl, Zoolander 2, The Legend of Tarzan, and Long Shot. His most known TV role following True Blood is as Perry in Big Little Lies. He won an Emmy award in 2017 for his portrayal as Perry. He’s also set to play Randall in the latest adaptation of Stephen King’s The Stand.

Ryan Kwanten (Jason Stackhouse)

Ryan Kwanten played Sookie’s sex driven, screw-up older brother, Jason on True Blood. Eventually Jason grows up a lot and becomes a police officer.

The Australian actor appeared in many films from 2014 to 2020, including Kidnapping Freddy Heineken, Who Gets the Dog?, Supercon, and up-coming Australian sci-fi film Loveland. In 2018, he began working alongside Sean Bean and Katrina Law in the Crackle series The Oath. In 2020, Kwanten plays Peter Wolfe in Season 2 of the Facebook Watch series Sacred Lies.

Rutina Wesley (Tara Thornton)

Rutina Wesley played Sookie’s best friend Tara, who got dealt one of the worst hands on the show. They put Tara through a lot on True Blood, but she finally got some semblance of peace during the final season.

Rutina Wesley only appeared in a couple movies since True Blood ended: the horror movie 13 Sins, Last Weekend, and The Perfect Guy. She also appeared in episodes of Hannibal, Arrow, and The Walking Dead. In 2016, Wesley took on a starring role in the Ava DuVernay and Oprah Winfrey series Queen Sugar. The fifth season of the series is scheduled to premiere in 2020.

Sam Trammel (Sam Merlotte)

Sam Merlotte was a shapeshifter who also had a really hard time on the show. It all started so simple for Sam. He was just another magical being in love with Sookie, and she just didn’t reciprocate his feelings (at least in the show). Then things got really dark for Sam, but he found his happy ending by True Blood’s series finale.

Sam Trammel’s biggest roles since True Blood have been appearing in This is Us, The Order, Reckoning, the movie The Fault in Our Stars, and on the final season of Homeland.

Deborah Ann Woll (Jessica Hamby)

Jessica entered the scene as Bill’s sort-of vampire daughter. She grew into her own over the course of the series, being one of the main driving forces to save the vampires in the final two seasons. She eventually found love and happiness with Hoyt (Jim Parrack).

Deborah Ann Woll appeared in the horror film Escape Room. From 2015 to 2019 she played Karen Page in various Netflix Marvel shows: Daredevil, The Defenders, and The Punisher.

Kristin Bauer van Straten (Pam)

Pam was the sassy, no nonsense second in command to Eric. Pam often said what the viewers were thinking, so she easily became one of my favorite True Blood characters.

Kristin Bauer van Straten appeared in Nocturnal Animalsin 2016. The film was a psychological thriller starring Amy Adams, Jake Gyllenhaal, Michael Shannon, and Aaron Taylor-Johnson. In 2018, she voiced Killer Frost in the DC film Suicide Squad: Hell to Pay. She also appeared in the Netflix movie Happy Anniversary. In 2020, she reunited with former True Blood co-star Ryan Kwanten in Sacred Lies, a Facebook Watch drama.

Carrie Preston (Arlene Fowler)

Arlene was a minor character throughout True Blood, but she remained a consistent presence on the series from start to finish. She often acted as the comic relief, especially when dealing with her children.

Carrie Preston received an Emmy nomination in 2016 for her guest role on The Good Wife, a show she previously won an Emmy for in 2013. Carrie Preston has had a busy career after True Blood. She appeared in a series called Happyish in 2015. From 2010 to 2016, she had a recurring role on The Good Wife. She also had a recurring role on Person of Interest from 2012 to 2016. In 2017 to 2018, she reprised her role as Elsbeth Tascioni in The Good Wife spin-off The Good Fight. In 2017, she landed a lead role in Claws. A fourth and final season of Claws is expected to drop on TNT in 2020.

Joe Manganiello (Alcide Herveaux)

Alcide, the hot werewolf that almost made Sookie forget about dating those risky vampires.

