The Originals outdid The Vampire Diaries at its own game - here’s how

The Originals, the first spin-off series of The CW's breakthrough teen drama The Vampire Diaries, replicated its predecessor's success in many ways.

While TVD has established a large fandom over the years, partly because of the risks it took initially, the spin-off series outdid it at its own game.

While antiheroes are the new heroes of the small screen now, with people loving morally grey characters like Dexter, Tommy Shelby, and even Joe Goldberg, TVD introduced antiheroes as the main protagonists before it was the norm.

Damon Salvatore started as a villain, but eventually, viewers started to warm up to the character because of his arc. There was no clear boundary between good and bad when it came to characters like Damon, and audiences started enjoying this ambiguous characterization.

The Originals took this trend even further by basing their series on the Mikaelsons, the established villains of The Vampire Diaries.

More on this in our story.

*Disclaimer- This article is based on the author's opinion. Reader discretion is advised.*

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The Originals made a compelling storyline using The Vampire Diaries' anti-hero

While most spin-offs are inspired by second leads or strong recurring characters, The Originals broke this trend and created a spin-off series with The Vampire Diaries' anti-heroes.

Klaus' introduction in The Vampire Diaries Season 2 established him as the certified antihero. He is often portrayed as a villain against the protagonists, the Salvatore brothers. While it was challenging to command a scene with Damon Salvatore, the OG villain, Klaus managed to make his own place in the show.

The morally corrupt acts and the things he did to get his way without even batting an eye made him an intriguing character. While most shows thrive on their protagonist, Klaus' anti-hero was so meticulously created that he ended up having his own spin-off show.

The Vampire Diaries' groundwork was impressively replicated by The Originals, which proved that it can beat the parent show at its own game.

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The Originals: Klaus Mikaelson's redemption arc added depth to the story

Another reason why The Originals worked better than The Vampire Diaries in developing their villains was that the spin-off had more backstory to begin with.

While Klaus Mikaelson was a secondary character in The Vampire Diaries and often a foil to Damon, he had more potential in the spin-off series. Being the second strongest original vampire, only to his stepfather, Klaus' lore had a lot of potential, and the audiences were invested in learning about his and the Mikaelsons' back story.

The Originals was kind of a justification of Klaus' actions in TVD. His redemptive arc was treated with empathy and emotion, which even outdid the parent series in many instances.

In addition to the strong redeemed protagonist, the spin-off show had villains of its own, which were more fleshed out and three-dimensional than TVD. The audiences were as invested in their storylines as much as the protagonists', working in favor of the show.

Some of Mikaelson's biggest enemies in The Originals, like Dahlia and Marcel, not only had complex origins but shared complicated relationships with the protagonist, making their storylines even more interesting.

Marcel is still one of the most intriguing villains in the franchise. He started out as Klaus' protege and Rebecca's former lover. He eventually takes over the French Quarter, proclaiming himself the King and posing a threat to Klaus' unborn child.

While Marcel's story arc eventually took him through many ups and downs, and he even became the siblings' ally on many instances, Dahlia remained a threat throughout.

Esther's sister, Dahlia's, vengeance against the family was fueled by anger as she believed that the firstborn of every generation is owed to her. She planned on kidnapping Klaus' firstborn child, Hope, increasing the stakes for the family.

While The Vampire Diaries ultimately redeemed its characters, the spin-off kept the possibility open with Klaus and the other characters resorting to their old ways every now and then. This helped cement The Originals as a more thrilling watch compared to its parent series.

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