'True Blood' Season 7 Spoilers: Eric Will Return, Vamps and Humans to Team Up

Fans are still reeling from vamp heartthrob Eric's (Alexander Skarsgård) ostensible death on the season finale of "True Blood." According to TVLine, fans might want to put away their mourning garb for the moment.

TVLine spoke with "True Blood" showrunner Brian Buckner about what's in store for the residents of Bon Temps in season seven. 

Buckner shared that the season six finale was not the last time avid fans will see the tall, blonde vampire. "I can tell you that Alexander Skarsgard is going to be a part of the next season of "True Blood." He will be a series regular," Buckner revealed. Yet, Eric isn't going to be instantly reanimated and back to normal in the season seven premiere. Buckner hinted that it may be a couple of episodes until Eric is found, and that Pam (Kristen Bauer van Straten) may be the one to find him. 

Before fans were brought down by Eric's apparent death, fans were elated by finally seeing the Swedish actor completely in the buff. According to Buckner, it didn't take much prodding to convince Skarsgård to ditch his duds. 

"Alex Skarsgard was the coolest camper in the world. There's no conversation with him. He's Swedish. They're naked all the time," Buckner said. "As a matter of fact, when I saw what we had on camera, I sent him an email that said, "We're going to lock picture. Are you OK with this?" He said, "No problemo." That was the conversation. It couldn't have been easier."

It was also revealed that the seventh season of the show will continue to embrace formatting changes, evident by the unconventional time jump ahead six months at the end of season six. 

"Look, we're going into a seventh season. I'm aware that people like the familiar, but we have to change. We have to be able to pivot," Buckner said. "We will obviously pick up some of the pieces and explain how certain things happened. But what I think some people found jarring, to me was really refreshing. It was that the world has changed, this virus has mutated, and this is the way the world is going to look now. Meanwhile, life beats on in this small town."

The time jump in the season finale showed that Sookie (Anna Paquin) and Alcide (Joe Manganiello) finally got together, a potential romance that has simmered under the surface for years. Buckner shared that Alcide, who is the "most human" of the creatures, is good for Sookie, but the romance creates a clear love triangle between Sookie, Alcide and Bill (Stephen Moyer). 

Season seven will also be a season of character changes. Bill (Stephen Moyer) will have a chance to redeem himself, and Lettie Mae (Adina Porter) may not be as bad as she seems. 

"The question we're going to be asking this coming season is: Can Bill be forgiven? Because he made his intentions clear," Buckner said. 

"When we let characters change, when we let the show be character-driven, I think people don't know what to do with that," Buckner continued. "So with Lettie Mae and Tara, not to say that everything is going to go great, but the conflict is not going to be she's poisoning Tara. By the same token, I think Bill doesn't have a trick up his sleeve this time. I think he's genuine. The real question is about forgiveness."

Season seven will also go back to the roots of the show, which is exploring if "vampires and humans can get along."  

The upcoming season will be based on the premise that every human is paired with a vampire to have a mutually beneficial relationship. The vamps will feed on the humans, whereas the vampires will protect the humans from harm, i.e., the "Walking Dead"-esque vamps infected with Hep-V at the end of season six. The relationships between the vampire and humans will be undoubtedly complicated now that they vampires are feeding on humans, and not just using them for sex. The vamps will be confused at the new structure of the relationships, which will lead to many of the creatures breaking out of their monogamous agreements and engaging in three and four-way relationships. 

Buckner explained the deadly Hep-V virus that has infected many of the vamps, and how the unlucky vampires are definitely not zombies-- an idea that has concerned many fans after watching last season's finale.  "The virus has mutated," Buckner said. "That's another reason for the time passage. Just like bacteria mutates and that's why there are antibiotic-resistant strains. So what applied to Nora doesn't necessarily apply to this gang. And they're not zombies."

"In my somewhat limited zombie-genre experience, zombies are not organized. They're just hunting-killing machines. So what was meant to come across there was that they're organized, they're in a formation, they're hunting, they're sentient, they can talk. They still have intellect," Buckner explained. 

So fans can count on the fact that "True Blood" will stay "True Blood," and will not evolve into a zombie-centered plot like "The Walking Dead." "True Blood" will stay focused on what has made the show so popular: the interactions and irrepressible attractions between humans and vampires. 

 "Truthfully, all of this is about forcing humans and vampires into relationships," Buckner said. "It's not going to be a plot device the way people are familiar with us introducing a Big Bad at the end of a season."