Four years after The CW's The Vampire Diaries franchise ended, its 2013 spin-off The Originals has found a new lease of life on streaming, becoming a surprise hit for Peacock in the US. The show, which moved the story from Mystic Falls to New Orleans, was initially met with mixed reviews for feeling disjointed but grew into a critically praised series, with several seasons later scoring perfect ratings on Rotten Tomatoes. Its renewed popularity underlines the lasting appeal of the Vampire Diaries universe even though no successor series has since taken its place.

Since being added to Peacock two weeks ago, The Originals has climbed to number four on the platform's domestic chart, according to tracking firm FlixPatrol. The Vampire Diaries franchise ran on The CW for 13 years from 2009, created by Julie Plec and Kevin Williamson, before The CW cancelled the third spin-off, Legacies, in June 2022 amid a wider retreat from scripted programming. Fans now have five seasons of The Originals and four seasons of Legacies available to watch.