Joe Manganiello blew up during his time on True Blood. In 2015, he reprised his role as Big Dick Richie in Magic Mike XXL. In 2017, he appeared as Deathstroke in Justice League. The next year he appeared in Dwayne Johnson’s Rampage. He also had a role in Jay and Silent Bob Reboot. Sometime in the near future, he’s supposed to appear in the Netflix comedy The Sleepover, which co-stars Ken Marino, Alyssa Milano, and Malin Akerman. Joe Manganiello has also appeared in episodes of One Day at a Time, The Big Bang Theory, and Mom.

Chris Bauer (Andy Bellefleur)

Andy Bellefleur was the lovable sheriff, who was stubborn and pessimistic, and often hostile towards Jason. As the series goes on, Andy receives more depth and confidence in his abilities.

Chris Bauer played Detective Tom Lange during the first season of American Crime Story. From 2014 to 2017, he played a recurring character on the Starz series’ Survivor’s Remorse. Chris Bauer has also had roles on Law and Order True Crimes, The Deuce, and For All Mankind, and appeared in episodes of Homeland, FBI, and Brooklyn Nine-Nine.

Anna Camp (Sarah Newlin)

Sarah Newlin along with husband Steve Newlin ( Michael McMillian) were televangelists who used religion as a weapon. She has a brief affair with Jason, and Steve becomes a vampire. Sarah becomes one of the main antagonists during the sixth and seventh season.

Anna Camp has a lead role in the Pitch Perfect film series. She also appeared in the shows The Good Wife, Good Girl Revolt, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, and Perfect Harmony. Camp appeared in the films Café Society, The Most Hated Woman in America, and the upcoming Issa Rae and Kumail Nanjiani movie The Lovebirds. Anna Camp co-stars with Steven Strait in a movie about terminal illness, Here Awhile, which is set for a June 9, 2020 video on demand release.

Nelsan Ellis (Lafayette Reynolds)

Lafayette was Tara’s outspoken, scene-stealing cousin Lafayette. He was the most meme-able and memorable character on True Blood.

Nelsan Ellis had roles in the movies Little Boxes, Roxanne Roxanne, The Stanford Prison Experiment, and Get On Up. From 2016 to 2017, he played Shinwell Johnson on Elementary. Sadly and tragically Nelsan Ellis died in 2017 from congestive heart failure.

True Blood is one of the series that HBO is currently offering free to everyone right now. This means that you can revisit Bon Temps to see some of your favorite characters again, or visit it to meet them for the first time. Stream True Blood here.

Spoilers ahead for the Season 2 finale of The Gifted on Fox, called "oMens."

The second season of The Gifted has come to an end, and the ratings in Season 2 haven't been encouraging about the chances for a Season 3. If the Season 2 finale does turn out to be the series finale, then at least fans can say that the show went out with quite a bang, as it killed off the character played by the top-billed actor in a spectacular and heartbreaking plot twist. Reed has been killed off.

He died as part of a desperate final attempt to stop Reeva from creating the mutant nation through her twisted ways. The Strucker siblings were kidnapped and forced by the Frost Siblings to destroy a building, and it took a lot out of them. They only managed to escape because Esme wasn't on board with the other two Frost Sisters, and she hesitated long enough (thanks to Lorna's intervention) for her two sisters to be taken down.

That left Reed, Caitlin, Marcos, and Lorna to go after Reeva. The group was pinned down under fire in the parking garage, with little hope of even getting to Reeva, let alone taking her down. Reed realized that the only way to win would be for him to sacrifice himself. He'd been struggling for a while with containing his powers; his plan was to make it up to Reeva and then allow his powers to explode out of him, killing her and any minions with her.

Unfortunately, that also meant killing him. Reed's mission was a success insofar as Reeva is dead, along with her cause. He just had to die for it to happen, and his family was left to mourn. Stephen Moyer, who played Reed on The Gifted, explained why Reed was killed off, and the reasons may surprise you. He said this:

The Gifted was looking to deliver a big death in the Season 2 finale, and Stephen Moyer wanted to spend more time with his family, who did not live near set in Atlanta. According to Moyer's comments to EW, it was a matter of allowing the show to do something big and undoubtedly surprising to a lot of viewers while also accommodating his desire to not miss more firsts from his kids.

