Information about the show and the books.
The Vampire Diaries is an American supernatural-fantasy horror television series developed by Kevin Williamson, based on the book series of the same name by L. J. Smith. The series follows the life of Elena Gilbert (Nina Dobrev), who falls in love with vampire brothers Stefan (Paul Wesley) and Damon Salvatore (Ian Somerhalder). 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.
The series premiered on September 10, 2009, on The CW Television Network, and has become its best performing show.[1] On October 21, 2009, the series was given a full, 22-episode first season.[2]
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 realise that it was a story about a small town, about that town's underbelly and about what lurks under the surface."[3] Williamson has stated the town's story will be the main focus of the series, rather than high school.[4]
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 writers and executive producers.[5] On May 19, 2009, the series was officially ordered for the 2009-2010 season.[6] The pilot episode was filmed in Vancouver, but the rest of the episodes have been filmed in Covington (which doubles as the fictional small town of Mystic Falls, Virginia) and Monroe, Georgia,[7] to take advantage of local tax incentives.
Owing to strong ratings, the initial 13-episode order was expanded to a full 22-episode season on October 21, 2009.[2] After November 19, The Vampire Diaries was placed on an 8-week hiatus until January 21, 2010.[8]
[edit] Cast and characters The Vampire Diaries features an ensemble cast of nine regular speaking roles which were mainly adapted from the book series. Most of the characters are teenagers, but the cast also includes adult roles. The characters are mainly humans and vampires, but the show also includes various other supernatural beings.
Main
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.[3]The Los Angeles Times reviewer, Carina MacKenzie, found the sixth episode to be particularly strong.[13] MacKenzie says that Elena "stands out amongst the typical heroines of the vampire genre -- she demands honesty, asks questions, and doesn't turn a blind eye to any misbehavior."[14] The New York Post also praised the portrayal of Elena, finding the character to be a strong-minded woman who doesn't allow her feelings for her boyfriend to control her.[15]The San Diego Union-Tribune said: "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."[16] Mike Hale of The New York Times gave the series an honorable mention on his list of the top TV shows of 2009.[17]
The series premiered on September 10, 2009, on The CW Television Network, and has become its best performing show.[1] On October 21, 2009, the series was given a full, 22-episode first season.[2]
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 realise that it was a story about a small town, about that town's underbelly and about what lurks under the surface."[3] Williamson has stated the town's story will be the main focus of the series, rather than high school.[4]
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 writers and executive producers.[5] On May 19, 2009, the series was officially ordered for the 2009-2010 season.[6] The pilot episode was filmed in Vancouver, but the rest of the episodes have been filmed in Covington (which doubles as the fictional small town of Mystic Falls, Virginia) and Monroe, Georgia,[7] to take advantage of local tax incentives.
Owing to strong ratings, the initial 13-episode order was expanded to a full 22-episode season on October 21, 2009.[2] After November 19, The Vampire Diaries was placed on an 8-week hiatus until January 21, 2010.[8]
[edit] Cast and characters The Vampire Diaries features an ensemble cast of nine regular speaking roles which were mainly adapted from the book series. Most of the characters are teenagers, but the cast also includes adult roles. The characters are mainly humans and vampires, but the show also includes various other supernatural beings.
Main
- Nina Dobrev - Elena Gilbert - Elena is involved in a romantic relationship with Stefan. Nina Dobrev also plays Katherine Pierce, a vampire who had romantic relationships with both Stefan and Damon in 1864.
- Paul Wesley - Stefan Salvatore, who is involved in a romantic relationship with Elena.
- Ian Somerhalder - Damon Salvatore, Stefan's evil vampire brother.
- Steven R. McQueen - Jeremy Gilbert, Elena's younger brother.
- Sara Canning - Jenna Sommers, Jeremy and Elena's aunt and legal guardian.
- Katerina Graham - Bonnie Bennett, Elena's best friend and a witch.
- Candice Accola - Caroline Forbes, Elena's self-absorbed friend.
- Zach Roerig - Matt Donovan, Elena's ex-boyfriend.
- Kayla Ewell - Vicki Donovan, Matt's sister. (Episodes 1-7)
- Michael Trevino - Tyler Lockwood, Vicki's ex-boyfriend and Jeremy's rival.
- Jasmine Guy - Sheila Bennett, Bonnie's grandmother, a college professor and a witch.
- Marguerite MacIntyre - Sheriff Elizabeth Forbes, Caroline's mother, sheriff of Mystic Falls, and a member of the Founder's Council
- Robert Pralgo - Mayor Charles Lockwood, Tyler's father, mayor of Mystic Falls and member of the Founder's Council
- Susan Walters - Mrs. Lockwood, Tyler's snobbish mother and a member of the Founder's Council
- Chris J. Johnson - Logan Fell, a local news reporter who dated Aunt Jenna in high school and a member of the Founder's Council
- Chris William Martin - Zach Salvatore, a human descendant of the Salvatore brothers who takes care of the Salvatore boarding house and is a member of the Founder's Council
- Bianca Lawson - Emily Bennett, Bonnie's ancestor from the 1860's who was a powerful witch and Katherine's handmaiden.
- Matt Davis - Alaric Saltzman, the new history teacher whose wife Isabel was murdered by Damon.
- Malese Jow - Anna, a "home-schooled" teenage vampire who has ulterior motives in befriending Jeremy and has a relationship with Ben.
- Sean Faris - Ben McKittrick, a vampire high school graduate jock who works as a bartender at Mystic Grill.
