Wait, The Vampire Diaries is a comfort show now? Fans say yes and the RT score agrees

It's been eight years since The Vampire Diaries wrapped up, yet the craze supernatural show remains a fan favorite to this day. Once known for its heart-wrenching death sequences, blood-slicked betrayals, and horrifying visuals, The Vampire Diaries has taken a surprising turn - it has become a comfort watch for many, and the ratings and social media buzz prove it.

The Vampire Diaries, starring Ian Somerhalder and Paul Wesley, has garnered a whopping critics' score of 86% and an audience score of 73% on Rotten Tomatoes. With over 368k votes, the show has gathered 7.7 stars out of 10 on IMDb. Additionally, the show has also won several awards over the years, including People's Choice, Teen Choice, and a couple of Young Hollywood accolades.

The CW's former flagship supernatural drama is officially a comfort show now, and Candice King, who plays Caroline Forbes, agrees to it. In a Collider event, Forbes said,

"Definitely people who were fans of the show would watch it every week. Just like TV's my best friend, this TV show was their best friend."

Here's what has made The Vampire Diaries a comfort watch in 2025.

---

What made The Vampire Diaries a comfort watch?

A comfort watch is usually a feel-good/ nostalgic show or movie that a pool of audience keeps on rewatching. Whether you are sick, on a holiday, or during a rainy weekend, curling up with a comfort show feels therapeutic. From Friends to Brooklyn Nine-Nine, there's a wide variety of sitcoms that uplift your mood.

However, there seems to be a change in the wave as some viewers are slowly drifting towards enjoying scary and vampiric stuff that has a sense of nostalgia attached to it, and what's better than The Vampire Diaries?

Confused over what made TVD a comfort show in recent times? Here's why:

Firstly, the easy accessibility of the show has increased streaming. Back when the show first aired in 2009, you either had to catch it live or risk getting spoilers on Tumblr. Now? It's a click away. All seasons of The Vampire Diaries are available for streaming on Netflix and Amazon Prime Video.

Even if the show is quite dark in a few aspects, people tend to find comfort in those as well. The aesthetics of the show add up - the dusky woods, candlelit tombs, and ominous crow appearances give Halloween vibes. The Vampire Diaries has aged into a genre all its own- not horror-not fantasy-not romance, but vampire core comfort. From Elena's questionable choices to Damon's smirking chaos, The Vampire Diaries is a perfect pick if you're craving messy romance, mystical mayhem, or something that would both break and heal your heart.

---

Fans on rewatching The Vampire Diaries - and how it has turned into a comfort watch

Several fans across social media have shared their experiences of rewatching The Vampire Diaries.

For instance, u/EndZealousideal9980 commented,

"It’s great but in a campy way!! First season is so over the top with the fog & ravens but it’s super entertaining and nostalgic being on the cusp of millennial & gen z. Sound track is great & it’s a good comfort show for me lol"

On the other hand, u/FajenThygia wrote,

"It had some of the best pacing on television when it was on. I'll recommend the first three seasons without reservation. Okay, one reservation: The first few episodes of S1 are rough. But once you get past that, you're on a hell of a rollercoaster."

For some fans, it was a guilty pleasure to rewatch the teenage/young adult vampire show all over again.

"I watched the entire thing for the first time a few years ago. I really liked it... For a while. I think the later seasons are hot garbage but you'll be so invested by then that you'll finish watching it out of spite at the very least :D" wrote @u/stellaluna92

"The Vampire Diaries is my comfort show I've rewatched a few times and I read the books as a kid. It's campy, soap opera-like, and kind of formulaic. wrote @u/dilly_of_a_pickle "

Also read: Will the original The Vampire Diaries creators work on the upcoming spin-off? Explored in depth

---

Tune in to SoapCentral for more updates.