It will likely be sad to watch the Strucker family carry on without him in the event that The Gifted scores a third season, but can even the most diehard fans blame Stephen Moyer for wanting to spend more time with his family? Moyer clearly has nothing but fond feelings for the show and the people who worked on it with him.

Perhaps that means he could come back somehow! "oMens" featured him in flashbacks as well as in the present. Maybe flashbacks of the Strucker kids or Caitlin could feature Stephen Moyer as a guest star. We shouldn't get ahead of ourselves, though. There's still no saying if Fox will give The Gifted another season, and The Gifted isn't the only Fox series with an uncertain future at this point.

If The Gifted does return for Season 3, the Season 2 finale did set up a way for the action to pick up. Blink returned and revealed that the defeat of Reeva didn't mean a happily-ever-after for mutants everywhere. She opened up a portal to show the rest of the good guys that there's a world on fire on the other side, and she needs everyone to come with her and help.

The future is quite uncertain. Fox is already saying goodbye to another comics-based TV show this year, although it's difficult to put Gotham and The Gifted in the same category. Honestly, it's kind of difficult to put any show in the same category as the bonkers Gotham. The Gifted is also the only place on the small screen to get an X-Men fix, if we're not counting Legion on FX.

Even though Legion will introduce Professor X and likely incorporate more nods to that legendary character's activities, I highly doubt that it could possibly go as far into X-Men territory as The Gifted before it ends. Is the end nigh for The Gifted, as it is for Legion and Gotham? Or will the show continue and jump into whatever mission Blink has for the rest of the heroes?

Will The Gifted get the chance to explore this cliffhanger? Only time will tell. The show could almost get a reboot of sorts in Season 3, with the death of Reed as well as Reeva and two of the three Frost Sisters. If you're a fan, the time is now to start crossing your fingers for a renewal. If you're in the market for some new shows now that The Gifted is over for now, swing by our midseason TV premiere schedule.

If you've been even slightly interested in the world of TV and film production, you'll notice that superhero properties and shared unvierses are everywhere. And while the Marvel Cinematic Universe and DC Extended Universe may be battling for dominance, Bryan Singer's X-Men franchise was a game changer in the early 2000s. The franchise has routinely put out new installments, and now the X-Men universe has also arrive on the small screen. FOX's The Gifted premiered last night, with True Blood actor Stephen Moyer playing protagonist Reed Strucker. Moyer is married to franchise favorite Anna Paquin, and he recently revealed the advice he got from the Rogue actress.

Stephen Moyer's comments to Movie Fone sure make it seem like he's in a supportive and hilarious marriage. Because while Moyer was originally hesitant to take a role in The Gifted due to its shooting schedule and location, Anna Paquin was able to convince vampire Bill to join the X-Men franchise. And then she gave him all the pointers he needed to give a truly great performance in the new FOX series.

In particular, Anna Paquin seems to understand the research involved in taking on a comic book character, given how hardcore the fandom is. Comic book fans typically want silver or small screen adaptations to be faithful to the source material, although directors are known to take creative liberties. For instance, Paquin's Rogue in the films didn't have the super strength and flight typically associated with the character, instead just having Rogue's original power.

It's also nice to see how Bryan Singer and Anna Paquin are still close, considering how they worked together on three X-Men films. And since it was Paquin who managed to convince her True Blood co-star and husband to join The Gifted, with Singer directing the pilot, we have to give Rogue the props she deserves.

The Gifted airs Monday nights on FOX. Be sure to check out our fall premiere list to plan your next binge watch.

Each year that passes sadly takes away some of pop culture's most beloved entertainers, and this weekend saw the death of True Blood star and fan favorite Nelsan Ellis, who played the fashion-friendly cook and medium Lafayette Reynolds. His passing was a huge shock for everyone, and social media was flooded with touching and heartfelt messages honoring Ellis' life and his career. Most notably, of course, were the posts from the actor's True Blood family, as so many of them shared their mournful thoughts. To start, show lead Anna Paquin.

