The Vampire Diaries (2009)
You remember your first kiss forever... and ever.
The story of two vampire brothers obsessed with the same girl, who bears a striking resemblance to the beautiful but ruthless vampire they knew and loved in 1864.
| Type | TV series |
|---|---|
| First aired | 10 September 2009 |
| Status | Ended, last episode 10 March 2017 |
| Genre | Drama, Sci-Fi & Fantasy |
| Created by | Julie Plec and Kevin Williamson |
| Starring | Paul Wesley, Ian Somerhalder and Kat Graham |
| Seasons | 8 seasons, 171 episodes |
| Episode length | about 43 min |
| Time to watch it all | about 123 hours |
| Rated | TV-14 |
| Scores | TMDB users 8.3/10 |
Where to watch The Vampire Diaries
The Vampire Diaries is streaming on Max ($18.49 a month) in the US. It is also on Peacock ($16.99 a month). At ten hours a week, all of the series takes about 3 months of Peacock, or $50.97 at list price.
We check availability daily. Page last updated 30 September 2026. Prices are standard monthly plans and change often, so check with the service before you sign up.
What kind of watch this is
The Vampire Diaries is a drama that leans heavily into the supernatural, specifically the kind where romance is the main engine and the fangs are just the fuel. It ran for 8 seasons, totaling 171 episodes. At 43 minutes per episode, the full run takes about 123 hours to watch. That is a significant commitment, roughly five days of continuous viewing. It is for fans of a specific brand of romantic tension, where the stakes are high but the core conflict remains a love triangle that refuses to resolve.
What the critics said
The reception started lukewarm and warmed up as the seasons passed. Metacritic scores the premiere at 57, a number that sits comfortably in the mixed zone. Entertainment Weekly’s Ken Tucker ended his review with a promise: "Diaries promises us a season of sharp-tongued amusement." The New York Post’s Linda Stasi was "hooked after one episode." The San Francisco Chronicle’s Tim Goodman was not, and he said so at length. By the third season, the consensus shifted toward the character work. The jump to a 78 on Metacritic for season 2 suggests the writers finally found their footing.
How it did with audiences
The series premiere on September 11, 2009, drew 4.91 million viewers, making it the CW's biggest ever at the time. With DVR numbers, that swelled to an official 5.7 million. On TMDB, users rate it 8.3 out of 10. A 2016 New York Times study found the show slightly more popular outside cities, yet its fandom had the smallest spatial variation of 50 tracked shows. The numbers suggest a weirdly uniform obsession.
What came next for the cast
Ian Somerhalder arrived from Lost. He left for The Anomaly and V Wars. Paul Wesley was in Peaceful Warrior before. He stepped into Star Trek: Strange New Worlds. The credits list these moves. They do not claim The Vampire Diaries caused them. It simply happened to be the bridge between those worlds.
If you liked this
TMDB's recommendations for people who watched The Vampire Diaries.
Sources
- The Vampire Diaries on TMDB — synopsis, cast, ratings and recommendations
- Wikidata Q28537 — review scores, box office and awards (CC0)
- “The Vampire Diaries” on Wikipedia, by its contributors (history) — reception, audience figures and legacy, summarised and adapted here under CC BY-SA 4.0
- Where to watch and prices: Binge Boss, from TMDB watch-provider data (powered by JustWatch) and our own provider list
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