''The Vampire Diaries'' Universe is an American

media franchise A media franchise, also known as a multimedia franchise, is a collection of related media in which several derivative works have been produced from an original creative work of fiction, such as a film, a work of literature, a television program, o ...

and a

shared universe A shared universe or shared world is a fictional universe from a set of creative works where one or more writers (or other artists) independently contribute works that can stand alone but fits into the joint development of the storyline, charact ...

that is centered on various interconnected

television series A television show, TV program (), or simply a TV show, is the general reference to any content produced for viewing on a television set that is broadcast via over-the-air, satellite, and cable, or distributed digitally on streaming plat ...

airing on

The CW The CW Network, LLC (commonly referred to as The CW or simply CW) is an American commercial broadcast television network which is controlled by Nexstar Media Group through a 75% ownership interest. The network's name is derived from the firs ...

. The series were developed by Kevin Williamson and Julie Plec, and based on characters who appeared in the original novel series, ''

The Vampire Diaries ''The Vampire Diaries'' is an American supernatural fiction, supernatural teen drama television series developed by Kevin Williamson (screenwriter), Kevin Williamson and Julie Plec, based on the The Vampire Diaries (novel series), book series ...

,'' by L. J. Smith.

Television series

''The Vampire Diaries'' (2009–2017)

''The Vampire Diaries'' is set in the fictional town of Mystic Falls,

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States between the East Coast of the United States ...

, a town charged with supernatural history since its settlement in the late 18th century. It follows the life of Elena Gilbert, a teenage girl who has just lost both parents in a car accident, as she falls in love with a 162-year-old vampire named

Stefan Salvatore Stefan Salvatore, referred to in books as Stefano Salvatore, is a fictional character and one of the two main protagonists from L. J. Smith (author), L. J. Smith's novel series ''The Vampire Diaries (novel series), The Vampire Diaries''. He is po ...

. Their relationship becomes increasingly complicated as Stefan's mysterious older brother Damon returns, with a plan to bring back their past love

Katherine Pierce ''The Vampire Diaries'' is an American fantasy-drama Television show, television series which was first broadcast on The CW Television Network, The CW from 2009 to 2017, airing 171 episodes over 8 seasons. Kevin Williamson (screenwriter), Kevin ...

, a vampire who looks exactly like Elena.

''The Originals'' (2013–2018)

''The Originals'' centers on three of the Mikaelson siblings: Klaus,

Elijah Elijah ( ) or Elias was a prophet and miracle worker who lived in the northern kingdom of Israel during the reign of King Ahab (9th century BC), according to the Books of Kings in the Hebrew Bible. In 1 Kings 18, Elijah defended the worsh ...

, and

Rebekah Rebecca () appears in the Hebrew Bible as the wife of Isaac and the mother of Jacob and Esau. According to biblical tradition, Rebecca's father was Bethuel the Aramean from Paddan Aram, also called Aram-Naharaim. Rebecca's brother was Laban t ...

. The Mikaelson family are also commonly known as "the Originals" due to the fact that they are the first vampires in history. The series begins with the Original siblings returning to the city of

New Orleans New Orleans (commonly known as NOLA or The Big Easy among other nicknames) is a Consolidated city-county, consolidated city-parish located along the Mississippi River in the U.S. state of Louisiana. With a population of 383,997 at the 2020 ...

for the first time since 1919, where Hayley Marshall, who is pregnant with Klaus's child, has also settled. In their absence, Klaus's former protégé and Rebekah's former lover, Marcel, took charge of the

French Quarter The French Quarter, also known as the (; ; ), is the oldest neighborhood in the city of New Orleans. After New Orleans () was founded in 1718 by Jean-Baptiste Le Moyne de Bienville, the city developed around the ("Old Square" in English), a ...

. Klaus resolves that they must take down Marcel and get back the city that once belonged to them.

''Legacies'' (2018–2022)

''Legacies'' follows Hope Mikaelson, the daughter of Klaus Mikaelson and Hayley Marshall, who is descended from some of the most powerful vampire, werewolf, and witch bloodlines. Two years after the events of ''The Originals'', 17-year-old Hope attends the Salvatore School for the Young and Gifted. The school provides a haven where supernatural beings can learn to control their abilities and impulses.

