The Vampire Diaries is an American supernatural-fantasy horror television series. The series is based on a book series of the same name by L. J. Smith and was developed for television by Kevin Williamson and Julie Plec. The series ran from September 10, 2009, to March 10, 2017, on the CW. The first season was released on both DVD and Blu-ray formats in the United States and Canada on August 31, 2010.

The Vampire Diaries follows the life of Elena Gilbert (Nina Dobrev) who lives in Mystic Falls, a fictional town heavily charged with supernatural history. She falls for a handsome century-old vampire named Stefan Salvatore (Paul Wesley). Their lives grow more and more complicated as Stefan's vicious older vampire brother Damon Salvatore (Ian Somerhalder) also returns to town with a vendetta against his brother and the descendants of the town's founders. However, Damon quickly becomes their greatest ally in their fight against evil.

During the course of the series, 171 episodes of The Vampire Diaries aired over eight seasons.

For the fourth season, see "The Vampire Diaries: Season Four Ratings". TV Series Finale. May 18, 2013. Retrieved November 19, 2019.

For the fifth season, see "The Vampire Diaries: Season Five Ratings". TV Series Finale. May 16, 2014. Retrieved November 19, 2019.

For the sixth season, see "The Vampire Diaries: Season Six Ratings". TV Series Finale. May 16, 2015. Retrieved November 19, 2019.

For the seventh season, see "The Vampire Diaries: Season Seven Ratings". TV Series Finale. May 14, 2016. Retrieved November 19, 2019.

For the eighth season, see "The Vampire Diaries: Season Eight Ratings". TV Series Finale. March 13, 2017. Retrieved November 19, 2019.