Look, if you’re trying to figure out the vampire diaries series order, you’ve probably already realized it’s a bit of a mess. It’s not just one show. It’s a sprawling, decade-long epic that spans three different series, multiple timelines, and more "dead-but-not-really" characters than you can shake a white oak stake at. Honestly, most people just binge The Vampire Diaries (TVD) on Max or Netflix and stop there. They’re missing out. But if you try to jump into The Originals or Legacies at the wrong time? You’re going to be spoiled. Fast.
The Mystic Falls universe—or the TVDU as the stans call it—is built on a very specific internal logic. Created by Julie Plec and Kevin Williamson, based on the L.J. Smith books, the franchise basically took over the CW for thirteen years straight. You can’t just watch by release date and expect everything to click perfectly, because the shows overlap. Specifically, The Originals starts right when season four of the main show ends. It’s a handoff.
Why the Vampire Diaries Series Order Feels So Weird
Most viewers start with Nina Dobrev’s Elena Gilbert. That’s the right move. The first few seasons are straightforward. But then comes the 2013-2014 television season. That’s when things got complicated. The CW decided to spin off the Mikaelson family—the "Original" vampires—into their own show set in New Orleans. For years, these two shows aired back-to-back on Thursday nights. They had crossover episodes. They had phone calls that bridged the two cities. If you watch all of TVD and then all of The Originals, you’re basically watching the middle of a story after you already know how it ends.
It’s jarring.
If you’re a purist, you want the chronological flow. You want to feel the weight of Klaus Mikaelson leaving Mystic Falls in real-time. You want to understand why Tyler Lockwood suddenly shows up in a New Orleans bayou. To do that, you have to be willing to hop back and forth between shows. It’s a commitment, but it’s the only way the emotional beats actually land the way the writers intended.
Starting at the Beginning: The Early Mystic Falls Years
You have to start with The Vampire Diaries seasons 1 through 4. No exceptions. This is the foundation. You meet the Salvatore brothers, you deal with the Katherine Pierce drama, and most importantly, you meet the Originals in season 2.
Season 3 and 4 are peak TVDU. This is where the world expands. By the time you hit the end of season 4, specifically episode 20, titled "The Originals," you’ve reached the fork in the road. That episode is a backdoor pilot. It’s literally an episode of The Vampire Diaries that takes place in New Orleans and sets up the entire spin-off.
Once you finish season 4, the vampire diaries series order splits. From here on out, you are technically watching two shows at once.
The Overlap Years: Balancing TVD and The Originals
This is where the casual fans usually fall off. Between 2013 and 2017, the shows ran concurrently. If you want the "broadcast experience," you’d watch one episode of TVD season 5, then one episode of The Originals season 1.
Is that overkill? Maybe.
A more manageable way to handle the vampire diaries series order is to watch in "blocks." You can watch the first half of TVD season 5, then the first half of The Originals season 1. There are specific crossover moments that act as anchors. For example, when a certain character dies in the 100th episode of TVD ("500 Years of Solitude"), Klaus makes a brief, legendary appearance. If you aren't caught up on his show, his motivations feel slightly off.
The Mid-Point Shift
Around season 7 of TVD, the show experimented with a three-year time jump. This was a bold move, but it made the timeline even wonkier. The Originals eventually did its own time jumps—some lasting five years, some lasting seven.
Because The Originals dealt with ancient vampires and immortal prophecies, its timeline eventually stretched far beyond the finale of the flagship show. The Vampire Diaries ended its eight-season run in 2017. The Originals kept going until 2018. This matters because the series finale of The Originals is what directly sets the stage for the third show: Legacies.
Enter the Salvatore School: The Legacies Era
Legacies is the black sheep of the family. It’s more "monster of the week" and feels a bit more like Buffy or Charmed than the gothic romance of its predecessors. It follows Hope Mikaelson—the daughter of Klaus and Hayley—at the Salvatore Boarding School for the Young and Gifted.
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You absolutely cannot watch Legacies before finishing The Originals. Well, you can, but the entire existence of the main character is a massive spoiler for the ending of the previous show. Legacies takes place several years after the TVD finale. We see a grown-up version of Alaric Saltzman and the Gemini twins, Lizzie and Josie.
