The connections in Mystic Falls run deep! Since its premiere in October 2018, Legacies has made some major references to both The Vampire Diaries and The Originals.
Even though the third show in the CW’s Vampire Diaries universe has been canceled after its fourth season, we thank Legacies for bringing back all The Vampire Diaries feels while it was here. It not only brought back some memorable characters from the show’s past, but it’s set in the Salvatore Boarding House where Damon (Ian Somerhalder) and Stefan Salavtore (Paul Wesley) lived throughout TVD. Not to mention, the main characters are teens Hope Mikaelson (Danielle Rose Russell), Lizzie (Jenny Boyd) and Josie (Kaylee Bryant) Saltzman, who have been mentioned in both of Legacies parent shows.
“Mystic Falls has recovered,” creator Julie Plec told Us Weekly about Legacies in July 2018.“ They don’t know that they have a boarding school for supernatural kids or that they have a 200-year history of vampire violence so this crazy-ass sheriff. We like to think he’s a little bit like Hopper from Stranger Things, he’s just trying to protect his small town. He knows that all the monsters are real and they have no idea.”
Of course, the Sheriff she was talking about is none other than Matt Donovan (Zach Roerig) who was one of the only Mystic Falls citizens left human in The Vampire Diaries. He’s since made multiple appearances in Legacies, as a call back to the original show. Fans can’t forget the inclusion of history teacher-turned-vampire hunter Alaric Saltzman (Matthew Davis) who became a major ally to the Salvatore boys over the years. He’s since taken on a role as headmaster of the Salvatore Boarding House while parenting the twins, Lizzie and Josie.
“It’s Mystic Falls, it’s Alaric, it’s the Salvatore School, but it’s completely new, and it’s completely fresh and you’ve got a brand-new cast,” the Legally Blonde alum told Entertainment Weekly in October 2018. “And we’ve got a whole new engine driving our narrative this show — it’s giving us an opportunity to create a circumstance where something is drawn to Mystic Falls, a series of these different creatures are coming out of the woodwork, and so we’re put on the defense as we figure out what’s going on.”
While an appearance from Damon or Stefan (who died in The Vampire Diaries series finale) has yet to occur as Legacies continues, actor Paul has stepped onto the show’s set before. During the show’s first season, the former CW star directed an episode titled “The Boy Who Still Had a Lot of Good to Do.”
“The one time I had a weird moment was when I walked into the Salvatore great room,” Paul recalled to TVLine in March 2019. “That set is still there, and even though it’s on a different sound stage now, it’s the same set. They’ve changed a few little things, but that’s when I was like, ‘Oh my God,’ and I started getting that deep nostalgia.”
Scroll through our gallery to see all the times Legacies referenced The Vampire Diaries and The Originals.
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