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‘The Vampire Diaries’ Cancelled After Season 8? Ian Somerhalder and CW Say Different Things

By Alexandria Ingham
Published on: 21:30 PST, Apr 10, 2016

Could The Vampire Diaries be cancelled after Season 8? Ian Somerhalder recently said that next year will be the last, but the CW has not confirmed. There is no talk of Season 9, but no definite answer that it will not happen.

Many fans of The Vampire Diaries thought the show would end with Season 7. The loss of Nina Dobrev, who played main female character Elena Gilbert, has been felt throughout this year; not just because characters keep mentioning her. Fans miss her relationship with Damon, while others just want to see the battle between the two brothers again.

Season 7 moved the focus onto the two brothers’ relationship. Ian Somerhalder and Paul Wesley certainly stepped up, but the ratings were still low for the show. When it moved to Friday nights, there were fears that it was a sign it would come to an end. Then the CW announced that all of its current shows were being renewed for the 2016/2017 season.

Contracts for various actors will come up by the end of Season 8. Kat Graham has already announced that she is leaving The Vampire Diaries at the end of next year, much to the shock of showrunner Julie Plec. There were also rumors that Ian Somerhalder will say goodbye to his role of Damon Salvatore.

Now that rumor seems even more certain. According to E! Online, while attending Nashville’s Walker Stalker Con, Somerhalder confirmed that the team had decided to do one last Season to make sure the story was finalized completely. They all wanted to do it justice, and make sure fans are not disappointed. It seems Somerhalder has made it clear that Season 8 is his last year on The Vampire Diaries.

The CW says something different, by not confirming that the 8th Season will be the last. According to The Hollywood Life, a CW spokesperson says there is no confirmation of the future past Season 8. This is not a yes or no, as the network has not even thought past next year. No other show has been renewed for more than one year, and that includes its cornerstone shows like Arrow and The Flash, both of which are doing extremely well in the ratings for the network.

Plec has also not confirmed if The Vampire Diaries Season 8 will be the last. She confirmed that Season 8 was pitched before the loss of Dobrev allowed the show to reboot itself. The fresh feel from Season 7 could continue with the next year. Plec also previously said that she would always continue with the show while there were fresh stories to tell.

At the same time, when Graham made her announcement that she would quit after Season 8, Plec said that they had not looked past that just yet. There are no plans for Season 9, as they need to put something together for the 2016/2017 season.

There are still plenty of rumors around. The Vampire Diaries fans do not know what to believe, but it looks like for now Season 8 is the last for a few actors. Graham and Somerhalder seem ready to move on, and losing two main characters (especially one of the Salvatore brothers) could be dangerous for the show. It was hard enough when Dobrev left, but losing a Salvatore brother could mean the definitive end.

It also does not help that the ratings for The Vampire Diaries have dropped so much. It was once the main show on the network, but Arrow and The Flash have taken that place. The Vampire Diaries Season 8 could certainly be the end.

[Photo by Mike Windle/Getty Images]

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