The CW Offers Many Bloodsuckers Tonight in "The Vampire Diaries" and "The Originals"

Photo Credits - The CW

The Vampire Diaries was once my favorite series and even though it is aging (the fifth season begins tonight at 8:00pm ET on The CW), the series still has a lot of (undead) life in it. Part of the success of the show lies in the continuity of the cast which includes Nina Dobrev (Elena/Katherine), Ian Somerhalder (Damon) and Paul Wesley (Stefan/Silas). The fifth season finds Silas using Stefan's likeness to infiltrate the town of Mystic Falls while Stefan is stuck to the bottom of a lake. Meanwhile, Elena and Caroline (Candice Accola) are off to college and Tyler (Michael Trevino) returns to town. In addition, Bonnie's (Kat Graham) death will not stop her from appearing as a ghost throughout the season and it will be interesting to see Elena and Damon as an actual couple, with no mind tricks. I would like to see more attention paid to the interpersonal relationships between the characters and less action/adventure stories and how about a Halloween themed episode? Please?

The Originals, a spin-off of The Vampire Diaries, debuts tonight at 9:00pm ET on The CW before moving to its regular time slot on Tuesday, October 8 at 8:00 pm ET. Three characters from The Vampire Diaries, Klaus (Joseph Morgan), Elijah (Daniel Gilles) and Rebekah (Claire Holt), have moved from Mystic Falls to New Orleans, where Klaus intends to retake the city that his original vampire family built centuries ago. However, he will have to dethrone his protégé, Marcel (Charles Michael Davis), in order to become the leader. Klaus is also expecting a child with Hayley (Phoebe Tonkin), but has mixed feelings about becoming a parent. I cannot think of a better setting that the magical city of New Orleans for a series about vampires.