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The Vampire Diaries is an American fantasy - drama television series which was first broadcast on The CW from 2009 to 2017, airing 171 episodes over 8 seasons. Kevin Williamson and Julie Plec adapted the TV series from L.J. Smith's novel series of the same name. Some of the characters appeared in the spin-off series, The Originals.

The series is set in the fictional town of Mystic Falls, Virginia. The focal points of the show are a love triangle – involving Elena Gilbert and vampire brothers Stefan and Damon Salvatore – and the town 's supernatural history, involving Elena's friends and relatives.

Main characters

The following is a list of series regulars who appear in one or more of the series ' eight seasons. The characters are listed in the order they were first credited in the series.

Key

= Main cast ( actor receives "Starring" credit that season )

= Recurring cast ( actor appears in two or more episodes that season )

= Guest cast ( actor appears in only one episode that season )

Elena Gilbert

Played by Nina Dobrev

Starring seasons: 1–6

Guest starring season : 8

Elena Gilbert (based on Elena Gilbert from the novels ) is the central character and the female lead of the series for the first six seasons. She is the biological daughter of John Gilbert and Isobel Flemming, and adopted daughter of Grayson and Miranda Gilbert. She has a younger adoptive brother named Jeremy Gilbert, who is later revealed to be her biological cousin.