Forget 'The Vampire Lestat,' TV's best modern vampire series is a streaming smash

It has been four years since one of the most popular supernatural drama franchises, The Vampire Diaries, came to an end. Following an impressive 13-year run on The CW, it was cut short in June 2022 when the network announced that they wouldn't be renewing the third spin-off, Legacies, for a fifth season. The decision was part of the network's broader shift from scripted programming that saw numerous other shows get canceled regardless of viewership. The Vampire Diaries started in 2009 with the series created by Julie Plec and Kevin Williamson; it ran for nine seasons and spawned two spin-offs.

One of those spin-offs came in 2013, four years after the original series started airing. The show did not receive a warm welcome on its first outing. Part of it was because it was a spin-off that heavily relied on the multiple supernatural factions, and it did not feel cohesive at times. It had a lot of heavy lifting to do after moving from Mystic Falls to New Orleans, a city with a rich history of supernatural phenomena. However, critics noted its potential. The second season is when the show titled The Originals found its footing and fully trusted its characters' chaos. The subsequent seasons remain highly rated, with some achieving a perfect score on the review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes.

Four years on, television has not found another universe to replace The Vampire Diaries, but new and old fans still love it. The universe has been licensed to numerous streaming services globally. The Originals was added to Peacock in the U.S. and has proven that you can never kill an Original. Since its arrival two weeks ago, the show has been one of the most-watched, peaking at #4 on the streamer's domestic chart, according to FlixPatrol. And while the universe reached an untimely end all those years ago, there are five seasons of The Originals and four seasons of Legacies for fans to dive into.

Will 'The Vampire Diaries' Ever Return?

The future of the franchise is one of the most asked questions, even as Plec and Williamson have moved on to other projects. It's very hard to revive canceled shows because actors have also moved on, but there is always a new story to tell that has the DNA of its predecessors. In fact, Plec has an idea for another Vampire Diaries show, but there hasn't been interest yet. "All anybody has to do is ask, and I will be there," she said in an interview. For now, all fans can do is revisit the 13-year journey on streaming.

The Originals is streaming on Peacock in the U.S. Stay tuned to Collider for more updates.