Who Will Die on True Blood?

It's been circling for awhile now - Joe Manganiello, werewolf Alcide and series director Scott Winant have both confirmed there will be deaths this season on HBO's True Blood. Well, duh. This is a vampire soap on a pay cable network. There better be deaths. But we don't really know who.

Sure, we know who probably won't. Manganiello, for example, who recently signed on as a regular for True Blood's fourth season. According to the telling article on E!, it's not so much the amount of deaths, but the chosen characters that are shocking. So it's somebody important. Then who? Most of our favorites are simply required to stick around - Sookie, Bill, Eric, Sam, Jason... These guys are pretty safe. But thanks to the influx of new characters this season, we have a wide variety to choose from. Here are my thoughts on who it could be and why or why not.

1. The King
Why: Eric is hellbent on revenge for King Russell's wolves killing his family. Understandable.
Why Not: If Russell is murdered, there must be a steep penalty for the offender. And I'm not sure if Russell is really a "shocking" death.

2. Talbot
Why: He's in a stalled relationship that's lasted 700 years. He's tired of coming in second to the King's work. And supposedly, the King will be devestated by something...
Why Not: Talbot's had some of the series best lines this year. But again, not really the huge loss we've been teased with.

3. Lorena
Why: Because it's time. Lorena has wrecked havoc over Bill's life for long enough. Also, Lorena does meet an untimely end in Charlaine Harris's books (but we all know that doesn't always mean something for the series, thank you Lafayette). Since it appears Lorena will send Sookie to the ICU, it's just a matter of time. But how? Eric, perhaps?
Why Not: Lorena does provide a great enemy to pretty much everybody. Not sure another character could pull that off.

4. Tommy
Why: Might be easy if he's dog fighting or if Joe Lee loses it. It might give Sam's character major grief and guilt to deal with. And losing either Joe Lee or Melinda Mickens wouldn't be a huge loss. Tommy would be, sort of.
Why Not: Tommy's character while working at Merlotte's has been refreshing. He's great with Jessica and Lafayette. Not sure if he'd stick around til next season, but he's providing some fresh blood at the bar.

5. Franklin
Why: He's crazy. Tara will do just about anything to escape him. He's not dead yet, despite the mace-bashing. Unless he actually turns Tara, she's going to get away. Then what will he do? Besides, Franklin's become more popular once it was revealed just how insane he is. Losing him would hurt a little.
Why Not: He's too much fun. A great wild card in a world of somewhat predictable supes.

6. Pam
Why: This would upset me greatly. But it's very possible. Pam's life is in the hands of an angry Magister and Eric's been forced to take his time working with Russell. And this is a character worthy of the "shocking" death we've been promised. A heartbroken Eric may turn to Sookie for some comfort.
Why Not: Because Pam is awesome. There's a severe lack of female vamps and Pam's provided baby vampire Jessica with a role model of sorts. Did I mention Pam is awesome?

7. Tara
Why: Franklin's determined. It might be interesting if Tara is actually turned. It's a great tease - somebody dies and it's big. They could kill Tara without losing her.
Why Not: If Tara is successfully vamped, there will be one less human character on the show. Not sure we can afford the loss.

There are a number of other characters who probably will disappear one way or another (Coot, Deb, the Queen), but none of those would be a major issue. I guess we'll find out soon enough. We're already halfway through the season. Place your bets, folks.

(Photo Credit: HBO, Inc.)