Development

Initially, Kevin Williamson had little interest in developing the series, finding the premise too similar to

Stephenie Meyer Stephenie Meyer (; Morgan; born December 24, 1973) is an American novelist and film producer. She is best known for writing the vampire literature, vampire romance series ''Twilight (novel series), Twilight'', which has sold over 160 million ...

's successful novels, ''

Twilight Twilight is daylight illumination produced by diffuse sky radiation when the Sun is below the horizon as sunlight from the upper atmosphere is scattered in a way that illuminates both the Earth's lower atmosphere and also the Earth's surf ...

''. However, at the urging of

Julie Plec Julie Plec (born May 26, 1972) is an American television producer, writer and director, known for her work on The CW television series ''The Vampire Diaries'' (2009–2017) which she co-created with Kevin Williamson, and its spin-offs '' The Or ...

, 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." 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 green-lit 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. The pilot episode was filmed in

Vancouver Vancouver is a major city in Western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the cit ...

, British Columbia. However, the rest of the seasons have been filmed in

Covington, Georgia Covington is a city in the U.S. state of Georgia and the seat of Newton County, and is part of the Atlanta metropolitan area. As of the 2020 census, its population was 14,192. History Covington was founded by European immigrants to the Unite ...

(which doubles as the show's fictional small town of Mystic Falls,

) and various other communities around Greater Atlanta 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. The series was given a full 22-episode order on October 21, 2009, after strong ratings for the first half of the season. Now there is a spin-off called '' The Originals'', that goes into depth about the original vampire family from ''The Vampire Diaries''. On February 16, 2010, The CW announced that it had renewed the show for a second season, which premiered on September 9, 2010."The CW Network announces fall premiere dates"
. ''

''. Retrieved August 19, 2010. Early in production, producers tried to get

Sarah Michelle Gellar Sarah Michelle Prinze ( ; born April 14, 1977) is an American actress. After being spotted by a talent agent as a young child, she made her film debut at age six in the television film ''An Invasion of Privacy'' (1983). She had her first lead ...

, who played Buffy on the popular supernatural drama series, ''

Buffy the Vampire Slayer ''Buffy the Vampire Slayer'' is an American supernatural fiction, supernatural drama television series created by writer and director Joss Whedon. The concept is based on the Buffy the Vampire Slayer (film), 1992 film, also written by Whedon, a ...

'', to guest-star on the second season in the role of Rose; however, Gellar declined the role. On April 26, 2011, The CW renewed the show for a third season. The third season premiered on September 15, 2011. Former president of entertainment at The CW, Dawn Ostroff, mentioned a

spin-off Spin-off, Spin Off, Spin-Off, or Spinoff may refer to: Entertainment and media *Spinoff (media), a media work derived from an existing work *''The Spinoff'', a New Zealand current affairs magazine * ''Spin Off'' (Canadian game show), a 2013 Canad ...

idea in 2010 that she said could happen in a few years. A spin-off was in development for the 2011 fall line-up, but due to Kevin Williamson's commitment to '' The Secret Circle'', it was put on hold indefinitely. The fourth season premiered on October 11, 2012. The CW renewed the show for a fifth season on February 11, 2013. On April 26, 2013, The CW announced that ''The Originals'' had been ordered to the series premiere in the 2013–14 television season. ''The Originals'' premiered on October 3, 2013.

Daniel Gillies Daniel Joshua Gillies (born March 14, 1976) is a Canadian-born New Zealand actor, film producer, director and screenwriter. He played Elijah Mikaelson on '' The Vampire Diaries'' and its spin-off, '' The Originals;'' Dr. Joel Goran on '' Saving ...

as Elijah,

Claire Holt Claire Rhiannon Holt (born 11 June 1988) is an Australian-American actress. She made her acting debut playing Emma Gilbert in the fantasy series '' H2O: Just Add Water'' (2006–2008), before moving to America and making her film debut in 2009 ...

as Rebekah, and

Phoebe Tonkin Phoebe Jane Elizabeth Tonkin (born 12 July 1989) is an Australian actress. #Awards and nominations, Her accolades include an AACTA Awards, AACTA Award, in addition to a nomination for a Logie Award. Born and raised in Sydney, Tonkin began her ...

as Hayley continued to play their characters, originally from ''The Vampire Diaries'', in the new spin-off series. ''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.

made a special cameo in ''The Vampire Diaries'', in the episodes " I Know What You Did Last Summer" and " 500 Years of Solitude". Michael Trevino made a special cameo on episodes of ''The Originals'', "Bloodletting" and "The River In Reverse." Joseph Morgan,

, and

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. At the

Television Critics Association The Television Critics Association (TCA) is a group of approximately 200 American and Canadian television critics, journalists and columnists who cover television programming for newspapers, magazines and web publications. The TCA accepts appli ...

