Where to watch ‘The Vampire Diaries,’ explained

The late 2000s and early 2010s probably recall some specific trends for most people: vibrant colors, mustache tattoos, galaxy print, and of course, vampires. The Vampire Diaries, a supernatural romantic-drama series airing on the CW from 2009 to 2017, helped define that era. While based on the novel series by L.J. Smith that was first published in the early 1990s, the series capitalized off the popularity of teen dramas and YA novels, as well as Twilight-mania at the time, and became a phenomenon of its own.

The Vampire Diaries follows Elena Gilbert, a teenage girl at the beginning of the series. Elena, an orphan and a resident of the mysterious town of Mystic Falls, comes across Stefan Salvatore, a man soon revealed to be a 161-year-old vampire, and the two quickly fall in love. As she becomes entangled in the supernatural underworld of Mystic Falls, she uncovers a past life relationship with Stefan’s brother, Damon Salvatore. As Elena tries to make sense of these new discoveries, the hidden history of the town becomes more intertwined with the seemingly ordinary present.

Where to watch ‘The Vampire Diaries’

All 8 seasons of The Vampire Diaries are available to stream on Max (formerly HBO Max), free for all subscribers. Max is also available as an add-on streaming service for Amazon Prime customers, with a 10-day free trial for new subscribers. The series is also available for streaming on Peacock Premium, also free for all subscribers. Unfortunately, Peacock has stopped offering its seven-day free trial option, as of November 2023.

I you’d like to purchase The Vampire Diaries on your preferred streamer, this option is available on Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV, Google Play, Vudu, and the Microsoft Store. These can be purchased individually or by season for a discount, as either a rental or a buy option for permanent streaming access. Across the majority of platforms, The Vampire Diaries is available at $2.99 per episode in High Definition (HD), or $1.99 in lower-resolution Standard Definition (SD).

For UK viewers, The Vampire Diaries is available to stream for free on Netflix on any tier of the platform. Those who pay their TV license and have access to Channel 4 can watch the series for free on the channel’s streaming service of the same name, or ad-free on Channel 4+, the premium version of this service. US viewers or otherwise international viewers with Netflix can use a VPN to access The Vampire Diaries on this platform. VPN users can attempt to use Channel 4, but the requirement of a UK license fee will most likely block access.