7 Shows Like The Vampire Diaries to Watch Afterward
Posted inMovies & Series

7 Shows Like The Vampire Diaries to Watch Afterward

7 Shows Like The Vampire Diaries to Watch Next

Key takeaways

  • For the closest match, start with The Originals, a spin-off centered on Klaus Mikaelson and his family.
  • Legacies, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and Teen Wolf offer younger characters and supernatural threats.
  • Choose True Blood for a more adult vampire drama, or Shadowhunters for young-adult fantasy and romance.
  • The Magicians is a darker fantasy option focused on magic and morally complicated characters.

Table of contents

If you want more of The Vampire Diaries’ supernatural romance and tangled family drama, start with The Originals. It follows familiar characters into a new setting, making it the closest match. For a different flavor of the same appeal, try Teen Wolf for a teen ensemble, True Blood for a more adult vampire story, or Shadowhunters for romance and fantasy adventure.

“Shows like The Vampire Diaries” can mean different things: vampires, love triangles, young characters in danger, or a mythology that unfolds over several seasons. These picks share some of those ingredients, but they aren’t all direct substitutes. Here’s how to choose the one that best fits what you liked.

If you’re looking for… Try…
More of the Vampire Diaries universe The Originals or Legacies
Teen characters and supernatural threats Buffy the Vampire Slayer or Teen Wolf
A more adult vampire drama True Blood
Young-adult fantasy and romance Shadowhunters
Magic and morally complicated characters The Magicians

Closest to The Vampire Diaries: the franchise shows

1. The Originals

The Originals is the most direct next watch: it’s a Vampire Diaries spin-off centered on Klaus Mikaelson and his family. The story shifts to New Orleans, where the Mikaelsons face supernatural rivalries and political struggles. Rotten Tomatoes’ series synopsis and the show’s series overview describe its connection to the original series and its focus on the family.

Choose this one if you want more of the characters and mythology you already know, but with family loyalty and power struggles taking a larger role. It’s less focused on the high-school setting and central teen romance that shape much of The Vampire Diaries. You can follow the main story without watching every episode of TVD first, though knowing Klaus and the Mikaelsons gives their relationships more context.

Best for: Familiar characters, vampire-family conflict, and supernatural politics.

2. Legacies

Legacies is another series in the Vampire Diaries universe, but it shifts the focus to a younger generation and a supernatural school. It’s a natural pick if you like the school setting, friendships, and developing relationships in TVD, and want those elements within the same franchise. Summaries from The Bulletin Time and Asia Media Journal describe its connection to the earlier shows and its school-centered premise.

The difference is the emphasis: Legacies leans into a younger ensemble and a school environment, rather than the Mikaelson family conflicts at the heart of The Originals. If you’re deciding between the two, pick The Originals for a closer continuation of familiar characters; choose Legacies for a fresh, younger cast in the shared universe.

Best for: More of the franchise, with a new generation and a school setting.

Teen supernatural dramas with a different mythology

3. Buffy the Vampire Slayer

For a teen-centered story about vampires and other monsters, Buffy the Vampire Slayer is an influential option. Its premise follows Buffy as she balances ordinary life with the dangers of being a vampire slayer, as described in coverage from Asia Media Journal and IndiaTimes.

The overlap with The Vampire Diaries is the mix of growing up and facing supernatural threats. But Buffy centers on a hero fighting monsters, rather than on vampires as romantic leads. Its tone and storytelling style also reflect a different era of television. Pick it if you want supernatural action and character growth more than a web of vampire relationships.

Best for: A coming-of-age story with a vampire-hunting hero and monster-of-the-week adventures.

4. Teen Wolf

Teen Wolf trades vampires for werewolves while keeping the focus on young people dealing with supernatural danger. The series follows a teenager whose life changes after he becomes a werewolf, then expands into a wider story about friends, creatures, and threats to the community. IndiaTimes’ overview highlights its young-werewolf premise.

This is a good choice if the ensemble friendships and school-age characters mattered more to you than the vampire lore in TVD. It has supernatural mythology and relationship drama, but its central creature story is different, so don’t expect the same focus on vampire romance.

Best for: Teen friendships, werewolf mythology, and recurring supernatural danger.

5. Shadowhunters

Shadowhunters offers a young-adult fantasy ensemble built around demon hunters. Its story follows a young woman who discovers a supernatural identity and enters a hidden world of demons and those who fight them, as outlined by Asia Media Journal and IndiaTimes.

Like The Vampire Diaries, it combines romance, secrets, and an expanding supernatural world. The key difference is its mythology: demon hunters, rather than vampires, are at the center. Try it if you want relationship complications and fantasy adventure, but are happy to leave vampire lore behind.

Best for: Young-adult romance, supernatural secrets, and a larger fantasy world.

Vampire stories with a more adult tone

6. True Blood

If vampires are the part of The Vampire Diaries you most want to keep, True Blood offers a very different take. It follows a telepathic waitress in a world where vampires are part of public life, according to IndiaTimes’ comparison.

The important distinction is tone. True Blood is a more adult, horror-oriented drama, not simply another teen vampire romance. Its stories explore a world in which vampires interact openly with human society, rather than concentrating on the high-school relationships and small-town mysteries that drive TVD. Choose it for vampire drama with a broader, more grown-up perspective.

Best for: Viewers who want vampires and supernatural conflict, but not a teen-centered romance.

For magic, secrets, and complicated characters

7. The Magicians

The Magicians is a looser match, but it’s worth considering if you liked the spells, hidden rules, and dangerous secrets in The Vampire Diaries. Based on Lev Grossman’s novel, it shifts the focus to a darker, more adult fantasy world. Asia Media Journal’s roundup includes it among supernatural series for viewers seeking a similar kind of fantasy escape.

It isn’t a vampire show, and its school-and-magic premise doesn’t reproduce TVD’s romantic melodrama. Its appeal is more about magic and characters facing difficult choices. Pick it when supernatural world-building matters more to you than vampires or love triangles.

Best for: A darker fantasy story with magic and morally complicated characters.

Which show should you watch after The Vampire Diaries?

For the closest match, start with The Originals. It carries over familiar characters and the vampire mythology while giving the story a different center of gravity. If you want the shared universe with a younger cast, try Legacies instead.

For a similar teen-and-supernatural mix outside the franchise, Teen Wolf and Buffy the Vampire Slayer are stronger fits. If the vampire element matters more than the teen-romance format, go with True Blood. And if you’re ready to swap vampires for magic or demon hunters, The Magicians and Shadowhunters offer different routes into supernatural fantasy.

The best next pick depends on which part of The Vampire Diaries you want more of: start with the spin-offs for familiar lore, or choose one of the other series for a new world with a similar mix of romance, danger, or supernatural secrets.