Bloody Bummer: 'True Blood' Season 6 Will Be 2 Episodes Shorter

Well, "True Blood" fans, there's bad news and good news. The bad news is that season six of "True Blood" will be shortened by two episodes. The good news is, that might actually make the show better.

Alan Ball, who is actually departing the show following the just-ended fifth season, has confirmed that season six of "True Blood" will be only 10 episodes long instead of 12. Anna Paquin's pregnancy is the main reason for the change, as she is due sometime this fall, so production has been pushed back to January. However, Ball also noted that "economics" are another reason. Money trouble for "True Blood?" That's not a good sign.

However, I actually think that a shorter season might be good for "True Blood." Hear me out: you know how the past two seasons have kinda been one big train ride through Crazytown? I mean, between the werepanthers and the witches and the demonic possessions and the ifrits, things have been pretty weird.

But season five calmed down considerably toward the end, once the side plots about ifrits and human supremecist hate groups ended and we could focus solely on the major issues at hand: the Authority and Russell Edgington. So with two fewer episodes, "True Blood" might have to start the season with that level of focus, and go for a more economical approach to their storylines. We have enough to worry about without putting poor Terry and Arlene in trouble again, or putting another demon inside Lafayette.

Season six should be an exciting one any way you slice it: the season five finale left us with a very different version of Bill, which not only has some serious implications in terms of dealing with a Big Bad Bill, but also could mean advancements in Sookie's love life. Bill looks to be pretty much out of the picture, so is it finally time for the Sookie/Eric pairing? Or will Alcide swoop in?

Meanwhile, there's that whole Warlow thing, so whatever threat Bill-Lilith (Billith) presents, Warlow will likely be another one. That is, of course, assuming that Bill isn't Warlow himself!