The Vampire Diaries star, Nina Dobrev, explains the series’ popularity both when it originally aired and now on streaming. The series originally debuted in 2009, at the height of the vampire craze, with Twilight having come out only a year before. The Vampire Diaries ran for eight seasons on The CW and has found a second wind on HBO, with fans revisiting or even discovering the series now.
In an exclusive interview with Screen Rant for The Bricklayer, Dobrev discussed the renewed popularity of The Vampire Diaries. She explained why she believes the series was originally so popular and how it has found a second life on streaming. Dobrev also commented on whether she could return for a potential reunion or prequel. Check out Dobrev’s full quote below:
Nina Dobrev: I don’t know specifically after its conclusion, but at the time, there was a huge vampire craze. Everyone just wanted vampire content of every kind. Where Twilight came out every once in a while, ours was more of a constant, and you can also explore a lot more story and character and fall deeper and get to know the characters a lot more when you’re doing a TV show as opposed to a movie.
When a show comes out now, I get addicted to shows. Once I start it, I can’t stop until I know what happens next. And so, when you have eight seasons of that, people get really attached. And so that’s probably where the longevity comes from, if I had to guess.
But it’s been really interesting ever since the pandemic and beyond, people were at home stuck and bored, and so a lot of people rewatched the show or a lot of people who maybe missed it the first go around started watching it for the first time in the pandemic. Even generations of kids that were too young maybe a decade ago to watch it, now started watching it. It sort of renewed its life in a weird way, and I’ve found that a lot of it feels like it’s back on the air, even though it’s not. And it has a new home. It’s on HBO now.
If a reunion revival were to happen, would you want to return to play Elena or a doppelganger if there were a prequel?
Nina Dobrev: Oh, my goodness. You’re asking me writer questions. I’m not in control of that kind of stuff. You should ask Julie Plec, I think. I don’t get to control the story.
Could A Reboot Of The Vampire Diaries Work In Today’s TV Environment?
The Vampire Diaries created a rich lore and history spanning multiple eras. As the series progressed, this lore expanded, introducing werewolves, witches, and other supernatural creatures. The series not only ran for eight seasons; it inspired two spin-offs. The Originals followed the first family of vampires ever created, and Legacies was centered around the next generation of supernatural creatures in Mystic Falls, with the main characters of the series being children of characters introduced in The Vampire Diaries.
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With the renewed popularity of the series, this could be the perfect time to either expand the world with a different spin-off series or potentially a prequel series bringing back Vampire Diaries characters that fans loved from the original show. Another possibility could be a reboot. that leans into the darker aspects of the supernatural world.
This could be an opportunity to explore storylines and character arcs that the creators couldn’t fully explore due to the series being on The CW. The Vampire Diaries could be the perfect series to expand with a spin-off, prequel series, or even a reboot with deep lore ripe to be explored in a new way.
The Vampire Diaries
Based on the novels by L.J. Smith, The Vampire Diaries is a story about the developing love triangle between Elena Gilbert and two vampiric brothers, Stefan and Damon Salvatore. Set in the town of Mystic Falls, Virginia, the show follows the trio from high school through college as they battle for one another’s affection.
- Cast
- Nina Dobrev , Ian Somerhalder , Steven R. McQueen , Paul Wesley , Kat Graham , Michael Trevino , Michael Malarkey , Zach Roerig , Candice King , Matthew Davis
- Genres
- Horror , Fantasy , Drama
- Seasons
- 8
- Franchise
- The Vampire Diaries
- Story By
- L.J. Smith
- Writers
- Julie Plec , Kevin Williamson , L.J. Smith
- Network
- The CW
- Streaming Service(s)
- Netflix
- Directors
- John Dahl
- Showrunner
- Julie Plec
