The Vampire Diaries | |
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Genre | |
Based on | The Vampire Diaries by L. J. Smith |
Developed by | |
Starring | |
Composer | Michael Suby |
Country of origin | United States |
Original language | English |
No. of seasons | 8 |
No. of episodes | 171 (list of episodes) |
Production | |
Executive producers |
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Producer | Julie Plec |
Production locations | |
Cinematography |
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Running time | 41–49 minutes |
Production companies |
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Original release | |
Network | The CW |
Release | September 10, 2009 – March 10, 2017 |
Related | |
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The Vampire Diaries is an American supernatural teen drama television series developed by Kevin Williamson and Julie Plec, based on the book series of the same name written by L. J. Smith. The series premiered on The CW on September 10, 2009, and concluded on March 10, 2017, having aired 171 episodes over eight seasons.
The pilot episode attracted the largest audience for The CW of any series premiere since the network launched in 2006; [1] the first season averaged 3.60 million viewers. [2] It became the most-watched series on the network before being surpassed by Arrow . The show has received numerous award nominations, winning four People's Choice Awards and many Teen Choice Awards.
In April 2015, lead actress Nina Dobrev, who played Elena Gilbert, confirmed that she would be leaving the show after its sixth season. Dobrev returned to record a voice-over for the seventh-season finale and returned as a guest star in the series finale. [3] In March 2016, The CW renewed the series for an eighth season, [4] but in July of that year announced that the eighth season, consisting of 16 episodes, would be the show's last. [5]
The concepts and characters developed in the series served to launch a media franchise that includes other television series, web series, novels and comic books. The television series The Originals (2013–2018) –which also aired on The CW –was the first major entry in this collection of connected works, followed by a spin-off of The Originals entitled Legacies (2018–2022), which aired on The CW as well.
The series is set in the fictional town of Mystic Falls, Virginia, a town charged with supernatural history. It follows the life of Elena Gilbert, a teenage girl who has just lost both parents in a car crash, as she falls in love with a 161-year-old vampire named Stefan Salvatore, who she thinks is just a normal human. Their relationship becomes increasingly intricate as Stefan's mysterious older brother Damon Salvatore returns to Mystic Falls with a plan to bring back their past love, Katherine Pierce, who is Elena's doppelgänger. Although Damon initially holds a grudge against his brother for forcing him to become a vampire, he later reconciles with Stefan and falls in love with Elena, creating a love triangle among the three. Both brothers attempt to protect Elena as they face various villains and threats to their town, including Katherine. The Salvatore brothers' pasts and the town's history along with its secrets are revealed through flashbacks as the series goes on.
Additional storylines revolve around the other inhabitants of the town, most notably Elena's younger brother Jeremy Gilbert and aunt Jenna Sommers, her best friends Bonnie Bennett and Caroline Forbes, their mutual friends Matt Donovan and Tyler Lockwood, Matt's older sister Vicki Donovan, and their history teacher and vampire hunter Alaric Saltzman. The town's politics are orchestrated by the Founders' council, comprising descendants of the founding families: the Fells, the Forbes', the Lockwoods, the Gilberts, and the Salvatores. They guard the town mainly from vampires and other supernatural threats such as werewolves, witches, hybrids (werewolf/vampire), and ghosts.
