HBO has finally confirmed that True Blood will be returning for a sixth season. The news doesn’t really come as a surprise, given that there was considerable speculation about who would be running the series when (rather than if) it received the renewal.

Current co-executive producer Mark Hudis will become executive producer/showrunner as part of a deal he signed with HBO earlier this year. Alan Ball will continue to be executive producer and advise on the series which he created based on the Sookie Stackhouse books by Charlaine Harris.