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. In November 2014, a

web series A web series (also known as webseries, short-form series, and web show) is a series of short scripted or non-scripted online videos, generally in episodic form, released on the Internet (i.e. World Wide Web), which first emerged in the late 1 ...

titled ''The Originals: The Awakening'' was released as the third show in the franchise. The series explores the character Kol Mikaelson and his relationships with his siblings. Flashing back to 1914, Kol is on a quest to ally with the witches of the French Quarter. Awakening gives answers to some questions about Kol's past, including the origins of his rivalry with his family and the unique backstory he has with the New Orleans witches. Each webisode is approximately two minutes long. The series concluded on December 8, 2014. To date, ''The Originals: The Awakening'' is the only web series in ''The Vampire Diaries'' universe. 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. 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. In August 2017, it was announced that early discussions on the development of a spinoff of '' The Originals'' focusing on Hope Mikaelson, the daughter of Klaus Mikaelson and Hayley Marshall, were taking place with

, creator of ''The Originals'' and co-creator of ''

''. In January 2018, it was revealed that a pilot for the spinoff had been ordered; Plec penned the pilot script and is credited with creating the series. It was announced in March 2018 that the spinoff had been ordered to pilot, but instead of a traditional pilot, a fifteen-minute pilot presentation of the series would be presented to

. On May 11, 2018, it was announced that the spinoff, titled ''Legacies'', had been ordered to series for the 2018–19 U.S. television season. In June 2018, it was announced that the series would premiere on October 25, 2018. On October 8, 2018, The CW announced that they had ordered three additional scripts for the series, bringing the first season total script order to sixteen episodes. On January 31, 2019, The CW renewed the series for a second season. The second season premiered on October 10, 2019. On January 7, 2020, the series was renewed for a third season. On February 3, 2021, ''Legacies'' was renewed for a fourth season. With the impending possible sale of The CW in early 2022, ''Legacies'' showrunner Julie Plec tweeted that the possible sale had left ''Legacies fate hanging in the balance. On May 12, 2022, it was canceled with its remaining episodes left to air.

Future

In February 2020, it was announced that a fourth show in the universe was being developed. In February 2022, Plec tweeted that "there were many more stories to tell" in the TVDU. In May 2022, she reiterated that she hoped to tell many more stories in the universe. In June 2022, executive producer Brett Matthews stated that he believed that "the TVD Universe will likely continue in different forms and fashions over the coming years". He also said that he, Williamson, and Plec were discussing future shows in the universe and that he believes there will "definitely" be more shows in the universe. Plec later stated that the end of ''Legacies'' was a farewell to the TVDU, but "only for now, not forever". Plec later confirmed that she, Williamson, and Matthews had an idea for "another chapter" and that the next entry in the franchise was "just a matter of when". Elaborating, Plec said that a fourth show was "coming", but that it was in early stages with "nothing on the page yet" but that she and Matthews were "having a lot of really good, fun conversations about how to launch the franchise into the next phase". In September 2022, Plec commented saying the writers were planning another series, that both the network and the studio knew about it, and probably would have pitched it within the year 2023, but that the ''Legacies''’ cancellation put the spin-off on hold. The following month, she elaborated on her, Matthews, and Williamson’s fourth series plotline. The series was poised to be set in Atlanta and follow two warring factions - likely brothers. However, Plec stated she is unsure the series could be made yet as she does not know what network it would be picked up by.

Web series

''The Vampire Diaries: A Darker Truth'' (2009)

A promotional web series that follows Jason Harris investigating the strange death of his sister, Jordan Harris. Parody series imitating the style of The Vampire Diaries with excerpts of the original series.

''The Originals: The Awakening'' (2014)

The series explores the character Kol Mikaelson and his relationships with his siblings. Flashing back to 1914, Kol is on a quest to form an alliance with the witches of the French Quarter. Awakening gives answers to some questions about Kol's past, including the origins of his rivalry with his family and the unique backstory he has with the New Orleans witches.