Season | Episodes | Originally aired | ||
---|---|---|---|---|
First aired | Last aired | |||
1 | 22 | September 10, 2009 | May 13, 2010 | |
2 | 22 | September 9, 2010 | May 12, 2011 | |
3 | 22 | September 15, 2011 | May 10, 2012 | |
4 | 23 | October 11, 2012 | May 16, 2013 | |
5 | 22 | October 3, 2013 | May 15, 2014 | |
6 | 22 | October 2, 2014 | May 14, 2015 | |
7 | 22 | October 8, 2015 | May 13, 2016 | |
8 | 16 | October 21, 2016 | March 10, 2017 |
Initially, Kevin Williamson had little interest in developing the series, as he found the premise too similar to the Twilight novels. However, at the urging of Julie Plec, he began to read the books. He started to become intrigued by the story: "I began to realize that it was a story about a small town, about that town's underbelly and about what lurks under the surface." [19] Williamson has stated the town's story will be the main focus of the series rather than high school. [20]
On February 6, 2009, Variety announced that The CW had green-lit the pilot for The Vampire Diaries with Williamson and Julie Plec set as the head writers and executive producers. [21] On May 19, 2009, the series was officially ordered for the 2009–2010 season. [22]
The pilot episode was filmed in Vancouver, British Columbia. However, the rest of the seasons have been filmed in Covington, Georgia (which doubles as the show's fictional small town of Mystic Falls, Virginia) and various other communities around Greater Atlanta [23] to take advantage of local tax incentives. On the morning of May 10, 2012, a fire broke out in the building on Clark Street in Covington that was used as the setting for Mystic Grill on the show. [24]
The series was given a full 22-episode order on October 21, 2009, after strong ratings for the first half of the season. On February 16, 2010, The CW announced that it had renewed the show for a second season, [25] which premiered on September 9, 2010. [26] On April 26, 2011, The CW renewed the show for a third season. [27] The third season premiered on September 15, 2011. [28] The fourth season premiered on October 11, 2012. The CW renewed the show for a fifth season on February 11, 2013. [29] On February 13, 2014, The CW renewed the series for a sixth season. [30] On January 11, 2015, the CW renewed the series for a seventh season.
On April 6, 2015, lead actress Nina Dobrev confirmed that she and co-star Michael Trevino (who plays Tyler Lockwood) would be leaving the show after its sixth season. Dobrev returned to record a voiceover for the seventh-season finale and returned as a guest star in the series finale. [3] Trevino appeared as a guest star in the seventh and eighth seasons. [31] [32]
On March 11, 2016, The CW renewed the series for an eighth season, [33] but on July 23, 2016, announced that the eighth season, consisting of 16 episodes, would be the show's last. [5] The final season began airing on October 21, 2016, and ended March 10, 2017. President of The CW, Mark Pedowitz, said in an interview at the summer TCA's that The Vampire Diaries didn't receive an extra episode order for the second season at the request of Kevin Williamson. Kevin Williamson felt to do the best show possible; he would rather do 22 episodes. "I'd rather have a great 22 than a good 24 if Kevin couldn't do it," he explained. [34] The writers first met for the fifth season on April 15, 2013. Filming began on July 10, 2013, and finished on April 10, 2014. On July 23, 2016, it was announced that the show would end after a 16-episode eighth season. [35]
Season | Rotten Tomatoes | Metacritic |
---|---|---|
1 | 73% (30 reviews) [36] | 57 (31 reviews) [37] |
2 | 100% (12 reviews) [38] | 78 (5 reviews) [39] |
3 | 90% (10 reviews) [40] | — |
4 | 69% (16 reviews) [41] | — |
5 | 100% (13 reviews) [42] | — |
6 | 81% (16 reviews) [43] | — |
7 | 77% (13 reviews) [44] | — |
8 | 100% (16 reviews) [45] | — |
Reviews for The Vampire Diaries were initially mixed but improved significantly through the course of the show. Metacritic gave the show a score of 57 (out of 100) based on reviews from 31 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews". [37] Entertainment Weekly gave the pilot a B+, declaring that the show "signals a welcome return to form for writer-producer Kevin Williamson." Reviewer, Ken Tucker, ended his review by writing that "Diaries promises us a season of sharp-tongued amusement." [46] Linda Stasi of the New York Post gave the premiere a perfect score, saying that she was "hooked after one episode". Stasi praised the pacing of the episode and the "vicious, bloody vamp action," which "starts in the opening scene and continues throughout The Vampire Diaries with such ferocity and speed that it's truly scary." [47] Conversely, San Francisco Chronicle 's Tim Goodman, gave the episode a highly critical review, calling the series "awful". Goodman disliked the dialogue and hoped that the extras on Buffy the Vampire Slayer would "return en masse to eat the cast of Vampire Diaries, plus any remaining scripts." [48]
Many TV critics felt the series improved with each episode. Sarah Hughes of The Independent says The Vampire Diaries turns into "a well-crafted, interestingly developed series" despite a mediocre opening episode. [19] The New York Post also praised the portrayal of Elena, finding the character to be a strong-minded woman who did not allow her feelings for her boyfriend to control her. [49] Karla Peterson of The San Diego Union-Tribune said that "the supernatural drama is a first-class production, featuring an insanely gorgeous cast, sharp scripts, and a brooding vibe that is hard for even the most levelheaded adult to resist." [50] Mike Hale of The New York Times gave the series an honorable mention on his list of the top TV shows of 2009. [51]
The show's second season opened to favorable reviews. On Metacritic, it has a score of 78 (out of 100) based on reviews from five critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews". [39] As the series progressed and developed into the third season, critics praised the portrayals of the main characters and the development of the female characters such as Elena Gilbert played by Nina Dobrev, Bonnie Bennett played by Kat Graham and Caroline Forbes played by Candice King.
