I had a chance to watch the new CW show The Vampire Diaries, which premiered last night. The show is surprisingly good and has a kind of OC meets True Blood vibe. The plot revolves around a hot new vampire romancing a high school student, but there’s also the gore and murders that typify classic vampire stories. The romance between the lead characters is believable and not as cheesy and female-focused as in Twilight. There are too many beautiful young people in the small Virginia town of Mystic Falls, but the show pulled me in quickly and didn’t feel set up or predictable.
Mild spoilers for first episode below
If you’re a fan of Twilight and True Blood the plot can seem a little familiar at times, like when the lead character “glamours” a school official or when he gets freaked out at the first whiff of his future girlfriend’s blood, but that’s not the author’s fault. The show is based on a series of young adult novels by author L. J. Smith that predates Twilight and the True Blood books by at least 10 years. Lead actress Nina Dobrev told EW that the plot follows the books closely, with some changes for television. Series co-producer and writer Kevin Williamson said during a press conference at Comic-Con that he had some reservations about this genre, but “then I read the book… and I kind of got into it – because of Twilight and because of True Blood. I love those projects.” He explained that the show is a “sexy soap opera” and that he sees it as similar to one of his favorite childhood shows, “Dark Shadows.”
The Daily News speculates that the show might be too dark for teens and too tame for adults, but I don’t agree. I found that it struck its own balance and that it was entertaining and nuanced enough not to feel stuck in high school. In a crowded genre, The Vampire Diaries will surely stake its own claim. I expect that we’ll soon be hearing gossip about its attractive stars, especially lead vampire Stefan, played by Paul Wesley, and his human love interest, Elena, played by Dobrev.
It looks like R-Patts has some serious competition in Wesley. He said at Comic-Con that he was uncomfortable with the comparisons between his character, Stefan, and Twilight’s Edward Cullen. “I think 9 out of 10 girls would throw me under a bus to get to Edward Cullen… in all sincerity I just want to create a character that is independent of that.” He’s surely succeeded, and many flushing fans will agree.
Here’s a clip from the show, featuring Paul Wesley as Stefan and Ian Somerhalder as his evil brother Damon. This is thanks to EW’s Popwatch, which also loves the show:
[The CW and The Vampire Diaries are one our advertisers. They did not contact us or provide this show for our review.]
Photos are © 2009 The CW Network, LLC
hmmm…maybe I’ll watch it. The previews actually made it look aweful and cheesy. Perhaps I’m wrong.
enough already with the vampires! what the hell! overload. are there no other plots now? what is with america’s obsession with vampires?
I totally agree with Bros.
Vampires in freaking daytime? UGH. At least the cast of The Vampire Diaries is slightly better looking then the cast of Twilight and True Blood. I still take the gory, bloodsucking without guilt, seriously scary looking vampires over these cheese-fest.
Ash it was very good, you will probably really like it, it’s getting great reviews.
I’ll continue to watch it, but my passion is True Blood and Twilight. I get lots of grief from my hubby about vampires. I’m currently reading the Sookie Stackhouse books. VERY GOOD!! We are in vampire overload at my house, but I’m okay with it.
Jess I just finished the last Sookie Stackhouse book this week. Can’t wait for the next installment. There’s a good reason that vampire shows are so popular now, they’re some of the best entertainment out there.
I think it was good, but Stefan is such a p*ssy, in the books and on the show, that you cheer for the hot Damon instead. Like Bill and Eric on True Blood.
The books are great, fast reads but I’ve got the 5th one and I just can’t get through it, ugh…
I have read the books, and so far it is sticking really close to the story. I really enjoyed it.
True Blood is great!! Twighlight was really cheesy in my opinion.
Hooray for the Sookie books! I’m dying for the next one to come out!
If we ever get cable hooked up again, I’ll give this show a shot
thank you! THANK YOU! for sayinhg cheesy – i am a twilight fan, addicted and hooked, but i know that the writing sucks, i know it’s like a middle schooler wrote what they thought would be a cool vamp book! i know this and still i am addicted and when i talk to other fans and dare say cheesy they trip!
gotta agree with Bros and Gatsbygal. it’s another trend being forced into longevity and shoved down our throats, just like High School Musical. i just think it’s extremely annoying and unoriginal.
@ raejillian Yes, I say cheesy, because really they were. Good reads, but there are a ton of better written vamp books out there.
I live in the middle of Mormon ville, and I swear some of these woman out here are nuts about those books….give me a little more sex, blood and guts any day. Twighlight was just a little too pg for me.
I blame Meyers for this.
So how different is it? If there’s no good reason for vampires to be walking around in daylight, I am not amused.
