The Vampire Diaries
The CW | CW | Release Date: September 10, 2009
CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
57
METASCORE
Mixed or average reviews based on 31 Critic Reviews
Positive:
16
Mixed:
8
Negative:
7
Watch Now
Stream On
Buy on
Stream On
Stream On
Stream On
Expand

Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
60
Boston GlobeMatthew Gilbert
Season 1 Review: The pop allusions (to Carson Daly, Alfred Hitchcock) and the fog-machine-based production design are flat and unambitious. But “The Vampire Diaries’’ nonetheless satisfactorily opens up yet another TV world of heightened youth, where blood-sucking is a metaphor for a whole range of fears and desires. Read full review
60
New York Daily NewsDavid Hinckley
Season 1 Review: By staking turf between "True Blood" and "Twilight," Vampire Diaries hopes it has found the promised land. The danger is it could also be no man's land. Read full review
60
Pittsburgh Post-GazetteRob Owen
Season 1 Review: As teen shows go, the pilot is entertaining enough; future episodes will reveal if the show truly has much bite. Read full review
50
Chicago Sun-TimesPaige Wiser
Season 1 Review: Since there's no "Twilight" movie in theaters right now, there's no point in resisting The Vampire Diaries, some prefab filler premiering tonight. Read full review
50
Miami HeraldGlenn Garvin
Season 1 Review: No, it's not Twilight--but it's not bad, either. The Vampire Diaries, The CW's new fang-gang drama, successfully hitches the sanguinary sexuality of the vampire ethos to the in-group/out-group dynamic of the teen soap. Read full review
50
SlateTroy Patterson
Season 1 Review: A tolerably flavorsome ball of crimson bubblegum. Read full review
40
Philadelphia Daily NewsEllen Gray
Season 1 Review: Damon ("Lost's" Ian Somerhalder) complains. "Remember, Stefan--it's important to stay away from fads." If only the CW would listen. Read full review
40
Kansas City StarAaron Barnhart
Season 1 Review: I’ve got nothing against Vampire Diaries. Since it lacks broad appeal and hasn’t a clever bone in its body, it will probably be a hit, unlike CW shows I’ve stuck up for (like “Reaper” and “Aliens in America”). Read full review
Current TV Shows
By MetascoreBy User Score
1 92 The Pitt: Season 2
2 90 The Celebrity Traitors UK: Season 1
3 88 Rivals
4 87 Hacks: Season 5
5 87 Industry: Season 4
6 87 Genndy Tartakovsky's Primal:...
7 85 The Beatles Anthology
8 85 The Traitors [UK]: Season 4
9 85 Bait: Season 1
10 84 Mel Brooks: The 99 Year Old Man!
11 83 Lord of the Flies
12 83 Riot Women: Season 1
13 83 For All Mankind: Season 5
14 81 The Muppet Show (2026)
15 80 Outlander (2014): Season 8
16 80 The Other Bennet Sister: Season 1
17 80 The Mighty Nein: Season 1
18 80 The Comeback: Season 3
19 80 One Piece (2023): Season 2
20 80 Dark Winds: Season 4
SEE ALL