Like others here, both Anna Paquin and Nelsan Ellis were part of the show from the premiere on, and they both starred in all of True Blood's seven seasons on HBO. Notably, however, Lafayette was nowhere near as successful a survivor in Charlaine Harris' Sookie Stackhouse novels that served as the show's source material. Lafayette was dead by the end of the first book, but the overwhelmingly positive feedback to Ellis' portrayal cemented the character's redeveloped future within the series.

Charlaine Harris, whose next book-to-TV series Midnight, Texas could have been a great project for the actor, had some kind words of her own to share concerning Nelsan Ellis' death.

Kevin Alejandro played the witch/brujo Jesus on True Blood, who was a character created specifically for the TV show to continue developing Lafayette's character, which brought about the two characters' temporary (but still lovely) romance. Naturally, Alejandro was as shocked as anyone by the tragic news.

As the owner of Merlotte's, the restaurant serving as a central True Blood location, Sam Trammell's Sam Merlotte was responsible for a lot of the on-set sweat that Nelsan Ellis poured out while rocking it in the kitchen with Todd Lowe's Terry Bellefleur, who was killed off the show in Season 6. To be expected, both actors shared their thoughts.

Now here's a rundown of some of the other big True Blood stars pouring their hearts out for Nelsan Ellis' untimely passing. Here's Stephen Moyer, who memorably starred as the morally torn vampire Bill Compton.

Here's current Daredevil star Deborah Ann Woll, who played the initially immature vamp Jessica.

Now the great Joe Manganiello, the mid-series addition who starred as the werewolf Alcide Herveaux.

The always excellent Kristen Bauer van Straten played the exquisitely moody Pam on True Blood, who was responsible for Lafayette selling V again.

Definitely not the last of Nelsan Ellis' True Blood co-stars to mourn his loss via social media, as there are many more, Michael Raymond-James was one of the show's big stars in Season 1 as the duplicitous Rene Lenier, who only reappeared once beyond his initial run.

While True Blood may not air new episodes anymore, fans can always hit up HBO Go to watch Nelsan Ellis' Lafayette going through all his former trials and tribulations anew, and he can also be seen as a regular in the most recent season of Elementary. For all the shows that are coming to primetime in the near future, head to our summer TV premiere schedule.

Superheroes are all the rage on the small screen nowadays, and just about every broadcast network has at least one comic-based series in the lineup. Fox has a project in the works that will give viewers a look into the world of the X-Men, and it could be a brilliant new take on the existing superhero genre on TV. Now, we finally know the actor who will star in the new series. Stephen Moyer of True Blood fame will tackle the lead role.

Stephen Moyer will play Reed, who is a father who discovers that his children possess powers that make them targets for a government that intends to stamp out mutants. When Reed and his wife learn of their children's abilities, they are forced to go on the run. Reed's life will be turned upside down as he must leave behind his life as an ambitious attorney working at the D.A.'s office and a dad trying to give his family a good life. Deadline reports that the plot will thicken even further when he and his family encounter an underground network of mutants also on the run from the government.

Reed is the third character to be cast for the new show, which has yet to receive an official title from Fox. Satisfaction's Blair Redford signed on to play a Native American mutant named Sam, who is the leader of the underground network and may or may not be an adaptation of the X-Men character known as Forge. Jamie Chung of Once Upon a Time and Gotham also landed a role on the Marvel series. She'll play Clarice "Blink" Fong, who has to start over when she develops the mutant ability to create portals.

The new Fox series clearly isn't going to be the same kind of X-Men project as fans have seen on the big screen in recent years, but creator Matt Nix has confirmed that the show takes place in the same universe as the films, and legendary X-Men movie director Bryan Singer is helming the pilot, so there will be some connections. We'll have to wait and see just how far they go. Unfortunately, Fox has not yet announced a timetable for the X-Men show, so we may be waiting a while.

