--- title: "The Vampire Diaries: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/tv/the-vampire-diaries/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/tv/the-vampire-diaries" critics_score: 61 critics_reviews: 7 licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # The Vampire Diaries (2009): what the critics said Critics' score 61 from 7 reviews: 3 positive, 3 mixed, 1 negative. The reviews lean towards qualified approval, finding an entertaining supernatural soap beneath the familiar teen romance and vampire plotting. Ian Somerhalder’s Damon draws repeated praise for bringing energy and mischief to material that can otherwise feel generic. The stronger notices also credit the writing, mythology and character development, with Collider singling out Nina Dobrev’s dual role. Even some mixed reviews find the series watchable, helped by its willingness to take its own unlikely premise seriously. The spread is wide, and the distinction between early assessments and later appraisals matters. Reviews of the pilot question the clichés, contrived dialogue and debt to Twilight; some doubt there is enough substance to sustain interest. Later responses are warmer: Den of Geek praises the pace and the exploration of morality, redemption and adulthood. The main divide is between critics who see recycled teenage wish fulfilment and those who find that the storytelling grows beyond that starting point. ## The Independent Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). 19 August 2010. The critic finds the series unoriginal but enjoyable, mixing tween romance with gory action in a teen-targeted supernatural soap opera. [Read the review](https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/reviews/dvd-the-vampire-diaries-season-one-various-directors-15-2056827.html) ## Variety — Brian Lowry Fi1m's normalised score 60/100 (inferred from the text). 8 September 2009. The series is described as a slick but slight teen vampire drama calculated to tap into the Twilight phenomenon, with familiar elements mixed into an engaging crimson cocktail that gets a boost from Ian Somerhalder's arrival as the bad vampire. It notes the show hits requisite notes but may struggle to sustain interest without becoming derivative. [Read the review](https://variety.com/2009/scene/markets-festivals/the-vampire-diaries-1200476369/) ## The AV Club — Emily St. James Rating C-. 10 September 2009. The critic views the pilot as a guilty pleasure that is not very good but refreshingly committed to its ideas without self-aware cynicism. They single out Ian Somerhalder's fun, over-the-top performance as Damon for praise while noting the generic cast and clichéd story. [Read the review](https://www.avclub.com/the-vampire-diaries-pilot-1798206923) ## The Hollywood Reporter Fi1m's normalised score 40/100 (inferred from the text). 8 September 2009. The review, written as a diary entry from protagonist Elena, portrays high school life in Mystic Falls as complicated by orphans, love triangles, mysterious deaths and possible vampires. It highlights the show's fantastical and spooky elements while questioning the logic of ancient vampires mingling with teens and noting the scripted, mature dialogue. [Read the review](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-reviews/vampire-diaries-tv-review-93480/) ## Collider — Samantha Murray Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 31 October 2011. The critic finds the show one of the most consistently good on network TV, praising its solid writing and intriguing storytelling despite a silly premise. She singles out the strong performances, particularly Nina Dobrev's dual role, and the engaging mythology. [Read the review](https://collider.com/the-vampire-diaries-season-two-blu-ray-review/) ## Den of Geek — Caroline Preece Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 25 April 2018. The series is remembered as a genre-bending, trailblazing show that entertained while exploring complex ideas about morality, redemption and adulthood. Its rapid storytelling pace and commitment to character development made it stand out even as trends shifted. [Read the review](https://www.denofgeek.com/tv/the-vampire-diaries-the-highs-the-lows-the-loves/) ## Digital Spy — Dan French, Neil Wilkes Fi1m's normalised score 50/100 (inferred from the text). 27 July 2009. The reviewers offer mixed takes on the pilot: one finds it clichéd but watchable due to the sexy cast and teen drama appeal, while the other dismisses it as a blatant Twilight imitation that is not really good but likely to succeed commercially. They highlight the character setup and Ian Somerhalder's Damon as points of interest. [Read the review](https://www.digitalspy.com/tv/a167511/pilot-reviews-vampire-diaries-the-cw/) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/tv/the-vampire-diaries.md