The Real (And Rather Tragic) Story Behind The Vampire Diaries

But don't let its surface fool you, as there's much more to the real story behind the show's inception - a tragic origin inspired by real-life events that is sure to surprise even the most devoted fans.

When Jen Breslow, the CW network executive, first mentioned running the series to Kevin Williamson, he had recently lost his partner and was consumed by grief. But as fate would have it, Breslow and Plec, who were Williamson's friends, took him out to lunch in an attempt to lift his spirits. Little did they know that their gesture of support would lead to the creation of one of the most beloved supernatural series ever made.

In the course of that momentous lunch, Breslow recommended Williamson to throw himself into his work, and Plec happened to tell them about a pitch with a supernatural concept, which she expressed fondness for.

The three went on to discuss whether it included vampires, and Plec was doubtful as she was convinced the whole vampire thing had reached its end after the huge success of Twilight and True Blood.

However, that's when Breslow revealed that she’d been attempting to develop a vampire-themed series based on a book named The Vampire Diaries but had been struggling to find writers for it. Williamson then mentioned that he had, in fact, been sent that same book with a request to turn it into a film years ago, but he had rejected the idea.

"It was a big, "Hell no!" [Laughs] There had been all this Twilight success and here comes the show that really puts the nail in the coffin of the vampire trend. I just didn't want to be the end of a trend," Williamson recalled.

Upon reading the book, Williamson and Plec remained unconvinced as they thought it closely resembled Twilight. And although TVD was written long before that, it still felt a tad too familiar as Twilight had already garnered widespread recognition.

Williamson took his time to contemplate the true concept of the story and its underlying meaning. He then discovered it resonated with him on a personal level as it was centered around a teenage girl coping with the loss of her loved ones and a dead man who appears in her life and revives her.

The screenwriter thought to himself how wonderful it would be to experience something like that in his own life at that moment. And with that metaphor in mind, he worked with Plec to develop the story, and once they wrote it, they couldn't help but cry over it.

"We tried to find that part of it that was really about Elena trying to learn how to live again. And it worked. It really worked. And in a weird way, the whole show was my Stefan," he recalls.

Today, TVD is known as one of the most adored supernatural dramas in television history. However, as you can see, it's much more than just a show - it's a tribute to the human spirit and its ability to overcome tragedy, and a testament to the power of friendship and creative collaboration.