Stephen Moyer is best known for his work as the vampire Bill Compton on all seven seasons of True Blood, which came to an end on HBO back in 2014. He returned to the small screen in 2015 for the short-lived The Bastard Executioner on FX, then moved to Fox to join the cast of the event series Shots Fired, which is set to debut in March. It should be interesting to see him flex his acting muscles in a new genre.

Stay tuned to CinemaBlend for the latest in TV news, and don't forget to check out our midseason TV premiere schedule to see what you can watch while you wait the new X-Men series to hit the airwaves.

Stephen Moyer was a fixture on the small screen for years as the vampire Bill on HBO's True Blood. He was lead member of the cast for all seven seasons, and he so embodied Bill that he ran the risk of forever being typecast in genre series. He landed a role in the short-lived FX period drama Bastard Executioner, which was cancelled after one season. Now, he's returning to television in what will be a very different role. Stephen Moyer will star in the second season of ITV's drama Safe House.

Safe House is a British crime drama in which each season is a four-parter following the adventures of four sets of guests who stay in a certain safe house. The first season starred Christopher Eccleston and Marsha Thomason as a husband and wife who allow their guest house to be turned into a safe house. The second season will star Stephen Moyer as former cop Tom Brook, who will run a police safe house on a wild and relatively remote coast, according to Deadline. Tom made for an unpredictable officer when his impulsiveness overcame his caution, but he will have a charisma that gives him a certain appeal. He's joined by his partner Sam, who will be played by Zoe Tapper of Mr. Selfridge fame.

Tom's life as safe house protector will be disrupted when an unsolved case from his past becomes relevant once more. A kidnapper known as "The Crow" baffled Tom when he abducted wives in front of their husbands. Tom was never able to gather enough evidence to solve the case, and a new kidnapping with similarities to those perpetrated by The Crow convinces Tom that his old nemesis is active once more. The safe house should be anything but calm for the folks who visit in the four parts of Safe House Season 2.

Stephen Moyer and Zoe Tapper will be joined by another Mr. Selfridge alum with Sacha Parkinson. Dervla Kirwan, Jason Watkins, Sunetra Sarker, Ashley Walters, and Joel MacCormack will all appear. CSI scribe Ed Whitmore wrote for Safe House, along with Tracey Malone of the BBC crime drama Rillington Place. The duo has the experience with police series as well as character writing to turn Safe House into a well-written series for Moyer.

There's no news just yet related to when filming will start and when we can expect to see Stephen Moyer as Tom Brook on ITV. Luckily for his fans, however, Moyer will turn up elsewhere on the small screen in the meantime. He'll be featured in the Fox event series Shots Fired, which is slated to air at some point in the 2016 - 2017 TV season. Check out our fall premiere schedule to see what you'll be able to watch while you wait for more Moyer on TV.

I could go on for days about all the ways in which Sons of Anarchy was an incredible slice of TV pie, but I’ll just mention how pitch-perfect 99% of the casting was throughout the show’s seven seasons. Sadly, the world missed out on two potentially amazing guest spots in Season 7, as True Blood stars Stephen Moyer and Anna Paquin had the chance to take a couple of roles, but it all fell apart. Just like everything else in Jax Teller’s life.

Apparently Moyer and Paquin – whose real-life marriage was complemented by their onscreen romance as Bill Compton and Sookie Stackhouse, respectively – are giant fans of Sons of Anarchy, and creator Kurt Sutter wanted to reward their fandom by casting them in roles that shouldn’t surprise anyone that loves the violent biker drama. Here’s how Moyer put it to EW

Not that Moyer hasn’t played a variety of roles outside his posh True Blood vamp, but it would have still been a shock to see him pop up in the same city as SAMCRO. And for Paquin to take on the role of one of Charming’s less reputable citizens, that would have been great as well.