Recurring cast and characters

Expanded setting

Official crossover events

List indicators * A grey cell indicates the series was not a part of the crossover event. * The number in parentheses next to the episode title indicates which part of the crossover it is, if not clear otherwise. Since the expansion of the universe, several characters and plotlines have crossed over into other shows. ''The Vampire Diaries'' and ''The Originals'', airing together, often shared plotlines and characters. ''Legacies'', a cultivation of the two, continues plotlines started in the two parent shows and sees the return of several characters.

Reception

Ratings

Critical response

Awards and nominations

''The Vampire Diaries''

''The Vampire Diaries'' won 7

Teen Choice Awards The Teen Choice Awards were an annual awards show that aired on the Fox television network between 1999 and 2019. The awards, based on a popularity vote that could be overridden by the producerswho reserved the right to choose the winnerscovered ...

in 2010 including Choice TV Show: Fantasy/Sci-Fi, Choice TV Actor: Fantasy/Sci-Fi (Paul Wesley), Choice TV Actress: Fantasy/Sci-Fi (Nina Dobrev), Choice TV: Villain (Ian Somerhalder), Choice TV: Breakout Show, Choice TV: Female Breakout Star (Nina Dobrev) and Choice TV: Male Breakout Star (Paul Wesley). Other nominations were Choice Male Hottie (Ian Somerhalder) and Choice TV: Female Scene Stealer (Kat Graham). The show won an award for Favorite New TV Drama at the 2010

People's Choice Awards The People's Choice Awards is an American awards show, recognizing people in entertainment, voted online by the fans and general public. The show has been held annually since 1975, with the winners originally determined using Gallup Polls un ...

and received a nomination for Favorite Sci-Fi/Fantasy Show. It was also nominated for a

Saturn Award The Saturn Awards are American awards presented annually by the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror Films. The awards were created to honor science fiction, fantasy, and horror in film, but have since grown to reward other films bel ...

for Best Network TV Series. On November 9, 2010, it received nominations for Favourite Sci-Fi/Fantasy Show and Favourite TV Drama as well as a nomination for

Ian Somerhalder Ian Joseph Somerhalder ( ; born December 8, 1978) is an American former actor and current business owner. He is known for playing Boone Carlyle in American Broadcasting Company, ABC's science fiction adventure drama television series ''Lost (2 ...

in the TV Drama Actor category at the 2011

. In 2011, ''The Vampire Diaries'' was nominated for 12

including Choice TV Show: Fantasy/Sci-Fi, Choice TV Actor: Fantasy/Sci-Fi (Paul Wesley), Choice TV Actor: Fantasy/Sci-Fi (Ian Somerhalder), Choice TV Actress: Fantasy/Sci-Fi (Nina Dobrev), Choice TV: Villain (Joseph Morgan), Choice TV: Female Scene Stealer (Kat Graham), Choice TV: Male Scene Stealer (Michael Trevino), Choice Female Hottie (Nina Dobrev), Choice Male Hottie (Ian Somerhalder) and Choice Vampire (Nina Dobrev, Ian Somerhalder, and Paul Wesley). At the 2012

, the show gained four nominations: Best TV Drama, Best Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Drama Actor for

, and Drama Actress for

Nina Dobrev Nikolina Kamenova Dobreva (; born January 9, 1989), known professionally as Nina Dobrev ( ), is a Canadian actress. She is known for portraying Elena Gilbert and Katherine Pierce in The CW's supernatural drama series ''The Vampire Diaries'' (20 ...

. While the show and Ian Somerhalder lost out (to another The CW show ''

Supernatural Supernatural phenomena or entities are those beyond the Scientific law, laws of nature. The term is derived from Medieval Latin , from Latin 'above, beyond, outside of' + 'nature'. Although the corollary term "nature" has had multiple meanin ...

'' and

Nathan Fillion Nathan Christopher Fillion (born March 27, 1971) is a Canadian and American actor. He played the leading roles of Captain Malcolm "Mal" Reynolds on ''Firefly'' and its film continuation '' Serenity'', and Richard Castle on ''Castle''. , he sta ...

