The Best Thing The Vampire Diaries Ever Did Was Give Us The Originals
We might be on the cusp of another golden age of vampire lore.
Spring’s breakout box office phenomenon, Sinners — a visionary work from Ryan Coogler — uses vampirism not just as spectacle but as a tool to dissect social constructs. Whether you’ve seen it or not, chances are you’re privy to the discourse surrounding it.
But perhaps the most exciting ripple effect of Sinners’ success isn’t just its cultural relevance but its ability to reignite interest in the vampire genre (assuming you weren’t already there with the criminally underrated Interview with the Vampire).
The Originals Remains a Culturally Relevant Piece in the Vampire Genre
Many are flocking to one of the best pop culture hits of the genre, and no, it’s not necessarily The Vampire Diaries but rather the far superior spinoff, The Originals.
Remmick’s character in Sinners has become a cultural flashpoint, and inevitably, it has drawn comparisons to similar characters of the past.
This has led to the foregone conclusion that when it comes to two of the greatest vampires in pop culture history, the Mikaelson brothers are taking the throne every single time.
It’s a glaring reminder of how starved the genre is of fresh, ambitious storytelling, so much so that viewers are reaching back years to find it.
Hence, revisiting the TVD universe, specifically The Originals — its crowning achievement.
Often, shy of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, the first to come to mind is The Vampire Diaries whenever anyone broaches the topic of vampire series.
And sure, TVD is a worthwhile mention. Still, at best, the series is a surprisingly profound exploration of grief and brotherhood, and at worst, it’s bogged down by supercilious love triangles and inane, petty drama.
But as iconic as the Salvatore Brothers are, the simple truth is that the best thing TVD ever did was deliver us The Originals.
Mystic Falls was Cute. New Orleans was Mythic.
The Originals utilized its supernatural theme to explore politics, history, familial dynamics, trauma, and a never-ending list of social structures and constructs without ever making you feel as if this fun vampire series was perfectly reflective of society’s past and present.
The Vampire Diaries set the groundwork for vampire lore in the franchise, but The Originals built upon it and put it to the best possible use, and much of that had to do with the perfect setting.
Few series do justice to New Orleans’ haunting beauty and cultural mysticism. The Originals acknowledges the city’s soul and integrates it into its very DNA.
Here, the city isn’t just a backdrop. It’s a battleground, a spiritual liminal space, and an active player in the unfolding drama. The series intertwines its supernatural lore with voodoo, ancestral magic, and deeply rooted cultural traditions. The veil between the living and the dead is thin, and every faction — vampires, witches, werewolves — wants a claim to this sacred, mystical ground.
The Originals always has that bit of realism and groundedness, making it feel less like escapism and more like a Shakespearean series rich with allegory and never-ending stakes.
The Originals was a Love Letter to New Orleans
In many ways, the series always felt like a love letter to New Orleans, as the city becomes its own character, intertwining with the series’ themes of family, home, and legacy.
It’s one of many things The Originals gets right, which always separated it from its predecessor; it’s undoubtedly one of many reasons why it eclipsed it.
There’s a reverence for the city — one of the most consistent conflicts from the start is that multiple factions love this city so much they’re trying to run it.
Thus, New Orleans becomes a battleground and the prize in a complex web of underground politics among vampires, witches, wolves, and humans, who barely coexist in this mystical city and plot power grabs at every conceivable turn.
Because The Originals’ themes are more mature, darker, and more realistic, the series always resonated better with viewers. You could substitute any mystical (or not) faction with some demographic or another, reflecting the same types of conflict viewers experience or see daily.
But the soul of The Originals lies in its characters.
Nobody Could Ever Put the Mikaelsons in a Coffin
The Mikaelsons were too magnetic to be relegated to side characters. They demanded their own universe.
Klaus Mikaelson is easily one of the greatest anti-heroes of all time, and I say that without a hint of hyperbole. A character so great that merely stating his first name carries weight and evokes feelings.