The third-season finale, "The Departed", received critical acclaim. Diana Steenbergen of IGN praised the episode and the writers for clearing up a couple of storylines and making all of them come to a head. She also praised Dobrev's performance in this episode, addressing her behavior as another reason the final revelation from Meredith was more shocking and believable. Similarly, Mandi Bierly of Entertainment Weekly review praised the writers' skills in creating a more unexpected final twist. [52]
The series premiere of The Vampire Diaries on September 11, 2009, was The CW's biggest ever at the time, amassing 4.91 million viewers. [53] Adding in DVR numbers, the ratings for the premiere swelled to an official 5.7 million viewers. [54] In 2016, a New York Times study of the 50 TV shows with the most Facebook Likes found that "as with several other shows that focus on the supernatural," The Vampire Diaries was "slightly more popular outside of cities. That said, the show's fandom has the smallest amount of spatial variation of all 50 shows". [55]
The following is a table for the seasonal rankings based on average total estimated viewers per episode of The Vampire Diaries. "Rank" refers to how The Vampire Diaries rated compared to the other television series, which aired during prime time hours.
Season | Timeslot (ET) | Episodes | First aired | Last aired | TV season | Viewership rank | Avg. viewers (millions) | ||
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Date | Viewers (millions) | Date | Viewers (millions) | ||||||
1 | Thursday 8:00 pm | 22 | September 10, 2009 | 4.91 [56] | May 13, 2010 | 3.47 [57] | 2009–10 | 116 | 3.60 [2] |
2 | 22 | September 9, 2010 | 3.36 [58] | May 12, 2011 | 2.86 [59] | 2010–11 | 193 | 3.17 [60] | |
3 | 22 | September 15, 2011 | 3.10 [61] | May 10, 2012 | 2.53 [62] | 2011–12 | 166 | 2.91 [63] | |
4 | 23 | October 11, 2012 | 3.18 [64] | May 16, 2013 | 2.24 [65] | 2012–13 | 133 | 2.97 [66] | |
5 | 22 | October 3, 2013 | 2.59 [67] | May 15, 2014 | 1.61 [68] | 2013–14 | 147 | 2.68 [69] | |
6 | 22 | October 2, 2014 | 1.81 [70] | May 14, 2015 | 1.44 [71] | 2014–15 | 160 | 1.54 [72] | |
7 | Thursday 8:00 pm (1–9) Friday 8:00 pm (10–22) | 22 | October 8, 2015 | 1.38 [70] | May 13, 2016 | 1.04 [73] | 2015–16 | 141 | 1.95 [74] |
8 | Friday 8:00 pm | 16 | October 21, 2016 | 0.98 [75] | March 10, 2017 | 1.15 [76] | 2016–17 | 140 | 1.71 [77] |
Season one was released on DVD in Regions 1, 2, and 4. Also, on Blu-ray in Regions A and B. Both United States versions include commentary by cast and crew members on selected episodes, deleted scenes, behind-the-scenes featurettes, webisodes and a downloadable audiobook of L.J. Smith's The Vampire Diaries: The Awakening. [78] It was released on DVD in Region 2 on August 23, 2010. [79] Following that release, Region 1 began selling DVDs on August 31, 2010, [78] and Region 3 on September 1, 2010. [80] In Region A, it was released on Blu-ray on August 31, 2010. [81] [82] Region B's releases varied; the United Kingdom on August 23, 2010, [83] Brazil on August 26, 2010, [84] and Australia on September 1, 2010. [85]
The Vampire Diaries Season 2 will be available on DVD and Blu-ray on August 30, 2011. [86] Region B's releases varied; the United Kingdom on August 22, 2011, [87] Brazil on August 25, 2011. The Vampire Diaries: Season 3 will be available on DVD and Blu-ray on September 11 and A and on September 5, 2012, for Regions 4 and B. [88] [89] [90] The Vampire Diaries: Season 4 was available on DVD and Blu-ray as of September 15, 2013.
