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Friday, May 7, 2010

The Vampire Diaries

The Vampire Diaries is an American supernatural–fantasy horror television series developed by Kevin Williamson, based on the book series of the same name by L. J. Smith. The series follows the life of Elena Gilbert (Nina Dobrev), who falls in love with vampire brothers Stefan (Paul Wesley) and Damon Salvatore (Ian Somerhalder). The series also focuses on the lives of Elena's friends and other inhabitants of the fictional town of Mystic Falls, Virginia. The series is a mix of teen drama and the supernatural.
When The Vampire Diaries premiered on The CW Television Network on September 10, 2009, it attracted the largest audience of any series since the network began in 2006. Due to strong ratings, the series was given a full, 22-episode first season on October 21, 2009.The show's first season finale will air on May 13, 2010.
On February 16, 2010, The CW announced that it was going to renew the show for a second season.

Production

Initially Kevin Williamson had little interest in developing the series, finding the premise too similar to other vampire tales. However, at Julie Plec's urging, he began to read the novels and started to become intrigued by the story: "I began to realize that it was a story about a small town, about that town's underbelly and about what lurks under the surface."Williamson has stated the town's story will be the main focus of the series, rather than high school.
On February 6, 2009, Variety announced that The CW had greenlit the pilot for The Vampire Diaries with Williamson and Julie Plec set as the head writers and executive producers. On May 19, 2009, the series was officially ordered for the 2009–2010 season.
The pilot episode was filmed in Vancouver, British Columbia, but the rest of the episodes have been filmed in Covington, Georgia (which doubles as the fictional small town of Mystic Falls, Virginia) and various other communities around Greater Atlanta, to take advantage of local tax incentives.
Cast and characters

Main article: Characters in The Vampire Diaries
The Vampire Diaries features an ensemble cast of nine regular speaking roles which were mainly adapted from the book series. Most of the characters are teenagers, but the cast also includes adult roles. The characters are mainly humans and vampires, but the show also includes various other folkloric beings.

Main Characters
Actor/Actress Character Character Description
Nina Dobrev Elena Gilbert A strong-willed and empathetic young woman.
Katherine Pierce A vampire who had romantic relationships with both Stefan and Damon in 1864.
Paul Wesley Stefan Salvatore A vampire who is involved in a romantic relationship with Elena.
Ian Somerhalder Damon Salvatore Stefan's malevolent vampire brother who is intent on finding Katherine.
Katerina Graham Bonnie Bennett Elena's best friend and a witch.
Steven R. McQueen Jeremy Gilbert Elena's younger brother.
Sara Canning Jenna Sommers Jeremy and Elena's aunt and legal guardian.
Candice Accola Caroline Forbes Elena's shallow friend; daughter of the town's sheriff, Elizabeth Forbes.
Kayla Ewell Vicki Donovan Matt's older sister and girlfriend of Tyler and then Jeremy; turned into a vampire by Damon and staked by Stefan to protect Elena.
Zach Roerig Matt Donovan Elena's childhood friend and ex-boyfriend. He later dates Caroline.
Michael Trevino Tyler Lockwood Vicki's ex-boyfriend and Jeremy's rival; son of the mayor of Mystic Falls.
Matt Davis Alaric Saltzman Hired by Mystic Falls High School as a history teacher after Mr. Tanner's death; his wife Isobel was turned into a vampire by Damon.
Recurring
Actor/Actress Character Character Description
Mia Kirshner Isobel Flemming-Saltzman Alaric's wife and Elena's birth mother; turned into a vampire by Damon at her own request.
Jasmine Guy Sheila "Grams" Bennett Bonnie's grandmother and witch mentor. A strong guide in Bonnie's life. Died after performing a complex spell which opened the tomb.
Marguerite MacIntyre Sheriff Elizabeth Forbes Caroline's mother, sheriff of Mystic Falls, and a member of the Founder's Council.
Rob Pralgo Mayor Richard Lockwood Tyler's father, mayor of Mystic Falls as well as its wealthiest citizen; member of the Founder's Council.
Susan Walters Carol Lockwood Tyler's mother and a member of the Founder's Council.
Chris Johnson Logan Fell A local TV reporter and a member of the Founder's Council; killed by Damon to protect Stefan and unintentionally turned into a vampire by Anna; after killing rampage and nearly killing Jenna and Caroline, staked by Alaric.
Chris William Martin Zach Salvatore A human Salvatore-family descendant and a member of the Founder's Council; killed by Damon.
Benjamin Ayres William Tanner Mystic Falls High School's history teacher and football coach; killed by Damon.
Bianca Lawson Emily Bennett Bonnie's 4th-great grandmother from the 1860's who was a powerful witch and Katherine's handmaiden.
Kelly Hu Pearl An apothecary and Anna's mother. A powerful vampire, she claims to be 400 years older than the Salvatore brothers.
Malese Jow Anna Pearl's teenage vampire daughter and a contemporary of both Katherine and the Salvatore brothers.
Sean Faris Ben McKittrick A former high school jock and local bartender; turned into a vampire by Anna; burned to death by Stefan.
Melinda Clarke Kelly Donovan Matt and Vicki's wayward mother.
Sterling Sulieman Harper A vampire buried under the old church ruins, accidentally freed by Damon, Bonnie and Grams.
Stephen Martines Frederick Another vampire buried under the old church and accidentally freed. Attempted revenge on the Salvatore brothers; staked by Stefan with the extra strength gained from drinking Elena's blood.
David Anders Johnathan "John" Gilbert Elena & Jeremy's uncle and member of the Founder's Council; claims extensive knowledge of the town, vampires, and all parties connected.
Reception

