In the age of streaming services, having immediate access to an entire show’s archive is as simple as turning on the TV. However, that might all be changing for fans of The Vampire Diaries who have come to rely on Netflix to watch the popular CW original.
The show originally aired in 2009 during the vampire craze of Twilight. However, The Vampire Diaries existed long before Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson, and Taylor Lautner brought the fictional characters of Bella, Edward, and Jacob to life on the big screen.
Originally written as a 13-book series of the same name, The Vampires Diaries has been in print since 1991. When The CW brought the show to life in 2009, creators Kevin Williamson and Julie Plec had the first four novels to draw from and more than enough juicy lore to keep the fans entertained.
After Williamson took a backseat role following season two, the script suffered at times. Still managing to cater to the wishes of the devoted fanbase, the show brought in millions of views each season. Williamson eventually returned to pen the final script, and so did Elena (Nina Dobrev), who departed the show after season six.
The eighth and final season concluded in March 2017, but its legacy continued well into 2018 with its spin-off series The Originals.
Since then, fans have come to depend on Netflix to get their Vampire Diaries fix, but a new announcement on the streaming platform has many worried about the show’s streaming future. Here’s what you need to know.
Is The Vampire Diaries leaving Netflix? Where will it stream next?
According to Netflix, The Vampire Diaries will indeed leave the streaming service. There, right above the show’s synopsis is the devastating news of an expiration date, citing Sept. 3 as the final day fans can enjoy the supernatural show on the platform.
Naturally, fans are devastated. Many have turned to Twitter to express their concerns and ponder where The Vampire Diaries will end up next if not Netflix.
Of course, there is the option of renting or buying the episodes on Prime Video. For those who still enjoy physical copies, they can purchase the DVDs. However, for everyone else who has come to rely on streaming services to watch their shows, there’s a possibility The Vampire Diaries could end up on HBO Max.
In 2011 The CW signed a deal with Netflix that brought all the network’s shows to the streaming giant’s platform. The deal has held strong all these years, but now that Warner Bros. (the parent company of The CW) and Discovery have completed their merger, many of those CW shows are approaching their expiration date on Netflix and could possibly end up on HBO Max as that is where some CW shows have ended up in the past. That is, if HBO Max is still around.
Warner Bros. Discovery recently announced that HBO Max and Discovery Plus would combine into an entirely new platform. The new platform won’t go into effect until 2023, so whether those potential CW shows will go to HBO Max now or wait until the new platform arrives is still unknown.
Anyone itching to watch The Vampire Diaries immediately following its departure from Netflix is safest doing so though Prime Video or the good old fashioned method of DVDs.