In Japan, the fourth season was released in a special collection, including bonuses not available elsewhere. Included in the collection are an ankle bracelet, promotional image cards and a booklet about the cast. [91]
Season | DVD release date | Blu-ray release date | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Region A | Region B | ||||||
Region 1 | Region 2 | Region 4 | United States | Canada | United Kingdom | Australia | |
1 | August 31, 2010 [92] | August 23, 2010 [93] | September 1, 2010 [94] | August 31, 2010 [95] | August 31, 2010 [82] | August 23, 2010 [96] | September 1, 2010 [97] |
2 | August 30, 2011 [98] | August 22, 2011 [99] | September 7, 2011 [100] | August 30, 2011 [101] | August 30, 2011 [101] | August 22, 2011 [99] | September 7, 2011 [102] |
1–2 | August 22, 2011 [103] | November 9, 2011 [104] | August 22, 2011 [105] | ||||
3 | September 11, 2012 [88] | August 20, 2012 [106] | October 3, 2012 [107] | September 11, 2012 [88] | September 11, 2012 [88] | August 20, 2012 | October 3, 2012 [88] |
1–3 | August 20, 2012 [108] | October 17, 2012 [109] | August 20, 2012 [110] | October 3, 2012 [111] | |||
4 | September 3, 2013 [112] | August 26, 2013 [113] | October 2, 2013 [114] | September 3, 2013 [115] | September 3, 2013 [115] | August 26, 2013 [116] | October 2, 2013 [117] |
1–4 | August 26, 2013 [118] | October 2, 2013 [119] | August 26, 2013 [120] | October 2, 2013 [121] | |||
5 | September 9, 2014 [122] | October 27, 2014 [123] | September 24, 2014 [124] | September 9, 2014 [122] | September 9, 2014 [125] | October 27, 2014 [126] | September 24, 2014 [127] |
1–5 | October 27, 2014 [128] | October 1, 2014 [129] | October 27, 2014 [130] | ||||
6 | September 1, 2015 [131] | October 26, 2015 [132] | September 9, 2015 [133] | September 1, 2015 [134] | September 1, 2015 [134] | October 26, 2015 [135] | September 9, 2015 [136] |
1–6 | October 26, 2015 [137] | September 26, 2015 [138] | October 26, 2015 [139] | October 26, 2015 [139] | October 26, 2015 [140] | September 23, 2015 [141] | |
7 | August 16, 2016 [142] | October 24, 2016 [143] | August 24, 2016 [144] | August 16, 2016 [145] | August 16, 2016 [145] | October 24, 2016 [146] | August 24, 2016 [147] |
1–7 | N/A | October 24, 2016 [148] | N/A | October 24, 2016 [149] | October 24, 2016 [149] | October 24, 2016 [150] | |
8 | June 13, 2017 [151] | October 23, 2017 [152] | June 14, 2017 [153] | June 13, 2017 [154] | June 13, 2017 [154] | October 23, 2017 [155] | June 14, 2017 [156] |
1–8 | June 13, 2017 [157] | October 23, 2017 [158] | June 14, 2017 [159] | June 13, 2017 [160] | June 13, 2017 [160] | October 23, 2017 [161] | June 14, 2017 [162] |
Former president of entertainment at The CW, Dawn Ostroff, mentioned a spin-off idea in 2010 that she said could happen in a few years. [163] A spin-off was in development to debut in the 2011 US fall TV season, but due to Kevin Williamson's commitment to The Secret Circle , it was put on hold indefinitely. [164]
On January 11, 2013, it was announced that a back-door pilot focused on the Originals, starring Joseph Morgan as Klaus and titled The Originals , would air on April 25 for a potential series pick-up for the 2013–2014 season. [165] This second spin-off attempt was carried out by Julie Plec with no involvement by Kevin Williamson. [166]
On April 26, 2013, The CW announced that The Originals had been ordered to the series premiere in the 2013–14 television season. [167] The Originals premiered on October 3, 2013.