While he wasn’t quite directly clear about what roles they’d have played, the only pimp and whore I can specifically think of in Season 7 came during Episode 7, ”Greensleeves,” in which the titular pimp gets rough with his girls, and his girls then get rough with Jax and Chibs. Jax also gets his bike smashed up, which means that Moyer wouldn’t have been long for this world at all. The whore in question, Winsome (Inbar Lavi), got together with Jax as well, and I’m not sure if my TV could have taken a sexed up scene between Anna Paquin and Charlie Hunnam.

Stephen Moyer wouldn’t have long to wait before getting to work with Kurt Sutter, though, as he’ll be starring in the upcoming FX drama The Bastard Executioner, which looks like a fine mix of blood, violence and anger, things that fans of Sons of Anarchy and True Blood are used to seeing.

Bill O’Reilly and Martin Dugard’s books have all been bestsellers, and have had the added laud of getting turned into original movies on the National Geographic channel. Killing Lincoln and Killing Kennedy both did well enough to spur on the pickup of Killing Jesus, and on Monday, the network announced who will star in the Christian-based story. Cast members include Kelsey Grammer, Emmanuelle Chriqui, Stephen Moyer, Rufus Sewell and John Rhys Davies, as well as plenty of other familiar faces.

Nurse Jackie’s Haz Sleiman is actually set to play Jesus, while the other big names will surround the character in other famous roles. According to THR, Grammer will play King Herod, a leader who tried to kill the baby Jesus. Moyer is also signed on in a big role, and will play Pontius Pilate in the expansive TV movie (it’s too bad he won’t get to play God, since he's already played a vampire god). Sewell and Davies will both play high priests and Chriqui has been cast as Herod’s ex-wife, who will play into the death of John the Baptist. Speaking of the latter, relative unknown Abhin Galeya has joined Killing Jesus as the well-known prophet.

The cast will be rounded out by Defiance actress Stephanie Leonidas and The Night Shift’s Eoin Macken, as well as Aneurin Barnard, Vernon Dobtcheff, Tamsin Egerton, John Lynch, Joe Doyle and Alexis Rodney. The movie has been in the works since 2013, and was announced even before O’Reilly and Dugard’s book hit shelves in September of that year. The book was so prematurely popular that Nat Geo knew it had a hit on its hands before the title was even released in book form, and it’s no surprise that a slew of famous faces have joined the TV movie.

On the creative end, frequent TV direct Chris Menaul (The Forsyte Saga, Ripper Street) will helm the TV movie. The Wild Bunch writer Walon Green is adapting Killing Jesus for the small screen.

Despite being announced quite some time ago, Killing Jesus isn’t expected to air on Nat Geo until 2015. The cable channel hasn’t given the movie an official premiere date, but we do know it will air worldwide. Deals have already been made to air the movie in 171 countries, and in 45 different languages. The successes of Killing Kennedy and Killing Lincoln also indicate that Killing Jesus will find a substantial audience. Plus Killing Jesus could bring in an additional religious audience, to boot.

We'll probably be hearing a lot more about the TV movie in the coming months, so keep your eyes and ears peeled.

Those who are eagerly anticipating next week’s live broadcast of The Sound of Music on NBC might want to tune into the Peacock tonight, as the network is set to give us a behind-the-scenes look at the production, which stars Carrie Underwood and Stephen Moyer as Maria and Captain von Trapp respectively. NBC’s already given us numerous looks at the rehearsals for the production, including the one above, which plays special emphasis on the music.

Carrie Underwood can sing. We’ve known that since she climbed to the top of her season of American Idol, but since True Blood doesn’t often include musical numbers, our awareness of Stephen Moyer’s musical abilities may not be as vast, but that’s about to change. The above promo for The Sound of Music Live! shows Moyer singing as Captain von Trapp. From the snippets we hear of him singing “Edelweiss,” it seems like we’re in for a real treat, as Moyer’s seriously holding his own next to Underwood. So Moyer can sing, but can Underwood pull off the acting side of her role?

