Despite series regulars Kat Graham and Ian Somerhalder previously hinting that the upcoming Season 8 of “The Vampire Diaries” will likely be the series finale, it looks like The CW is still looking forward to the show running more seasons on the small screen.
According to Design & Trend, The CW President Mark Pedowitz neither confirmed nor denied if Season 8 is going to be the last or not for the supernatural drama TV series.
Rumors have been rife that Season 8 will indeed be the last year for the Salvatore brothers and the Mystic Falls gang, but speaking during The CW Upfront event, Pedowitz assured “The Vampire Diaries” fans that nothing has been decided yet.
Pedowitz added that a comparatively shorter episode order is possible. The show typically has 22 episodes per season, but it’s still unclear whether that would be the case in Season 8.
Most fans are still worried that Season 8 will be the last for the show given that a shorter episode order is usually a sign for an impending cancellation. Gossip Girl’s sixth season was cut to 10 episodes that served as the series finale.
After Nina Dobrev, who portrays Elena Gilbert, left the show after Season 6, many believed that Season 7 was the last of the show.
The series did indeed struggle to captivate audience given Dobrev’s loss. A move to Friday night, which is a dreadful timeslot for TV series, was also another factor that resulted in the show’s ratings dip.
Executive producer Julie Plec has long stated that she initially envisioned the show to last seven seasons long, but she added that she was open for more especially if Somerhalder and Paul Wesley, who plays Damon and Stefan, respectively, still want to continue the show.
Plec added that if there is still a story to tell and there is still a lot of potential story arcs for the show to move forward then they won’t end the show.
Julie says that if Wesley and Somerhalder decide to retire their fangs, she already has an idea how the show will come to an end. The showrunner says that it has to be emotionally parallel to the story of Stefan and Damon from the beginning.
Despite no confirmation yet if Season 8 will be the last for the series, the show continues to lose its lead actors. Graham, who portrays the witch Bonnie Bennet has announced that she will be leaving the series after the upcoming eighth season.
Meanwhile, Somerhalder accidentally implied that the show will be expiring after Season 7, but he later apologized saying that what he meant by his statement was that he will be exiting the series after the 8th season.
With Damon and Bonnie’s impending departure, it’s quite hard to imagine the show to continue since it barely survived without Elena and her doppelgangers.
Parent Herald reports that the network is still trying their best to persuade Ian and Kat to remain in the series.
E! News reports that it will be difficult to keep the show on its toes with just Stefan and Candice King’s Caroline holding it together.
In the Season 7 finale, Stefan and Caroline decided to rekindle their relationship. Speaking to TV Line, showrunner Plec admitted that Season 8 will finally be a treat to Steroline fans.
Plec says that she wants to give Stefan and Caroline the opportunity to enjoy their relationship before they plunge into another ordeal that could potentially destroy their bond.
King sides with Plec saying that she wishes Stefan and Caroline a healthy relationship but it becomes boring on television if they don’t face challenges that could fracture their relationship.
Elsewhere, there are reports stating that Season 8 will mark the comeback of Dobrev’s Elena. Many fans were shocked when the actress made a cameo in the Season 7 finale.
The cameo was actually just her voice. International Business Times reports that the clips used in her cameo scene were actually filed footages from previous episodes.