, respectively),

won in her category, becoming the first write-in person ever to do so. At the 2012 Teen Choice Awards, the show gained nine nominations: Choice TV Show: Fantasy/Sci-Fi, Choice TV Actor: Fantasy/Sci-Fi (Paul Wesley), Choice TV Actress: Fantasy/Sci-Fi (Nina Dobrev), Choice TV Actor: Fantasy/Sci-Fi (Ian Somerhalder), Choice TV Actress: Fantasy/Sci-Fi (Kat Graham), Choice TV: Villain (Joseph Morgan), Choice TV: Female Scene Stealer (Candice Accola), Choice TV: Male Scene Stealer (Michael Trevino). Also, the Choice Male Hottie (Ian Somerhalder), and won six. In 2013, ''The Vampire Diaries'' was nominated for five

, including Best Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Drama Actor for

, Drama Actress for

, Drama Actor for

Paul Wesley Paweł Tomasz Wasilewski (; July 23, 1982), better known by his stage name Paul Wesley, is an American actor and film director. He is known for starring as Stefan Salvatore in '' The Vampire Diaries'' (2009–2017) and James T. Kirk in '' Star ...

and Favorite TV Fan Following. While the show lost to another, The CW show ''

'',

Ellen Pompeo Ellen Kathleen Pompeo (; born November 10, 1969) is an American actress. One of the world's highest-paid actors since 2017, she has made multiple appearances on ''Forbes'' year-end lists. Her accolades include a Screen Actors Guild Award and a ...

, and

, respectively. At the 2013 Teen Choice Awards, the show gained eight nominations: Choice TV Show: Fantasy/Sci-Fi, Choice TV Actor: Fantasy/Sci-Fi (Paul Wesley), Choice TV Actress: Fantasy/Sci-Fi (Nina Dobrev), Choice TV Actor: Fantasy/Sci-Fi (Ian Somerhalder), Choice TV Actress: Fantasy/Sci-Fi (Kat Graham), Choice TV: Villain (Joseph Morgan), Choice TV: Female Scene Stealer (Candice Accola), Choice TV: Male Scene Stealer ( Steven R. McQueen). In 2014, ''The Vampire Diaries'' was nominated for four

, including Favorite Sci-Fi/Fantasy Show. Also, the Favorite Sci-Fi/Fantasy TV Actor for

in which he won the award, Favorite Sci-Fi/Fantasy TV Actress for

. Also, the Favorite On-Screen Chemistry (

Damon Salvatore Damon Salvatore is a fictional character In L. J. Smith (author), L. J. Smith's novel series ''The Vampire Diaries (novel series), The Vampire Diaries''. He is portrayed by Ian Somerhalder in the television series. Damon is one of the two main pr ...

& Elena Gilbert) in which they won the award. At the 2014 Teen Choice Awards, the show gained ten nominations: Choice TV Show: Fantasy/Sci-Fi, Choice TV Actor: Fantasy/Sci-Fi (Paul Wesley), Choice TV Actor: Fantasy/Sci-Fi (Ian Somerhalder), Choice TV Actress: Fantasy/Sci-Fi (Nina Dobrev), Choice TV Actress: Fantasy/Sci-Fi (Kat Graham), Choice TV: Villain (Paul Wesley), Choice TV: Female Scene Stealer (Candice Accola), Choice TV: Male Scene Stealer (Michael Trevino), Choice Male Hottie (Ian Somerhalder). In 2015, ''The Vampire Diaries'' was nominated for five

, including Best Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Drama Actor for

, Drama Actor for

, Drama Actress for

. Also, the Favorite TV Duo (

) in which they won the award. At the 2015 Teen Choice Awards, the show gained ten nominations: Choice TV Show: Fantasy/Sci-Fi, Choice TV Actor: Fantasy/Sci-Fi (Paul Wesley), Choice TV Actor: Fantasy/Sci-Fi (Ian Somerhalder), Choice TV: Scene Stealer (Kat Graham), Choice TV Actress: Fantasy/Sci-Fi (Nina Dobrev), Choice TV Actress: Fantasy/Sci-Fi (Candice Accola), Choice TV: Villain ( Chris Wood) Choice TV: Chemistry (Kat Graham & Ian Somerhalder), Choice TV: Liplock (Candice King & Paul Wesley), Choice TV: Liplock (Nina Dobrev & Ian Somerhalder). In 2016, ''The Vampire Diaries'' was nominated for two

, including Best Sci-Fi/Fantasy and Drama Actor for

. At the

2016 Teen Choice Awards The 2016 Teen Choice Awards ceremony was held on July 31, 2016, at the Forum in Inglewood, California. The awards celebrate the year's achievements in music, film, television, sports, fashion, comedy, and the Internet, and were voted on by view ...

