The Vampire Diaries turns 10: Read an oral history of the pilot episode

Entertainment Weekly

The beloved CW teen series starring Nina Dobrev, Paul Wesley and Ian Somerhalder, from Kevin Williamson and Julie Plec based on L.J. Smith's book, premiered on Sept. 10, 2009. The Vampire Diaries aired its pilot episode less than a year after HBO launched True Blood and the first Twilight film hit theaters. As a result, Williamson and Plec were initially hesitant when The CW approached them with The Vampire Diaries, with Plec thinking "vampires are over." "It was a big, 'Hell no!'" added Williamson with a laugh. "There had been all this Twilight success and here comes the show that really puts the nail in the coffin of the vampire trend. I just didn’t want to be the end of a trend. Who knew that it had a long way to go before it died out?" Plec added: "I said 'I will' because I had never actually created my own TV show so I would’ve done anything. And Kevin goes, 'Oh alright let’s do it together.'" The Vampire Diaries ran for eight seasons, spawning the five-season spinoff The Originals, which itself was spun off with the currently airing Legacies.