Nina Dobrev might be leaving “The Vampire Diaries” at the end of Season 6, but The CW plans the show to live on far beyond Elena Gilbert. The CW President Mark Pedowitz told reporters Thursday (May 14) that he expects the show will continue long past her departure.
“We had a show run 11 years based on two brothers called ‘Supernatural.’ I have great confidence that this could happen the same way,” he says of the series’ hoped-for long lifespan. “Supernatural” is currently entering Season 11.
With Dobrev’s Elena exiting the story on Thursday’s Season 6 finale, Pedowitz offered a tease of what fans can expect when it returns in Season 7. Put simply: Expect the series to look and feel significantly different.
“It’s going to be much more focused on the brothers Damon [Ian Somerhalder] and Stefan [Paul Wesley], a lot of space for Kat Graham [Bonnie] and [Candice Accola’s Caroline] to come out,” he says. “We believe that with Julie Plec at the helm and Caroline Dries running the show that we will have a show. Most of this year has been getting to the point of where we would have a reset knowing that Nina is leaving.”
“The Vampire Diaries” will remain in its 8 p.m. ET/PT Thursday time slot when it returns in fall 2015. There it will be joined by its spinoff series “The Originals,” which will air at 9 p.m.
The CW’s official plot synopsis for the new season reads: “In the wake of Elena Gilbert’s goodbye, in Season 7, some characters will recover while others falter. As Lily (Anne Wersching) tries to drive a wedge between the Salvatore brothers, we’ll still hold onto hope that Stefan and Caroline’s love story is strong enough to survive.”