, the show gained seven nominations: Choice TV Show: Fantasy/Sci-Fi, Choice TV Actor: Fantasy/Sci-Fi (Paul Wesley), Choice TV Actor: Fantasy/Sci-Fi (Ian Somerhalder), Choice TV Actress: Fantasy/Sci-Fi (Kat Graham), Choice TV Actress – Fantasy/Sci-Fi (Candice King), Choice TV: Chemistry (Kat Graham & Ian Somerhalder), Choice TV: Liplock (Candice King & Paul Wesley). In 2017, ''The Vampire Diaries'' was nominated for two

: Favorite Network TV Sci-Fi/Fantasy and Favorite Sci-Fi/Fantasy TV Actor for

. It was also nominated for three

: Choice TV Show: Fantasy/Sci-Fi, Choice TV Actor: Fantasy/Sci-Fi (Ian Somerhalder), and Choice TV Actress: Fantasy/Sci-Fi (Kat Graham)(Won)

''The Originals''

''Legacies''

Newcomer ''Legacies'' has also continued the tradition of the two parent series, earning several award nominations at the Teen Choice Awards. Particularly, for favorite Sci-Fi or Fantasy Series, and Danielle Rose Russel has been nominated for lead actress.

Other media

Comic books

On October 31, 2013,

DC Comics DC Comics (originally DC Comics, Inc., and also known simply as DC) is an American comic book publisher owned by DC Entertainment, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery. DC is an initialism for "Detective Comics", an American comic book seri ...

launched a comic book series based on ''The Vampire Diaries''.

Short stories

Five short stories based upon The Vampire Diaries were published in 2010 and 2011. The short stories followed the romance of Elena and Matt, Bonnie and Damon, expansion of the lore, and a Christmas special.

Novels

''Based upon The Vampire Diaries''

Due to the success of the show, a series of novels based on Stefan Salvatore were published from 2010 to 2012, entitled ''The Vampire Diaries: Stefan's Diaries''. They tell Stefan and Damon's past since Katherine's arrival. As they were written during the series broadcast, some things differ, such as the story of the original Vampires. * ''The Vampire Diaries. Stefan's Diaries: Origins'' (November 2, 2010) * ''The Vampire Diaries. Stefan's Diaries: Bloodlust'' (January 4, 2011) * ''The Vampire Diaries. Stefan's Diaries: The Craving'' (March 3, 2011) * ''The Vampire Diaries. Stefan's Diaries: The Ripper'' (November 8, 2011) * ''The Vampire Diaries. Stefan's Diaries: The Asylum'' (January 17, 2012) * ''The Vampire Diaries. Stefan's Diaries: The Compelled'' (March 12, 2012)

''Based Upon The Originals''

While The Vampire Diaries primarily had comics released based on the series, ''The Originals'' only had a novel series. On January 27, 2015, the first book in a series of novels based on the show was released. ''The Rise'', ''The Loss'', and ''The Resurrection'' make up the three novels in The Originals series written by Julie Plec.

Source material

Books

There are several books that the shows are based on and take lore from. These include the original four books the show was based on, and several future trilogies, such as ''The Return'', ''The Hunters'', and ''The Salvation''.

Differences from the shows

The original novel series shares only a few concepts and lore with the television series. The novels do follow Elena Gilbert, Damon Salvatore, and Stefan Salvatore. However, they are significantly different from how they appear in the television shows and several character names were altered and their powers changed.

Other projects

Untitled ''The Vampire Diaries'' companion series

At some point in 2011, a companion series to ''The Vampire Diaries'' was in development with Kevin Williamson as writer, but it was later placed on hold and never made. The potential series was to be about a group of people who investigate paranormal happenings.

Caroline in the City

When approached by the CW to make a spin-off, the network's president, Mark Pedowitz, asked the writers to pursue a spin-off about Caroline and Tyler leaving Mystic Falls and following their adventures in another city. However, the writers rejected the idea.

Notes

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Vampire Diaries Universe, The Mass media franchises introduced in 2009 Television franchises Warner Bros. Television Studios franchises