The Originals is about the Mikaelson siblings, who are the original family of vampires, and their take-over of the French Quarter of New Orleans. The show also involves Hayley and Klaus's daughter, Hope.
Producers reported that there would be a transition of the characters in both series. Claire Holt made a special cameo in The Vampire Diaries, in the episodes "I Know What You Did Last Summer" [168] and "500 Years of Solitude". [169] Michael Trevino made a special cameo on episodes of The Originals, "Bloodletting" and "The River In Reverse". Joseph Morgan, Daniel Gillies and Claire Holt returned to The Vampire Diaries in a special cameo on the series' 100th episode "500 Years of Solitude". Nina Dobrev also appeared in the fifth episode of The Originals' second season, "Red Door", as Tatia, another doppelgänger.
At the Television Critics Association winter 2016 press tour, CW president Mark Pedowitz announced an official crossover between The Vampire Diaries and The Originals, where Stefan goes on the run and finds a haven in New Orleans where he runs into Klaus. [170]
On October 31, 2013, DC Comics launched a comic book series based on the TV show. [171]
Elena Gilbert is a fictional character and protagonist from the novel series The Vampire Diaries. In the television series adaptation, set in the fictional town of Mystic Falls, she is portrayed by Nina Dobrev. In the books, Elena was popular, selfish and a "mean girl". However, the show's producers, Julie Plec and Kevin Williamson, felt that it wasn't the direction they wanted to go with their heroine in The Vampire Diaries television series. Instead, she became a nicer, relatable, and more of "the girl next door" type, until her life gets flipped upside down when she meets the Salvatore Brothers. In April 2015, Nina Dobrev announced that she would be departing the series after the sixth-season finale.
The Vampire Diaries, an American supernatural drama, was officially renewed by The CW for a full 22-episode season on February 16, 2010. The first episode premiered on September 9, 2010, at 8 p.m. ET. The season picks up immediately after the events of the season one finale. All the series regulars returned. The second season focuses on the return of Elena Gilbert's doppelgänger, Katherine Pierce, the introduction of werewolves, the sun and moon curse, and the arrival of the original vampires. Tyler Lockwood's uncle, Mason Lockwood, arrives in town searching for the moonstone, a family heirloom. Tyler later learns of his family's werewolf curse. Meanwhile, Caroline Forbes is killed by Katherine while having Damon Salvatore's blood in her system, turning her into a vampire. The arrival of the original vampires, Elijah and Klaus Mikaelson, also bring about complications. Klaus is a vampire-werewolf hybrid, but his werewolf side had been forced into dormancy by witches, as nature would not stand for such an imbalance in power. Therefore, Klaus arrives in town with plans to break the curse and unleash his werewolf side by channelling the power of the full moon into the moonstone, sacrificing a vampire and a werewolf, and drinking the blood of the doppelgänger. It became available on DVD and Blu-ray on August 30, 2011.
The Vampire Diaries is an American supernatural horror romance television series created by Kevin Williamson based on the novels of the same name by author L. J. Smith. It was officially picked up for the 2009–10 season on May 19, 2009. It premiered on September 10, 2009, on The CW and received the highest ratings for a series premiere in the network's history at that point, scoring 4.91 million live viewers.
"Founder's Day" is the 22nd episode of the first season of The CW television series The Vampire Diaries, and the 22nd episode of the series overall. It also the season finale of the first season. It originally aired on May 13, 2010. The episode was written by Bryan Oh and Andrew Chambliss and directed by Marcos Siega.