The Vampire Diaries initially received mixed reviews. Entertainment Weekly gave the pilot a B+, stating that the show "signals a welcome return to form for writer-producer Kevin Williamson". They end by saying that "Diaries promises us a season of sharp-tongued amusement."Metacritic gave the show a score of 50/100 based on 22 critical reviews, indicating mixed to average response.Its premiere on September 10, 2009 gave The CW its biggest series premiere scoring 4.9 million viewers. Adding in DVR numbers, the ratings for the premiere swelled to an official 5.7 million viewers.
Many TV critics felt the series improved with each episode. Sarah Hughes of The Independent says The Vampire Diaries turns into "a well-crafted, interestingly developed series" despite a poor opening episode. The New York Post also praised the portrayal of Elena, finding the character to be a strong-minded woman who doesn't allow her feelings for her boyfriend to control her. The San Diego Union-Tribune said: "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."Mike Hale of The New York Times gave the series an honorable mention on his list of the top TV shows of 2009.
Awards

2010 – People's Choice Award for Favorite New TV Drama
U.S. televison ratings

See also: List of The Vampire Diaries episodes
Seasons # Episodes Timeslot Season Premiere - Viewers Season Finale - Viewers Average Viewers
(in millions)
Season 1
22
Thursday 8/7 Central P.M.
September 10, 2009 (4.91)[17]
May 13, 2010 (TBA)
3.76 (to date)
International distribution

Country TV network(s)
Argentina WBTV
Arab World MBC Action
Australia Go!
Belgium VT4, RTBF
Bolivia WBTV
Brazil WBTV
Canada CTV, MuchMusic
Chile WBTV
Colombia WBTV
Costa Rica WBTV
Croatia Nova TV
Denmark TV3
Dominican Republic WBTV
France Canal + Family, TF1
Germany ProSieben
Greece Star Channel
Guatemala WBTV
Hong Kong TVB Pearl
Iran MBC Persia
Ireland TV3
Italy Mya
Malaysia 8TV
Mexico WBTV
Netherlands NET 5
New Zealand TV2
Norway TVNorge
Panama WBTV
Paraguay WBTV
Philippines IBC, Solar TV
Peru WBTV
Poland nFilmHD
Portugal RTP1
Russia TNT
Singapore mio TV
South Africa Vuzu
Spain RTVE, TNT
Sweden TV6
Thailand True Series
Turkey MyMax
United Kingdom ITV2
United States The CW
Uruguay WBTV, Fuse TV
Venezuela WBTV

Source:wikipedia

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