The Vampire Diaries star Ian Somerhalder explains his lack of interest in a series revival, despite the show’s meteoric popularity. During its initial run from 2017 to 2019, Somerhalder played the fan-favorite character, Damon Salvatore, a classic bad-boy vampire who falls in love with the human protagonist, Elena Gilbert (Nina Dobrev). Throughout The Vampire Diaries, Damon consistently acted as the unpredictable foil to his kindhearted brother, Stefan Salvatore (Paul Wesley), who also set his sights on Elena. An original member of the cast, Somerhalder stayed on the show until the series end.
An adaptation of a teen book series written by L.J. Smith, The Vampire Diaries garnered a significant following on The CW. The pilot received the largest audience for a series premiere for the network and averaged nearly four million viewers during the first season. Its high acclaim catapulted the cast into fame, leveraging numerous television awards for the actors. At its heyday, the unresolved love triangle featuring Elena, Damon, and Salvatore was a touchstone for the entire series, igniting passionate online debates and theories among fans. Despite its ending, many viewers still remain invested in the show’s multifaceted love stories.
In a radio interview on Andy Cohen Live, Ian Somerhalder responded to online rumors that a season nine could take place if he and Nina Dobrev greenlit the season. He explained, “I have not heard anything about a season nine…I mean, like, what would happen? Stefan and Damon…Damon has, like, gray hair and…they have canes?” When Andy Cohen laughed, noting the resilience of The Vampire Diaries and its overall pop culture impact, Somerhalder enthusiastically agreed. He acknowledged, “Listen, it ran a great course and now it’s still living. That’s what’s so amazing. It’s still living.”
Since the series finale on The CW, The Vampire Diaries has continued to find new life via its multiple spinoffs, as well as its migration to Netflix. The Originals, which aired from 2013 to 2018, represented the first successful offshoot of The Vampire Diaries universe. It followed a family of powerful vampires, originally introduced as antagonists to Elena and the Salvatore brothers in The Vampire Diaries. A few years later, the spinoff Legacies followed the teen lives of twin children who also made their entrance in the origin show. Once The Vampire Diaries began streaming on Netflix, it continued to attract a new demographic of followers.
When taking into account the enduring affection fans hold for The Vampire Diaries, it makes sense that rumors of a revival or a reboot have lingered over the years. The CW show left a major imprint on the pop culture landscape, not only leaning into the vampire mania that pervaded the mid-aughts, but also re-imagining a familiar supernatural world with a fast-paced, provocative story that wrestled with issues of human nature, violence, and love. Even after its completion, the characters live on as grand myths in spinoff series and books.
Source: Andy Cohen Live