Given that this is a live broadcast of the original musical, I think it’s fair to look at The Sound of Music Live as a theatrical production more than it is a remake of feature adaptation of the original stage musical. With that in mind, Moyer and Audra McDonald seem particularly well cast for their roles, considering they both have backgrounds in theater. Underwood, however, is a singer. A pretty extraordinary singer with a massive fan base to be sure, but a singer nonetheless with very limited acting experience, which is why I’m skeptical about this broadcast, given how much the production will likely hinge on Underwood’s performance. In terms of the music, I’m anticipating greatness, but in terms of the story and the chemistry between Underwood and Moyer, I’m wary for now.

But I want to give Underwood the benefit of the doubt. And I certainly wouldn’t go sending her “hate tweets” ahead of the broadcast, which is what some people have apparently been doing. People quotes Underwood as admitting that people have tweeted her things like “You’re not Julie Andrews!” She appears to be aware of that fact, and I’m willing to bet she knows she has some high standards to meet with this role. It’s with that in mind that I’m hopeful she’ll exceed expectations with her performance. And it’d be great if The Sound of Music Live is a hit, especially if it means NBC will be producing more of these live musical productions around the holiday season in years to come.

The Sound of Music Live airs Thursday, December 5 on NBC. And tune in tonight (Wednesday, November 27) for The Making of the Sound of Music Live at 8:00 p.m. on NBC!

NBC’s broadcast of The Sound of Music Live! is certainly an ambitious endeavor on the part of the network and all parties involved in putting it together, but when taking the cast into account, not to mention the popularity of the 1965 film based on Rodgers and Hammerstein’s stage musical, I’m thinking there’s a good chance the viewers will turn up. Possibly in droves. While NBC obviously can’t offer us a look at the finished product, as that won’t be ready until Thursday, December 5 when the broadcast airs, the network has been sharing some great behind-the-scenes looks at the rehearsals for the production, which offer us an earful of the soundtrack and a glimpse at some of the sets, which are apparently set up in a NASA hanger.

“We’re not trying to remake the movie,” actor Laura Benanti says. “Nobody can remake the movie.” This is true and not true. We can say no one can remake it, but let's face it, Hollywood wouldn’t be above trying to remake the classic film, which starred Christopher Plummer and Julie Andrews. If they can come up with a sequel to It’s A Wonderful Life, anything is possible (and apparently nothing is off limits). I’ve expressed some skepticism about how this production will turn out, and as a fan of the movie, I’m still approaching The Sound of Music Live! tentatively, keeping expectations low when it comes to hope that this event will manage to capture my heart the way the film did, particularly as it relates to the love story between the young governess Maria (Carrie Underwood) and the stern Captain von Trapp (Stephen Moyer).

On the bright side, everything we’ve heard from the music sounds great, including Moyer’s voice. Why hasn’t Bill Compton been singing all this time? There’s some major talent there. And obviously, Underwood can sing, so there’s a good chance the music will be the highlight of this broadcast. Billboard reports that Sony Masterworks will be releasing the soundtrack two days ahead of the live broadcast. If you’re scratching your head wondering how that will work, the album, which will be available for purchase December 3, will include studio recordings of all the musical numbers set to be performed by the cast during the live broadcast.

Produced by Craig Zadan and Neil Meron, The Sound of Music Live! airs Thursday, December 5 at 8:00 p.m. ET on NBC.

In related news, it looks like NBC may poised to win the holiday season among the major networks. Not only do they have The Sound of Music Live! lined up, but they also have The Sing Off Season 4 scheduled to debut December 9. And then there’s the annual broadcast(s) of It’s A Wonderful Life, which are set for December 14 and December 24.

The last couple of days have been filled with interesting castings. Ben Affleck’s signed on to be the new Batman, and now True Blood actor Stephen Moyer is set to star in NBC’s upcoming live broadcast of The Sound of Music. He’s joining the big production to star as none other than the strict and militaristic Captain Von Trapp.

The live Broadcast of The Sound of Music has been in the works for quite a while. NBC is basing the show on the original Broadway production, featuring the music written by Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein, which later inspired the 1965 film starring Christopher Plummer and Julie Andrews. Smash’s Craig Zadan and Neil Meron were initially signed on to executive produce the big TV event, and while Smash may not have had the best TV trajectory, a musical-oriented producing duo is exactly what a large production like the live The Sound of Music broadcast will need. The event is a massive undertaking, and two directors have been signed on, Beth McCarthy-Miller and Rob Ashford to handle the workload.