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.[3]The Los Angeles Times reviewer, Carina MacKenzie, found the sixth episode to be particularly strong.[13] MacKenzie says that Elena "stands out amongst the typical heroines of the vampire genre -- she demands honesty, asks questions, and doesn't turn a blind eye to any misbehavior."[14] The New York Post also praised the portrayal of Elena, finding the character to be a strong-minded woman who doesn't allow her feelings for her boyfriend to control her.[15]The San Diego Union-Tribune said: "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."[16] Mike Hale of The New York Times gave the series an honorable mention on his list of the top TV shows of 2009.[17]
Information about the show on cwtv.com
Four months after the tragic car accident that killed their parents, 17-year-old Elena Gilbert (Nina Dobrev, "DeGrassi: The Next Generation") and her 15-year-old brother, Jeremy (Steven R. McQueen, "Everwood"), are still adjusting to their new reality. Elena has always been the star student; beautiful, popular and involved with school and friends, but now she finds herself struggling to hide her grief from the world. Elena and Jeremy are now living with their cool-but-overwhelmed Aunt Jenna (Sara Canning, "Smallville"), who is doing her best to be a surrogate parent.
Elena manages to find some comfort with her familiar social circle – best friend Bonnie (Katerina Graham, "17 Again"), frenemy Caroline (Candice Accola, "Juno"), and former boyfriend Matt (Zach Roerig, "Friday Night Lights"), but Jeremy is on a more dangerous path, hanging out with the stoners and using drugs to hide his pain. Jeremy is also trying to figure out why Matt's sister, Vicki (Kayla Ewell, "The Bold and The Beautiful"), is suddenly rejecting him and hanging out with Jeremy's rival, Tyler (Michael Trevino, "Cane").
As the school year begins at Mystic Falls High, Elena and her friends are fascinated by a handsome and mysterious new student, Stefan Salvatore (Paul Wesley, "Fallen"). Stefan and Elena are immediately drawn to one another, although Elena is puzzled by Stefan's increasingly bizarre behavior when he appears suddenly at the cemetery where her parents are buried. What she doesn't realize is that Stefan is hiding a dark, deadly secret of his own – the fact that he's a vampire. At a bonfire party the next night, Elena and Stefan are just getting to know each other when chaos erupts after Vicki is attacked and left bleeding from a savage bite to the neck.
Fearing that he knows who is responsible for the attack, Stefan returns home and finds his older brother, Damon (Ian Somerhalder, "Lost"), whom he hasn't seen for 15 years. Damon is also a vampire, and the two brothers have a long and bitter history. Damon ridicules Stefan for rejecting their legacy of violence and brutality, but he understands his brother's obsession with Elena, since she looks exactly like a woman Stefan loved more than a century ago; a woman that Damon tried to make his own. Now these two vampire brothers – one good, one evil – are at war for Elena's soul and for the souls of her friends, family and all the residents of Mystic Falls, Virginia.
Based on the series of books by L. J. Smith, THE VAMPIRE DIARIES is from Alloy Entertainment and Bonanza Productions Inc in association with Warner Bros. Television and CBS Television Studios with executive producers Kevin Williamson ("Scream," "Dawson's Creek"), Julie Plec ("Kyle XY," "Wasteland"), Leslie Morgenstein ("Gossip Girl," "Private") and Bob Levy ("Gossip Girl," "Privileged"). Marcos Siega ("Dexter") directed the pilot.
Elena manages to find some comfort with her familiar social circle – best friend Bonnie (Katerina Graham, "17 Again"), frenemy Caroline (Candice Accola, "Juno"), and former boyfriend Matt (Zach Roerig, "Friday Night Lights"), but Jeremy is on a more dangerous path, hanging out with the stoners and using drugs to hide his pain. Jeremy is also trying to figure out why Matt's sister, Vicki (Kayla Ewell, "The Bold and The Beautiful"), is suddenly rejecting him and hanging out with Jeremy's rival, Tyler (Michael Trevino, "Cane").
As the school year begins at Mystic Falls High, Elena and her friends are fascinated by a handsome and mysterious new student, Stefan Salvatore (Paul Wesley, "Fallen"). Stefan and Elena are immediately drawn to one another, although Elena is puzzled by Stefan's increasingly bizarre behavior when he appears suddenly at the cemetery where her parents are buried. What she doesn't realize is that Stefan is hiding a dark, deadly secret of his own – the fact that he's a vampire. At a bonfire party the next night, Elena and Stefan are just getting to know each other when chaos erupts after Vicki is attacked and left bleeding from a savage bite to the neck.
Fearing that he knows who is responsible for the attack, Stefan returns home and finds his older brother, Damon (Ian Somerhalder, "Lost"), whom he hasn't seen for 15 years. Damon is also a vampire, and the two brothers have a long and bitter history. Damon ridicules Stefan for rejecting their legacy of violence and brutality, but he understands his brother's obsession with Elena, since she looks exactly like a woman Stefan loved more than a century ago; a woman that Damon tried to make his own. Now these two vampire brothers – one good, one evil – are at war for Elena's soul and for the souls of her friends, family and all the residents of Mystic Falls, Virginia.
Based on the series of books by L. J. Smith, THE VAMPIRE DIARIES is from Alloy Entertainment and Bonanza Productions Inc in association with Warner Bros. Television and CBS Television Studios with executive producers Kevin Williamson ("Scream," "Dawson's Creek"), Julie Plec ("Kyle XY," "Wasteland"), Leslie Morgenstein ("Gossip Girl," "Private") and Bob Levy ("Gossip Girl," "Privileged"). Marcos Siega ("Dexter") directed the pilot.