Much like Jen Graves, I was crestfallen when the HBO series Six Feet Under came to a bittersweet end last year. And though I’m not a regular viewer, I know there were plenty of disappointed fans when the Shakespearean-tinged wild West drama Deadwood was supposedly slated for cancellation.

Well, I have good news on a couple of fronts. First off, Six Feet Under creator Alan Ball is working on a new project entitled True Blood, a dramatic series about…vampires! Normally, such subject matter would have me cringing, not salivating, but because it is in the hands of someone as talented as Ball (who’s already demonstrated a knack for all things morbid), I find it cause for celebration.

Secondly, it appears that a fan campaign may have provided the whores and vagrants of Deadwood with a stay of execution, at least for now.

Furthermore, HBO has greenlit John From Cincinnati, a new series from Deadwood creator David Milch that focuses on a surfing community in Hawaii.