The Vampire Diaries is an American supernatural–fantasy horror/drama television series developed by Kevin Williamson & Julie Plec, based on the book series of the same name by L. J. Smith. The series follows the life of 17-year old Elena Gilbert (Nina Dobrev), who falls in love with a centuries old vampire named Stefan Salvatore (Paul Wesley) and his brother Damon Salvatore (Ian Somerhalder), also a vampire. The series also focuses on the lives of Elena's friends and other inhabitants of the fictional town of Mystic Falls, Virginia. The series is a mix of teen drama and the supernatural.
When The Vampire Diaries premiered on The CW Television Network, on September 10, 2009, it attracted the largest audience of any series since the network began in 2006. Due to strong ratings, the series was given a full, 22-episode first season on October 21, 2009. The show's first season finale aired on May 13, 2010.
On February 16, 2010, The CW announced a renewal for a second season of the show that began airing on September 9, 2010.
Main Cast and Characters
Current
- Nina Dobrev as Elena Gilbert (112/112), Katherine Pierce (50/112) and Amara (3/112)
- Paul Wesley as Stefan Salvatore (112/112), Silas (10/112) and Tom Avery (2/112)
- Ian Somerhalder as Damon Salvatore (112/112)
- Candice Accola as Caroline Forbes (95/112)
- Steven R. McQueen as Jeremy Gilbert (87/112)
- Kat Graham as Bonnie Bennett (86/112)
- Zach Roerig as Matt Donovan (83/112) and Gregor (3/112)
- Michael Trevino as Tyler Lockwood (69/112) and Julian (5/112)
- Matt Davis as Alaric Saltzman (53/112) (1x14 - 3x22/6x01 - ); Special Guest (1x09 - 1x12); Recurring (4x02, 4x22 - 4x23); Guest (5x11 & 5x22)
- Michael Malarkey as Lorenzo (12/112) (6x01 - ); Recurring (5x09 - 5x22)
Former
- Kayla Ewell as Vicki Donovan (14/112) (1x01 - 1x07); Recurring (3x01 - 3x06); Guest (2x22, 5x11 & 5x18)
- Sara Canning as Jenna Sommers (33/112) (1x01 - 2x21); Guest (3x22 & 5x11)
- Joseph Morgan as Niklaus Mikaelson (42/112) (3x01 - 4x23); Recurring (2x19 - 2x22); Guest (5x11)
Production
Initially Kevin Williamson had little interest in developing the series, finding the premise too similar to other vampire tales. However, at Julie Plec's urging, he began to read the novels and 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." Williamson has stated the town's story will be the main focus of the series, rather than high school.
On February 6, 2009, Variety announced that The CW had greenlit the pilot for The Vampire Diaries with Williamson and Julie Plec set as the head writers and executive producers. On May 19, 2009, the series was officially ordered for the 2009–2010 season.
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.
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, which premiered on September 9, 2010.On April 26, 2011, The CW renewed the show for a third season.On April 2,2012 the series was renewed for 4th season with 23 episodes.
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 third season] at the request of Kevin Williamson. "Kevin Williamson felt to do the best show possible he would rather do 22. I'd rather have a great 22 than a good 24 if Kevin couldn't do it," he explained.
Seasons
The Vampire Diaries Seasons
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The Originals (TV Series)
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Filming Locations
The pilot episode was filmed in Vancouver, British Columbia, but the rest of the episodes have been filmed in Covington, Georgia (which doubles as the fictional small town of Mystic Falls, Virginia) and various other communities around Greater Atlanta, to take advantage of local tax incentives.
Critical Reception
- Main article: Ratings
Metacritic gave the show a score of 50/100 based on 22 critical reviews, indicating mixed to average response. Its premiere on September 10, 2009 gave The CW its biggest series premiere scoring 4.9 million viewers. Adding in DVR numbers, the ratings for the premiere swelled to an official 5.7 million viewers. The first season had an average rating of 3.66 million viewers.
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 poor opening episode. 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. 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." Mike Hale of The New York Times gave the series an honorable mention on his list of the top TV shows of 2009. The show's second season opened to universal acclaim from professional television critics as it received a 78/100 score on Metacritic. As the series progressed and developed onto 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 who is played by Katerina Graham, and Caroline Forbes who is played by Candice Accola. The third season finale, The Departed, opened to generally positive reviews. Diana Steenbergen of IGN praised the episode and the writers for clearing up a couple story lines and making all of them come to a head. She also praised Dobrev's performance in this episode, addressing her behaviour as another reason the final revelation from Meredith was more shocking and believable. Similarly, Mandi Bierly of Entertainment Weekly review praised the writer's skills in creating the more unexpected final twist. Several reviewers also addressed the dynamic of the show may change now with the character of Elena being transitioned. Keshaunta Moton of Poptimal refers to the upcoming changes as "huge" and notes the change as something that'll affect her relationship with other characters. Other reviewers, like Matt Roush of SeattlePi and Ben Lee of Digital Spy refer to the finale as a "game-changer" and one to set up a completely new storyline for the fourth season.
Notes
- Every season since its debut it has been paired with a different show, During Season One it was paired with Supernatural, during Season Two with Nikita, and during Season Three it was paired with it's sister show The Secret Circle, which was cancelled after one season. During Season Four it was Beauty and the Beast. During Season Five it was paired with Reign.
- Thus far, at least one main character is killed off each season. In order: Vicki Donovan,Jenna Sommers, Alaric Saltzman, Jeremy Gilbert and Bonnie Bennett.
- Jeremy and Bonnie were the only ones to be killed off without becoming a vampire.
- Bonnie resurrected Jeremy, but died in the process.
- Bonnie is now alive due to becoming the anchor instead of Amara.
- Stefan and Damon are the only characters to appear in every episode.
