The initial banter among Lafayette, Dawn, and Arlene was all improvised by the actors.
In the first scene featuring Sookie's grandmother Adele Stackhouse - Lois Smith, Gran is reading the novel 'Last Scene Alive' by Charlaine Harris, creator of the Southern Vampire/Sookie Stackhouse series of novels that inspired True Blood (2008).
"True Blood" takes its name from the brand of synthetic blood that the Japanese have patented in Harris' novels. Vampires can actually drink it, thereby bypassing their need for human blood, as well as phrase "True Death" in which vampires die.
Rutina Wesley replaces Brook Kerr as Tara.
This is Stephen Moyer's second outing as a vampire. He also played one in the British TV series Ultraviolet (1998).