Moyer should be a good fit for the role of Captain Von Trapp. He’s a stage veteran in the U.K, having appeared in various productions for various theater companies, including the National Theatre of Wales, the Royal Shakespeare Company, the Oxford Stage Company and the Young Vic in England. Since 2008, he’s been a big presence on HBO’s series True Blood where he plays a vampire named Bill. Bill isn’t a particularly militaristic vampire, but Moyer’s experience with the TV gig and the theatrical work should both be helpful for the live event.

Moyer is the lastest big name signed on to the cast of The Sound of Music, but he isn’t the first. Back in November of last year, the network signed on American Idol winner Carrie Underwood to play Maria, the young governess who is signed on to take care of Captain Von Trapp’s seven children in the production. Underwood doesn’t have a ton of acting experience, but she does have plenty of experience performing onstage, and even onstage for television with her tenure on Idol. The story focuses on Maria and Von Trapp’s budding relationship, as well as what life is like living in Austria around the time of WWII.

Most of us are familiar with the story, but seeing it play out in a live broadcast could be more rewarding than revisiting the 1965 film, again. The live event is coming sooner rather than later and it honestly actually seems a little late in the game for Moyer to be signing on. After polishing the concept for more than a year, NBC has plans to air the live holiday production on December 5. The event will run for three hours on the network, and I’m sure NBC is hoping that plenty of people will tune in.

In a press release on Wednesday, HBO announced that Season 6 of True Blood would kick off far more spectacularly than usual, with a Social TV pre-show, as well as a big social media event for all Truebies. Honestly, I’ve been watching the series since the beginning and I had no idea we were supposed to call ourselves “Truebies;” regardless, those fans who are so into the series they already know what to call themselves should appreciate the big social media event.

First, the show is doing the usual “tweet the premiere” thing to find the greatest “Truebie” (that word again!). All fans need to do for that social media promotion is follow True Blood on Twitter. I would give you the handle, but if you don’t know how to type the words “true” and “blood” into the search box, you’re a hopeless case for Twitter, anyway.

The other two new social kick-off events are a little more novel. The first involves heading to True Blood’s profile on Facebook, Twitter (there’s the link, you’re welcome), Instagram, or Vine. Beginning at 9 a.m. ET on June 16, fans will get the chance to virtually head to Fangtasia to catch up with 13 cast members from the series and learn various “secrets from the set." If you stick with the Fantasia crew all day, at 8:45 p.m. ET on June 16, HBO will air an interactive pre-show called #TrueBlood: Live From The Set to get fans caught up on more juicy details concerning the series and Season 6. Cast members involved with the social media event include Anna Paquin, Stephen Moyer, Alexander Skarsgård, Ryan Kwanten, Rutina Wesley, Sam Trammell, Nelsan Ellis, Deborah Ann Woll, Carrie Preston, Todd Lowe, Chris Bauer, Kristin Bauer van Straten and Joe Manganiello.

In the wake of Alan Ball leaving the show, True Blood seems to be doing just fine. However, we’ll have to wait and see what direction Season 6 goes in when True Blood premieres on Sunday, June 16 at 9 p.m. ET.

It's not often that celebrities getting things after us ugly people but that's what happened with Project Natal. A week after the controller-free gaming device debuted at E3, it was shown off at Late Night with Jimmy Fallon.

Microsoft creative director Kudo Tsunosa stopped by to demo two titles: that 3D Breakout, handball-type game shown at E3 as well as EA's Burnout Paradise. Tsunosa also let Fallon, The Office's John Krasinski, and True Blood's Stephen Moyer give it a whirl. The impressive thing (you know, other than the device itself) is the fact that all these guys of different sizes were able to hop in one after the other and play with little to no delay.

There's no release date for Natal yet, according to Tsunosa. Hopefully by the time it's released, players won't need to wear red jumpsuits.