The CW series The Vampire Diaries was incredibly popular when it debuted in 2009. It ran for eight seasons and spawned two spinoffs: The Originals and Legacies. It's easy to compare the three ...

The Mikaelson family, who were introduced during seasons 3 and 4 of The Vampire Diaries, are known as “the Originals” because they are the first vampires to ever exist.