The Vampire Diaries, an American supernatural drama, was officially renewed for a third season by the CW on April 26, 2011. The season aired from September 15, 2011, to May 10, 2012, and consisted of 22 episodes. The plot focused on the story of Klaus' origin, his relation with his family and revealed more about the Original family. The third season opened to generally positive reviews. The season takes a gap from the last season and begins with Elena Gilbert's 18th birthday, with all series regulars returning with the exception of Sara Canning, whose character, Jenna Sommers, was killed off in the previous season. Joseph Morgan's character Klaus became a series regular after previously appearing in a recurring role.
"As I Lay Dying" is the 22 episode and last of the second season of The CW television series, The Vampire Diaries and the 44th episode of the series overall. It originally aired on May 12, 2011. The episode was written by Turi Meyer, Al Septien and Michael Narducci and directed by John Behring.
"The Sun Also Rises" is the 21st episode of the second season of The CW television series, The Vampire Diaries and the 43rd episode of the series overall. It originally aired on May 5, 2011. The episode was written by Caroline Dries and Mike Daniels and directed by Paul M. Sommers.
"The Birthday" is the first episode of the third season of The CW television series, The Vampire Diaries and the 45th episode of the series overall. It originally aired on September 14, 2011. The episode was written by Kevin Williamson and Julie Plec and directed by John Behring.
"A Few Good Men" is the 15th episode of the first season of The CW television series, The Vampire Diaries and the 15th episode of the series overall. It originally aired on March 25, 2010. The episode was written by Brian Young and directed by Joshua Butler.
"The Departed" is the twenty-second and final episode of The Vampire Diaries's third season, premiering May 10, 2012 on The CW. During the episode, Elena remembers when life was simpler while the rest of her friends attempt to stay away from Alaric. In the episode's initial airing, it garnered 2.53 million viewers.
The Vampire Diaries, an American supernatural drama, was renewed for a sixth season by The CW on February 13, 2014, and it premiered on October 2, 2014. A majority of the episode titles for this season are named after songs released in 1994 & 1903. The Vampire Diaries was renewed for a seventh season on January 11, 2015, by The CW.
"Children of the Damned" is the thirteenth episode of the first season of The CW television series, The Vampire Diaries and the thirteenth episode of the series overall. It originally aired on February 4, 2010. The episode was written by Kevin Williamson and Julie Plec and directed by Marcos Siega.
"The Last Dance" is the 18th episode of the second season of The CW television series, The Vampire Diaries and the 40th episode of the series overall. It originally aired on April 14, 2011. The episode was written by Michael Narducci and directed by John Behring.
"Yellow Ledbetter" is the 2nd episode of the sixth season of the American series The Vampire Diaries and the series' 113th episode overall. "Yellow Ledbetter" was originally aired on October 9, 2014, on The CW. The episode was written by Julie Plec and directed by Pascal Verschooris.
"The More You Ignore Me, the Closer I Get" is the 6th episode of the sixth season of the American series The Vampire Diaries and the series' 117th episode overall. "The More You Ignore Me, the Closer I Get" was originally aired on November 6, 2014, on The CW. The episode was written by Chad Fiveash and James Stoterau and directed by Garreth Stover.
"Fade into You" is the 8th episode of the sixth season of the American series The Vampire Diaries and the series' 119th episode overall. "Fade Into You" was originally aired on November 20, 2014, on The CW. The episode was written by Nina Fiore and John Herrera and directed by Joshua Butler.
"The Hybrid" is the second episode of the third season of The CW television series, The Vampire Diaries and the 46th episode of the series overall. It originally aired on September 22, 2011. The episode was written by Al Septien and Turi Meyer and directed by Joshua Butler.
"The New Deal" is the tenth episode of the third season of The CW television series, The Vampire Diaries and the 54th episode of the series overall. It originally aired on January 5, 2012. The episode was written by Michael Narducci and directed by John Behring.
The Vampire Diaries, an American supernatural drama, was renewed for an eighth and final season by The CW on March 11, 2016. On July 23, 2016, The CW announced that the upcoming season would be the series' last and would consist of 16 episodes. The season premiered on October 21, 2016, and concluded on March 10, 2017.
The Vampire Diaries Universe is an American media franchise and a shared universe that is centered on various interconnected television series airing on The CW. The series were developed by Kevin Williamson and Julie Plec, and based on characters who appeared in the original novel series, The Vampire Diaries, by L. J. Smith.