Vampires never age, and stories about them never get old. With the absence of "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" and "Angel," comes a new vamp series, HBO’s "True Blood," by the creator of "Six Feet Under," Alan Ball.

I burned through the first five episodes of the season, which premieres Sept. 7, with serious fervor. (I’ll be reviewing the show next week, so check back.) The show is not without its faults, but it’s a head-spinning combination of small-town Louisiana atmosphere, the blackest of comedy, crazily quirky characters, vampires and murder. There’s something incredibly gripping about it that should make it a natural for a loyal cult following.

And while "True Blood" couldn’t be farther in tone from Stephenie Meyer’s young adult "Twilight" book series ("True Blood" is way past PG-13) and it’s way weirder than "Buffy," it shares some similarities: Mainly a vamp with a conscience and a human woman with special abilities and a torch to carry.

Some credit Anne Rice with creating the brooding, tender-hearted vampire with Louis in "Interview with the Vampire." And "Buffy" might have perfected the concept of the mortal girl loving the vamp with a conscience. Where the ’80s were all about the female vamps seducing the befuddled human men — "Once Bitten," "The Lost Boys," "Near Dark" — the ’90s and 2000s seem to be about the romance between a human woman and a vamp guy with the likes of "Buffy," "The Anita Blake Vampire Hunter" book series, "Moonlight" "Twilight" and now "True Blood."

But "True Blood" is not all Mr. Nice-Vamp. The love interest of small-town waitress Sookie Stackhouse (the adorable and feisty Anna Paquin) is a vampire named Bill (yep, his name is Bill), played by Stephen Moyer, who has his nasty moments. And he doesn’t quite fit the impossibly gorgeous mold either. Based on the books in The Southern Vampire Series by Charlaine Harris, some of the vampires are fairly civilized (helped along by the creation of True Blood, a synthetic blood drink) while others are vile and violent.

Various movies, TV shows and books also have played with the vampire myths. There’s the most important rule — that they can’t go out in daylight, which a few have broken or at least bent. Then there are various lesser myths — aversions to garlic, crosses and silver — or the inability to leave a reflection or a shadow and penchants for sleeping in coffins.

So what kind of vampires are in "True Blood"? They play by the big rules, but bend them where it makes sense.

Here’s Anna Paquin’s take on the romance from an HBO release:

Q: Sookie encounters Bill Compton, her first vampire, in the first episode, and later begins a romance with him. How does this come about?

AP: Despite being a vampire, Bill has retained some amount of compassion for people. He hasn’t become an evil, monstrous figure, and we learn bits and pieces as to how and why that is. We don’t fully know that when we first meet him. It’s like any two people - they meet, they connect and despite the obstacles, they try to make it work. Sookie’s the only one in town who isn’t terrified of vampires when they emerge, and when she meets Bill, she’s just intrigued by him. She falls for him and it’s the first relationship she􀀁s ever been in - and for the first time ever she can just relax. But it’s dangerous because he’s a vampire and there’s a lot of controversy surrounding that particular issue in their society. She instantly connects with him in a way that she’s never been able to with anyone else, and I think that’s what everyone’s looking for, to meet that person who makes you feel like you can just be yourself.

As an aside, there’s also a very intriguing take on vampires, which is actually less about the vampires themselves, in Swedish author John Ajvide Lindqvist’s "Let the Right One In" novel, which also was made into an acclaimed film that made the festival circuit.

So which do you prefer — the traditional vampire legends or a bit of a genre-bender? Do you like your vampires to brood?