The pilot episode attracted the largest audience for the CW of any series premiere since the network launched in 2006;[1] the first season averaged 3.60 million viewers.

In April 2015, lead actress Nina Dobrev, who played Elena Gilbert, confirmed that she would be leaving the show after its sixth season.

It follows the life of Elena Gilbert, a teenage girl who has just lost both parents in a car crash, as she falls in love with a 161-year-old vampire named Stefan Salvatore, who she thinks is just a normal human.

Their relationship becomes increasingly intricate as Stefan's mysterious older brother Damon Salvatore returns to Mystic Falls with a plan to bring back their past love, Katherine Pierce, who is Elena's doppelgänger.

Additional storylines revolve around the other inhabitants of the town, most notably Elena's younger brother Jeremy Gilbert and aunt Jenna Sommers, her best friends Bonnie Bennett and Caroline Forbes, their mutual friends Matt Donovan and Tyler Lockwood, Matt's older sister Vicki Donovan, and their history teacher and vampire hunter Alaric Saltzman.

The town's politics are orchestrated by the Founders' council, comprising descendants of the founding families: the Fells, the Forbes', the Lockwoods, the Gilberts, and the Salvatores.

[20] On February 6, 2009, Variety announced that the CW had green-lit the pilot for The Vampire Diaries with Williamson and Julie Plec set as the head writers and executive producers, and who served as showrunners.

However, the rest of the seasons have been filmed in Covington, Georgia (which doubles as the show's fictional small town of Mystic Falls, Virginia) and various other communities around Greater Atlanta[24] to take advantage of local tax incentives.

On April 6, 2015, lead actress Nina Dobrev confirmed that she and co-star Michael Trevino (who plays Tyler Lockwood) would be leaving the show after its sixth season.

CW president Mark Pedowitz said in an interview at the summer TCA's that The Vampire Diaries didn't receive an extra episode order for the second season at the request of Williamson.

Stasi praised the pacing of the episode and the "vicious, bloody vamp action," which "starts in the opening scene and continues throughout The Vampire Diaries with such ferocity and speed that it's truly scary.

"[48] Conversely, San Francisco Chronicle's Tim Goodman, gave the episode a highly critical review, calling the series "awful".

Sarah Hughes of The Independent says The Vampire Diaries turns into "a well-crafted, interestingly developed series" despite a mediocre opening episode.

[19] The New York Post also praised the portrayal of Elena, finding the character to be a strong-minded woman who did not allow her feelings for her boyfriend to control her.

[50] Karla Peterson of The San Diego Union-Tribune said that "the supernatural drama is a first-class production, featuring an insanely gorgeous cast, sharp scripts, and a brooding vibe that is hard for even the most levelheaded adult to resist.

"[51] Mike Hale of The New York Times gave the series an honorable mention on his list of the top TV shows of 2009.

Similarly, Mandi Bierly of Entertainment Weekly review praised the writers' skills in creating a more unexpected final twist.

Both United States versions include commentary by cast and crew members on selected episodes, deleted scenes, behind-the-scenes featurettes, webisodes and a downloadable audiobook of L.J.

[164] A spin-off was in development to debut in the 2011 US fall TV season, but due to Williamson's commitment to The Secret Circle, it was put on hold indefinitely.

Joseph Morgan, Daniel Gillies and Claire Holt returned to The Vampire Diaries in a special cameo on the series' 100th episode "500 Years of Solitude".