The vampire diaries series order concludes here. Legacies ran for four seasons before being canceled in 2022, effectively ending the "Plec-verse" on the CW.
The Essential Viewing List (Simplified)
If the back-and-forth jumping sounds like a nightmare, here is the streamlined path. This preserves the biggest plot twists while keeping your sanity intact.
- The Vampire Diaries Seasons 1–4: Watch these straight through.
- The Transition: Watch The Vampire Diaries Season 5 and The Originals Season 1 together (or in chunks).
- The Middle Years: The Vampire Diaries Seasons 6–7 and The Originals Seasons 2–3.
- The Wrap-up: Finish The Vampire Diaries Season 8.
- The Original Legacy: Finish The Originals Seasons 4–5.
- The New Generation: Watch Legacies Seasons 1–4.
Wait, what about the books? Honestly, the books are a different beast entirely. L.J. Smith’s original novels have a completely different tone—Elena is a blonde "queen bee" type, and there are cosmic elements like "Starmaids" and kitsune that the show never touched. If you’re looking for the vampire diaries series order for the books, you start with The Awakening and follow the trilogies (The Struggle, The Fury, Dark Reunion). But be warned: the show is a very loose adaptation. Characters like Jeremy Gilbert don't even exist in the books (Elena has a little sister named Margaret instead).
Common Misconceptions About the Timeline
One thing that trips people up is the "Year of the Ripper" or the various historical flashbacks. Both TVD and The Originals use flashbacks constantly. You’ll see the 1490s, the 1860s, and the 1920s. Don't let these confuse the actual viewing order. The "present day" of the show starts in 2009.
Another big confusion? The "Other Side" collapsing. This happens at the end of TVD season 5. It is a massive event that affects every supernatural being in the world, including the characters in New Orleans. If you aren't watching The Originals at the same time, you might wonder why the stakes suddenly feel so much higher for the Mikaelsons during their first season finale. It’s all connected.
How to Handle the Crossovers
There aren't many, but the ones that exist are crucial.
- TVD 5x11 / TO 1x11: This isn't a hard crossover, but the timing is tight regarding Klaus’s travel.
- TVD 7x14 / TO 3x14: This is the big one. Stefan Salvatore literally goes to New Orleans and sits down at a bar with Klaus. It is peak fan service and actually moves the plot forward for both shows.
- The Alaric Appearances: Alaric shows up in The Originals season 4 to help with a supernatural artifact. This is a "passing of the torch" moment that signals the start of the Salvatore School.
Why Does Order Even Matter?
You might think, "I just want to see the hot vampires." Fair. But the TVDU is famous for its "lore." It’s a series that rewards you for paying attention to the rules of magic. When a character in The Originals mentions a Bennett witch, and you’ve just watched Bonnie Bennett go through hell in Mystic Falls, it adds a layer of depth you won't get otherwise.
The emotional payoff of the Legacies finale—which features a very important cameo from a long-dead character—only works if you’ve traveled the full path from 2009 to 2022. It’s a thirteen-year journey.
Actionable Next Steps for Your Binge-Watch
If you’re ready to dive in, don't just wing it. The streaming rights for these shows change frequently. As of now, you can find most of this on Max (formerly HBO Max) or through individual purchases on platforms like Amazon.
- Check your platform: Ensure you have access to both TVD and The Originals before you start season 4. You don't want to hit the cliffhanger and realized you're missing the other half of the story.
- Use a tracker: There are fan-made spreadsheets and "TVDU trackers" online that list every episode by its internal chronological date. If you’re a hardcore fan, use one.
- Note the Time Jumps: When you hit TVD season 7, pay close attention to the "Three Years Later" title cards. They are your only map through the fog.
- Watch the Pilot of The Originals twice: Watch it as episode 4x20 of TVD, and then watch the actual pilot of The Originals. The second one is told from Elijah’s perspective instead of Klaus’s, and it fills in a lot of gaps.
The vampire diaries series order is less of a straight line and more of a family tree. It’s messy, it’s dramatic, and it’s occasionally frustrating. But when you see the way the story of the Salvatore and Mikaelson families weaves together, it’s one of the most satisfying "world-building" experiences in modern fantasy television. Get your snacks ready. You have about 330 episodes to get through.