The Vampire Diaries at Comic-Con

The CW's Fall show The Vampire Diaries (based on the book series) has been mentioned here before, and at Comic-Con its writer/producer compared the story of vampires set loose on a small town to DS--

http://www.hitfix.com/articles/2009-7-26-comic-con-first-look-the-cw-s-vampire-diaries

I heard that during the Vampire Diaries (VD??) panel, he told the audience that he watched the show when he was a kid, calling it a "sexy soap."

Given that Kevin Williamson is probably best known for the Scream movies and Dawson's Creek, a friend recently remarked that The Vampire Diaries will probably be Dawson's Creek meets Scream with vampires.    But I'm actually hoping it's more like Glory Days (a mystery series Williamson did for the WB in '02 that starred Eddie Cahill of CSI:NY and Poppy Montgomery of Without a Trace) meets Scream with vampires.    I suppose we'll see...

I just hope that people don't burn-out on vampires before the new Dark Shadows movie. Think about it, we have the Twilight series, True Blood and now The Vampires Diaries, this could turn into over kill very fast.

Wow, I echoed the same sentiments tonight while my sister and I were talking. I don't think we'll have to worry about it though - Johnny Depp and Tim Burton have a very large fan base of their own.

Some interesting comments from the week's Mega Buzz at tvguide.com:

Mickey's Mini Rant: Here's the thing: The CW's Vampire Diaries actually looks pretty good, so why doth the creators and stars protest too much about its resemblance to Twilight? We know it came from different source material, and we know that nevertheless the stories are very similar. Relax, people!

And BTW, clicking on the link in the above will bring you to a few clips from the show. They don't look half-bad...

TV Guide has picked The Vampire Diaries as one of their "8 Must-Watch New Fall Shows." Check out: Fall TV: TVGuide.com's Editors' Picks

("special guest appearance by massive amounts of fog"    But honestly, that's the way I like my vampire stories. And "an intriguing premise, fantastic writing, and", yeah, "the hottest cast of the new season" isn't going to hurt.  )

A NY Daily News article that mentions DS:
New CW show 'Vampire Diaries' follows success of 'Twilight,' 'True Blood'

Heavy camp humor?  Oh, the pain!

Heavy camp humor?  Oh, the pain!

Obviously he doesn't know what he's talking about. DS never diluted its vamps that way. And although Buffy was indeed humorous at times, it was a wry humor, not a camp humor. All of which makes me suspect that Mr. Hinckley has seen barely any eps of either show but chooses to make pronouncements anyway. 

I am always puzzled by those who believe DS was supposed to be humorous.
 
nancy

I just hope that people don't burn-out on vampires before the new Dark Shadows movie. Think about it, we have the Twilight series, True Blood and now The Vampires Diaries, this could turn into over kill very fast.

I was wondering the same thing.  I don't believe all the vampire offerings have been of high quality though.  I've rarely been disappointed with the quality of any Burton-Depp film.

Nancy

Just getting on my high horse a bit...

As I understand it, The Vampire Diaries carries with it an inherently better premise for a television series than does Twilight.   What it shares with Meyers' Saga (other than a genre and the notion of a triangle) is a target demographic.  Quite simply, TVD is intended for Young Adults.

But Dark Shadows is more akin to True Blood, in that both are essentially aimed at full blown adults.  Even for its time, DS was rather startling vis-a-vis its themes.  For example, vampirism clearly became a metaphor for both addiction and sexuality.  Unlike a typical YA love story, DS romances rarely had a genuinely working relationship.  In fact, DS throughout its run had an ongoing sense of tragedy (as opposed to angst).

My point is--the genre of Urban Fantasy (which in general terms includes such things as Twilight and Dark Shadows and Harry Potter and Anita Blake, etc.) seems pretty wide-ranging to me.  There seems to me an audience for both Stephanie Meyers and Dan Curtis/Tim Burton, for both TVD and TB.  As long as they are done well.

IMHO

Add EW to the lovers column: they given the show an enthusiastic B+. Check out:  The Vampire Diaries

The more I read and see, the more anxious I am to check this show out. And on this coming Thursday we'll all get the opportunity...

Just think if WB had picked up the 2004 version of DS.  It would've been the first one out of the gate, into its fifth season with two more to go (if it follows the usual seven season pattern for a hit series) and had beaten everyone else to the cash register.  It probably would've saved WB from its demise.  Well, whose kicking themselves now?

Gerard

Well, whose kicking themselves now?

Supposedly some execs at the WB were kicking themselves not all that long after the '04 pilot wasn't picked up. But by then the damage to their relationship with John Wells was too far gone. But that's what happens when a network allows an ego manic like Jordan Levin to run things. Unfortunately, Levin didn't quit rather than be demoted until after he'd made the decision not to pick up the pilot.  

The network that's reportedly kicking themselves now is CBS for having canceled Moonlight.

The network that's reportedly kicking themselves now is CBS for having canceled Moonlight.

As well they should be!