True Blood Replaces Its Showrunner Again

Who do they think they are--The Walking Dead? Mark Hudis, who took over as showrunner on HBO's hit vampire drama True Blood when series creator Alan Ball stepped down last summer, is already exiting the role. He'll be replaced by Brian Buckner, who has been with the series almost since it began. Deadline notes that the Hudis experiment was as baffling as it was short-lived, with Buckner having been the seemingly-obvious choice from the get-go. With only three episodes in the can for season six so far, it appears as though that Hudis's tenure has been something of a disaster from the network's point of view; they're replacing him right away in the hopes of righting the ship, rather than waiting until the end of the season, as is custom (see also: The Walking Dead). That he was brought on as showrunner was part of an overall deal Hudis had signed with HBO last spring. HBO says he will "focus on development under his overall deal."