And Joseph Morgan is tragically unsung in the grander landscape of television masterclass as the tortured, terrifying, endlessly charismatic—and unforgettable Klasu.
Elijah, portrayed with gravitas by Daniel Gillies, is the perfect foil: dignified, loyal, and just as morally conflicted.
They aren’t just great characters within the franchise — they’re among the best in the entire genre. That’s why they’re the subject of discussion for a completely unrelated piece years after they departed our screens.
Where The Originals succeeded was in its undeterred willingness to dig deep into the centuries of history behind its leads. It didn’t just flirt with broader concepts — it embraced them: power, trauma, betrayal, redemption, and, always, family.
The Originals Rectified TVD’s Most Glaring Pitfalls
One of The Vampire Diaries‘ greatest weaknesses was its reluctance to engage deeply with the metaphors it played with.
The show hinted at parallels between witches and racial oppression, for instance, but it never fully confronted them. Bonnie Bennett was too often sidelined, and the show’s world never truly addressed its own implications.
The Originals course-corrected this, not just hinting at things about times in history without properly addressing them, but barreling right through them in realistic ways without detracting from the storytelling.
One of the series’ greatest characters, Marcel’s origin story is that of an enslaved person whom Klaus rescued and took in as his own.
Klaus doesn’t get to play the “white savior” card without Marcel pushing back against it, as the series subtly addresses the racial layers of their dynamic by intertwining it with their toxic father-son bond.
Rebekah’s arcs were compelling because of her strength, vulnerability, and softness as essentially an apex predator on earth. This contradicted her ongoing battle for autonomy and agency, and a world that never gets less sexist.
Her status as a “girl’s girl” leading the charge in a spinoff that treated its women like complex and powerful beings rather than prizes, damsels, or mules subjected by male characters is often what made The Originals thrive where its predecessor would fall flat.
The Series Combines Culture and Lore to Make a Resonant Piece
Unlike TVD, the witches have more agency and power, and their complexities are tied to things like ancestral magic pulled from myriad legitimate African, Indigenous, and pagan religions and practices.
Characters of color abound in The Originals, perfectly representative of the cultural diversity of New Orleans, and the series borrows from so much of that for its lore.
The Originals often gives the werewolf demographic more culture and prevalence, in a way that its predecessor failed to achieve. The curse befalling a specific subset of individuals is eerily reminiscent of the rich Appalachian culture, which subtly reflects some socioeconomic disadvantages.
By pulling from authentic folklore, culture, and social infrastructures and playing it close to the vest with a supernatural twist, The Originals becomes this delightfully engaging experience.
Of course, the best part is The Originals’ thematic approach of exploring the profoundly deep, layered, complex family and legacy bonds.
“Always and forever” wasn’t a slogan. It was a burden, a bond, a curse, and a calling.
The Originals is the G.O.A.T. Always and Forever
It’s the series’s central narrative, as the show amounts to a love story among siblings.
Speciesism comes second to how these siblings spend centuries navigating unresolved trauma, identity issues, rejection, abandonment, grief, loss, existentialism, loyalty, and love.
The Originals’ darkness, complexity, and moral ambiguity amid themes that resonated so deeply and were anchored by some of the most underrated performers onscreen resulted in this pop culture experience—this special work of art that left a mark that still makes us nostalgic and sparks conversations long after it signed off.
Nostalgia for TVD is real. It was fun and messy, giving us memorable moments and chaotic ships. But when the dust settled, The Originals left the most profound impression.
Years later, fans are still quoting Klaus and unpacking Elijah’s morality. They are still wondering what it means to belong to a family that loves you and destroys you in equal measure.
It’s genre done right. So, again, the greatest thing TVD ever did was give us The Originals. It’s why we’re still talking about it — always and forever.
Watch The Originals Online
You made it to the end — and that means a lot.
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