The Vampire Diaries is a series created by Kevin Williamson and Julie Plec, based on the popular book series of the same name written by L.J. Smith. Over time, this series has become incredibly popular. In fact, the pilot episode of The Vampire Diaries is known for attracting the most massive audience for The CW of any series premiere since the network began in 2006. The first season of this show averaged around 3.6 million viewers and over the course of eight seasons, the number of viewers drastically increased. As soon as the show stopped airing in 2017, many viewers gained hope that the producers would release a season nine because they didn’t want to believe that the show was actually over.  

Mikaila Borie commented, “I had heard a lot about The Vampire Diaries from classmates, so I decided to give it a go. I quickly got hooked and binge-watched the whole thing! It’s by far my favorite show, and though I don’t think it’s for everyone, I highly recommend it. The show even has spin-off shows for people who get really invested! Overall, I recommend and love it!”

It all started with a teenage girl named Elena Gilbert who had just lost both of her parents in a car crash. She starts at a new school in Mystic Falls, Virginia, and falls in love with a 162-year-old vampire named Stefan Salvatore. Stefan and Elena’s relationship becomes complicated when Stefan’s brother Damon comes to town unsuspected. Damon returns to town with a plan to bring back his past love Katherine, who is supposedly trapped in a cavern underneath a church. Damon originally held a grudge against Stefan for turning him into a vampire, but later on, he became civil with his brother. He even falls in love with Elena and creates a love triangle between the three. Stefan and Damon protect Elena as they encounter many villains and threats to their hometown, including Katherine. 

There are a total of 171 episodes, and each episode reveals new possibilities along with new characters as well. This show is well-loved by many age groups but is mostly viewed by the teenage population.

Within the first 20 minutes of episode one, I was instantly hooked and I kept binge-watching it until I finished the show. I thought the overall plot of the story was intriguing, and the producer did an excellent job of keeping the show suspenseful. Normally I am not able to watch eight seasons of a television show because I get bored throughout the show, but this one managed to keep me entertained and intrigued. Whenever the episode would come to an end, I would instantly click the next episode button. I know this show may not be for everyone, but I would highly recommend it to anyone who is interested in vampires or even someone who wants to watch something different. The Vampire Diaries is by far my favorite show, and I loved every second of this show.

Brooke Barrett stated, “The Vampire Diaries is definitely one of my favorite shows. The characters all show so much growth, and it has a lot of plot twists. I would highly recommend it to anyone.”