- Both have functioned as an antagonist at some point in the series.
- In the middle of the fifth season, Elena's body is taken over by Katherine, so she still physically appears.
Productions codes:
- Season 1 - (Pilot: 296766) (other eps: 2J5001 - 2J5021)
- Season 2 - (2J5251 - 2J5272)
- Season 3 - (2J6001 - 2J6022)
- Season 4 - (2J6651 - 2J6673)
- Season 5 - (2J7501 - )
Awards
| Year | Result | Category | Recipient(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | |||
| Won | Fantasy/Sci-Fi | The Vampire Diaries | |
| Won | Breakout Show | The Vampire Diaries | |
| Won | Breakout Star Female | Nina Dobrev | |
| Won | Breakout Star Male | Paul Wesley | |
| Nominated | Scene Stealer Female | Katerina Graham | |
| Won | Actor Fantasy/Sci-Fi | Paul Wesley | |
| Won | Actress Fantasy/Sci-Fi | Nina Dobrev | |
| Won | Villain | Ian Somerhalder | |
| Nominated | Male hottie | Ian Somerhalder | |
| 2011 | |||
| Won | Fantasy/Sci-Fi | The Vampire Diaries | |
| Won | Scene Stealer Female | Katerina Graham | |
| Won | Scene Stealer Male | Michael Trevino | |
| Nominated | Actor Fantasy/Sci-Fi | Paul Wesley | |
| Won | Actor Fantasy/Sci-Fi | Ian Somerhalder | |
| Won | Actress Fantasy/Sci-Fi | Nina Dobrev | |
| Nominated | Villain | Joseph Morgan | |
| Nominated | Female hottie | Nina Dobrev | |
| Nominated | Male hottie | Ian Somerhalder | |
| Nominated | Vampire | Ian Somerhalder | |
| Nominated | Vampire | Paul Wesley | |
| Nominated | Vampire | Nina Dobrev | |
| 2012 | |||
| Won | Fantasy/Sci-Fi | The Vampire Diaries | |
| Won | Actor Fantasy/Sci-Fi | Ian Somerhalder | |
| Nominated | Actor Fantasy/Sci-Fi | Paul Wesley | |
| Won | Actress Fantasy/Sci-Fi | Nina Dobrev | |
| Nominated | Actress Fantasy/Sci-Fi | Katerina Graham | |
| Won | Male Scene Stealer | Michael Trevino | |
| Won | Female Scene Stealer | Candice Accola | |
| Nominated | Villain | Joseph Morgan | |
| Won | Male Hottie | Ian Somerhalder |
| Year | Result | Category | Recipient(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | |||
| Won | Favorite New TV Drama | The Vampire Diaries | |
| Nominated | Favorite SCI FI/Fantasy Show | The Vampire Diaries | |
| 2011 | |||
| Nominated | Favorite TV Drama | The Vampire Diaries | |
| Nominated | Favorite TV Sci-Fi/Fantasy Show | The Vampire Diaries | |
| Nominated | Favorite TV Drama Actor | Ian Somerhalder | |
| 2012 | |||
| Nominated | Favorite TV Drama | The Vampire Diaries | |
| Nominated | Favorite Sci-Fi/Fantasy Show | The Vampire Diaries | |
| Nominated | Favorite TV Drama Actor | Ian Somerhalder | |
| Won | Favorite TV Drama Actress | Nina Dobrev | |
| 2013 | |||
| Nominated | Favorite Sci-Fi/Fantasy Show | The Vampire Diaries | |
| Nominated | Favorite TV Drama Actor | Ian Somerhalder | |
| Nominated | Favorite TV Drama Actor | Paul Wesley | |
| Nominated | Favorite TV Drama Actress | Nina Dobrev | |
| Nominated | Favorite TV Fan Following | TVDFamily | |
| 2014 | |||
| Nominated | Favorite Sci-Fi/Fantasy Show | The Vampire Diaries | |
| Won | Favorite TV Sci-Fi/Fantasy Actor | Ian Somerhalder | |
| Nominated | Favorite TV Sci-Fi/Fantasy Actress | Nina Dobrev | |
| Won | Favorite On Screen Chemistry | Damon Salvatore & Elena Gilbert |
Saturn Awards
| Year | Result | Category | Recipient(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | |||
| Nominated | Best Network Series | The Vampire Diaries | |
| 2011 | |||
| Nominated | Best Network Series | The Vampire Diaries | |
| 2012 | |||
| Nominated | Best Youth-Oriented Television Series | The Vampire Diaries |
Young Hollywood Awards
| Year | Result | Category | Recipient(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | |||
| Won | Making Their Mark | Nina Dobrev | |
| Won | Cast to Watch | Nina Dobrev, Paul Wesley and Ian Somerhalder |
J-14 Teen Icon Awards
| Year | Result | Category | Recipient(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | |||
| Nominated | Iconic TV Show | The Vampire Diaries | |
| Nominated | Iconic TV Actress | Nina Dobrev | |
| 2011 | |||
| Nominated | Iconic TV Show | The Vampire Diaries | |
| Nominated | Iconic TV Actor | Ian Somerhalder | |
| 2012 | |||
| Pending | Iconic TV Actor | Ian Somerhalder | |
| Pending | Iconic TV Actress | Nina Dobrev | |
| Pending | Iconic TV Show | The Vampire Diaries |
Do Something Awards
| Year | Result | Category | Recipient(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | |||
| Nominated | Best TV Drama | The Vampire Diaries | |
| Nominated | Best TV Star: Male | Ian Somerhalder | |
| Nominated | Best Twitter Account |
Ian Somerhalder |
See also
- The Vampire Diaries (Novels)
- Season One
- Season Two
- Season Three
- Season Four
- Season Five
- Season Six
- The Originals (TV Series)