I am okay with the vampire trend because I can always avoid it if it’s not up my alley (like Twilight). I am getting irritated by the high school vampire thing. Why would an immortal being, hundreds of years old, WANT to hang out in high school all day, every day? If there’s no good reason for that in the story, I won’t be tuning in.
The ads have been annoying me all summer; they are so dramatic I keep expecting them to end with “Call the Kids Help Phone” instead of “Watch this show”.
Forget Stefan and the Cullen guy, those little girls will throw both of them under a bus to get to the hotness that is Ian (the evil brother vamp). Love him since “LOST”.
I’ll have to pick up the books to read first. By then the dvd of the first season should be out.
I miss the “kick-assed, stake those undead Bastard days” of the Lost Boys and even Buffy.
I read these books aaaaages ago when they came out, and while not nearly on par with, say, Charlie Huston (you must read his BRILLIANT series called the Joe Pitt Casebooks), they’re really likable and I’ve revisited them. I don’t watch TV anyway but hate the casting on this show so likely wouldn’t watch it, though its being based on a good story will automatically make it a better show than that silly Twilight nonsense.
@ princess pea: There are elements to differentiate this tale and I would call it a worthy read (keeping in mind it is written for “young adults”). In answer to your questions without giving too much away, these vamps survive in daylight owing to a special talisman. Stefan is drawn to Elena bc she reminds him of someone he once knew, and repeatedly in the books her aura is described as burning more brightly than most.
lol, princess pea, i said the same thing to my sister the other day. if i’ve lived for hundreds and hundreds of years, there’s no way I’ll still be in high school.
@ princess pea – you seem to say a lot of things I agree with, like this:
“Why would an immortal being, hundreds of years old, WANT to hang out in high school all day, every day? If there’s no good reason for that in the story, I won’t be tuning in.”
My thoughts EXACTLY. If I was an immortal being, hundreds of years old, with probably a limitless bank account, the LAST place I’d be spending time is in high school. Unrealistic, much? LOL…
I’m not really a vampire nut to begin with, and I think I’m probably borderline too old to really appreciate the vampire revival, but the show’s alright. I hated Nina Dobrev’s character on Degrassi, and I don’t think that she’s a particularly great actress, but she’s a fellow Canadian and Eastern European, so I have to support my people. I just hope she doesn’t go the way of Shenae Grimes and start doing nose candy, and suffering from delusions of grandeur.
It lacks the wit of The OC, but it was an easy, light way to kill a lazy Friday morning. I’ll probably watch it from time to time for a dose of teenage angst.
I watched the episode mainly because I knew Ian Somerhalder who played Boone on Lost. I think the vampire role suits him way better haha!
But I didn’t think the episode was that good. The vampires are hot, yes, but I dunno. It might take me awhile to warm up to it, like it took me awhile to get into the first season of True Blood.
And I don’t understand why everybody loves the Sookie Stackhouse books! I read the first two and was extremely bored.
Aaah, I missed it last night! Oh well. This guy is hot so I will definitely watch.
Ahh, I remember the LJ Smith books. Some of them weren’t all bad! Certainly better than the Twilight crap..
I’m definitely interested in checking this one out.
My favourite comment from a site that is debating the similarities between The Vampire Diaries and Twilight:
“Actually, if anyone has ripped off anybody in the whole overwrought melodrama high-school vampire genre, it’s Stephenie Meyer. Her concept, whose freshness falls somewhere between a four-month-old cucumber and a shambling corpse, debuted in 2005. That’s 14 years—years—after an author named L.J. Smith published the first in the Vampire Diaries series.”
Well I like the this show and i like twilight but I love Anne Rice, she has written one of the best vampire books ever, I mean the one of the greastest is Lestat, he beats them all. Also i think reason people love vampires are b/c of Immoritalty. And if u want some great vampireness movie watch Nosforatu!
thats some great shit.
Out of the three Vampire based TV shows/Movies I would choose true Blood as its has lots of suspense
TrueBlood is more of a grown ups show than the other shows twilight and especially vampire dairies
thank you for such a amazing post. I am in love with the Vampire Diaries to pieces, first-rate to see that there are people out there alike
I’ve been trying to decide whether to start watching VD or TB. I’m a little oldschool, and nothing compares to the Vampire Chronicles written by Anne Rice. If you want an awesome series, this is it. My younger sister is into the Twilight stuff, and while it’s cute and makes you feel all warm and fuzzy, I’d still rather watch Buffy the Vampire Slayer. I might give TB a try – a normal teenager having a romance with a bloodsucker just doesn’t cut it for me…
nice post, I enjoy reading your articles thank’s for sharing.