Shows like The Vampire Diaries
15 picks with a similar feel
What defines The Vampire Diaries, going by its Boxlist taste profile: Otherworldly and inventive: a stylish fantasy series, dark rather than wholesome. Best if you like surprises over comfort. Its strongest markers on Boxlist are themes of coming of age, unlikely connections and love against the odds, plus tags such as supernatural creature, interspecies romance and doppelgänger.
Here are 15 shows with a similar feel, ranked by how closely they match that profile. Treat them as picks to try, not a definitive list.
Based on The Vampire Diaries (2009).
- 1
Teen Wolf (2011)
TV8.6Easier to follow
Why it's like The Vampire Diaries: Also heightened and glossy, with themes of coming of age and unlikely connections. Common ground: interspecies romance, werewolf, supernatural.
- 2
A Discovery of Witches (2018)
TV8.0
Why it's like The Vampire Diaries: Also heightened and inventive, with themes of unlikely connections and love against the odds. Common ground: interspecies romance, vampire, witch.
- 3
True Blood (2008)
TV7.6
Why it's like The Vampire Diaries: Also heightened and glossy, with themes of unlikely connections and love against the odds. Common ground: interspecies romance, werewolf, vampire.
- 4
The Originals (2013)
TV8.6
Why it's like The Vampire Diaries: Also heightened and dark, with themes of resilience and survival. Common ground: werewolf, vampire, witch.
- 5
Shadowhunters (2016)
TV7.5Faster-paced
Why it's like The Vampire Diaries: Also heightened and inventive, with themes of coming of age. Common ground: supernatural creature, werewolf, vampire.
- 6
TV8.4
Why it's like The Vampire Diaries: Also heightened and glossy, with themes of coming of age and resilience and survival. Common ground: witch.
- 7
Vampires (2020)
TV7.5
Why it's like The Vampire Diaries: Also heightened and dark, with themes of coming of age and resilience and survival. Common ground: vampire.
- 8
Legacies (2018)
TV8.5
Why it's like The Vampire Diaries: Also heightened and glossy. Common ground: werewolf, vampire, witch.
- 9
Mayfair Witches (2023)
TV7.4
Why it's like The Vampire Diaries: Also heightened and inventive, with themes of resilience and survival. Common ground: witch, supernatural.
- 10
Motherland: Fort Salem (2020)
TV8.2More intricate
Why it's like The Vampire Diaries: Also heightened and inventive. Common ground: witch, supernatural.
- 11
Penny Dreadful (2014)
TV7.9More intricate
Why it's like The Vampire Diaries: Also heightened and inventive, with themes of resilience and survival. Common ground: werewolf, vampire, witch.
- 12
V Wars (2019)
TV7.9
Why it's like The Vampire Diaries: Also heightened and dark, with themes of resilience and survival. Common ground: vampire.
- 13
Nancy Drew (2019)
TV7.9More intricate
Why it's like The Vampire Diaries: Also heightened and inventive, with themes of resilience and survival. Common ground: supernatural.
- 14
- 15
His Dark Materials (2019)
TV8.0Faster-paced
Why it's like The Vampire Diaries: Also heightened and inventive, with themes of coming of age and resilience and survival. Common ground: witch.
Boxlist compares The Vampire Diaries with every show in its catalogue on ten taste scores (pace, tone, weight, realism and more), story themes, genres and TMDB keywords, and ranks the closest. Every pick has a TMDB rating of 7.2 or more from at least 150 votes, new releases wait until their ratings settle, and only one title per franchise makes the list. It is an approximation of feel, so treat it as a starting point. Ratings are TMDB audience scores out of 10.
Which of these suit you?
Take the taste test and every pick shows how well it matches you.
Take the taste testQuestions
- What should I watch if I like The Vampire Diaries?
- Picks with a similar feel include Teen Wolf, A Discovery of Witches, True Blood and The Originals. Each shares part of The Vampire Diaries's taste profile, themes or tags; the full list has 15 shows.
- How are these shows like The Vampire Diaries chosen?
- Boxlist compares The Vampire Diaries with every show in its catalogue on ten taste scores (pace, tone, weight, realism and more), story themes, genres and TMDB keywords, and ranks the closest. Every pick has a TMDB rating of 7.2 or more from at least 150 votes, new releases wait until their ratings settle, and only one title per franchise makes the list. It is an approximation of feel, so treat it as a starting point.