When premiered on The CW in September 2009, few expected it to become the defining show of the network—let alone the franchise powerhouse that reshaped its identity for more than a decade. At that time, The CW was struggling to find a post– anchor series, and its catalogue leaned heavily on teen soaps without a long-term franchise strategy.
The show’s success was immediate. Its pilot drew the largest audience The CW had ever recorded at the time, outperforming expectations set by the saturation of vampire media in pop culture.
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