‘True Blood’ Showrunner Leaving? What’s Next For Alan Ball

Alan Ball, the mastermind behind HBO's blood-sucking hit, True Blood, will be meeting his true death at the end of the latest season. Ball has decided to take a step back from True Blood to work on new programming.

The vampy series follows the small Louisiana town of Bon Temps as they deal with the trouble that ensues after vampires come out of the coffin.

The True Blood creator began working on the HBO series in 2008. In its first season, the show, based off of Charlaine Harris's novel, Dead Until Dark, picked up a Golden Globe nomination for Best Television Drama Series. The second season of True Blood followed up with another Golden Globe nomination, but also brought in a Producer's Guild nomination and Grammy soundtrack nomination as well.

Last June, season four of the HBO show, had 5.4 million fangbangers tune in for its 9 p.m. premiere. The number of viewers ended up being a six percent improvement from the previous seasons premiere.

With True Blood being an overall hit, why would Ball decide to walk into the sun light?

In a statement released by HBO and Alan Ball, it was confirmed that the network and creator had previously struck a deal in 2011 that would see his day-to-day activities turn into a supervisory role. This means that while he won't be leaving the show completely, his role will be less fangs-on. Ball is confirmed to stay on the show as an executive producer and consultant. In the statement, the creator mentioned that he was confident that the show was in capable hands, another reason for his decision to take a step back. Season five, which airs in mid-to-late June will be Ball's final season as showrunner.

So what is next for the mastermind creator? Ball is the new executive producer for Cinemax's latest show Banshee. The new series, which has been picked up for 10-episodes, is about an ex-convict and thief, that undertakes the identity of the sheriff of Banshee, PA. The sheriff position won't turn this bad boy's life around though, and chaos ensues as he continues to commit crimes and is hunted by gangsters. Ball's latest venture is set to begin filming this spring, with a premiere set in 2013. According to the HDRoom, Ball is also said to be working on a medical drama for HBO about an abortion doctor.