By September, 2009, the vampire craze had soared to ridiculous proportions. With the whole Twilight rage, many people wanted to watch vampires and werewolves more than ever. That’s why on September 10, 2009, The Vampire Diaries premiered. Based on the novel series by L.J. Smith, the show premiered with over 4.9 million viewers and favorable reviews. Originally deviating from the vampire versus werewolf cliché, The Vampire Diaries focused on a century old fight between two brothers.

   The second season, which premiered on September 9, still continued the conflict between the brothers. A new twist, however, included none other than a family of werewolves.

   With the inclusion of a few new actors, The Vampire Diaries opened itself up to a new branch of supernatural creatures. The continuation of the angry ex-vampire-girlfriend storyline also added more mystery to this already mysterious show.

   The Vampire Diaries does a good job with certain effects, such as intense lighting and music. It’s hard to miss the dark theme present in the acting, which is only emphasized by low-light situations and strong music.

   It’s hard to tell what direction the show will take. There will definitely be a large plot regarding the werewolves and vampires, and Katherine (the former girlfriend of multiple vampires) doesn’t seem to be going anywhere.

   There could also be the possibility of the show turning into a redundant and trite drama if vampire and werewolf elements become too excessive. The love triangle could also become less interesting if the patterns become too predictable. Many viewers of the show are already familiar with the big vampire stories out there, and need something new to hold their interest. After all, nobody wants to watch a duplicate of something already made.

   On the other hand, the writers of The Vampire Diaries seem to love their twists. Big story developments and dark secrets keep the audience intrigued and wanting more, and that seems to be what’s in store for The Vampire Diaries. The first season started rocky, but ended with highly positive reviews. The second season is likely to follow this pattern, and continue to be a CW hit.

   So, for those who love dark romance or want some new vampires to observe, The Vampire Diaries may be worth giving a shot. Skip it if you hate all things vampire and couldn’t care less about a twisted love triangle.