The Originals (TV series)

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The Originals
The Originals intertitle.png
Genre
Created byJulie Plec
Starring
  • Joseph Morgan
  • Daniel Gillies
  • Claire Holt
  • Phoebe Tonkin
  • Charles Michael Davis
  • Daniella Pineda
  • Leah Pipes
  • Danielle Campbell
  • Yusuf Gatewood
  • Riley Voelkel
  • Danielle Rose Russell
  • Steven Krueger
ComposerMichael Suby
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons5
No. of episodes92 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producers
Cinematography
  • Michael Karasick
  • Darren Genet
  • John Smith
  • Datan Hopson
  • Rob C. Givens
Running time45 minutes
Production companies
  • My So-Called Company
  • Alloy Entertainment
  • CBS Television Studios
  • Warner Bros. Television
Distributor
  • CBS Television Distribution
  • Warner Bros. Television Distribution
Release
Original networkThe CW
Picture format1080i (HDTV)
Original releaseOctober 3, 2013 (2013-10-03) –
August 1, 2018 (2018-08-01)
Chronology
Related shows
  • The Vampire Diaries
  • The Originals: The Awakening
  • Legacies
External links
Website

The Originals is an American fantasy supernatural drama television series that began airing on The CW on October 3, 2013. It is a spin-off of The Vampire Diaries and the first television series expansion of the franchise based on its parent series. The series follows vampire-werewolf hybrid Klaus Mikaelson as he and his family become embroiled in the supernatural politics of the French Quarter of New Orleans.[1]

On May 10, 2017, The CW renewed the series for a fifth season.[2] On July 20, 2017, it was announced by series creator Julie Plec ahead of Comic Con that the series' fifth season would be its last. The final season began airing on April 18, 2018, and finished on August 1, 2018.[3][4][5]

Series overview[]

The Originals, a spin-off of The Vampire Diaries, centers on three of the Mikaelson siblings: Klaus (Joseph Morgan), Elijah (Daniel Gillies), and Rebekah (Claire Holt). The Mikaelson family are also commonly known as "the Originals" due to the fact that they are the first vampires ever to exist. Niklaus "Klaus" Mikaelson is the son of a witch and a werewolf, and his quest to unleash his hybrid nature was detailed in The Vampire Diaries. The backdoor pilot, which aired on April 25, 2013, also revealed that the werewolf Hayley (Phoebe Tonkin), with whom Klaus had a drunken one-night stand, is pregnant with his child.

The series begins with the Original siblings returning to the city of New Orleans for the first time since 1919, where a pregnant Hayley has also settled. Having originally built the French Quarter, they had been forced to abandon it when fleeing from their vengeful father, Mikael (Sebastian Roché). In their absence, Klaus's protégé, Marcel (Charles Michael Davis), took charge of the French Quarter. Klaus resolves that they must take down Marcel and get back the city that once belonged to them while protecting their city from a war brewing between vampires, werewolves, and witches.

The first season describes how Klaus's mystical child is going to be born and speaks of the threats that the Originals together must keep her safe from.

The second season deals with the return of Klaus and his siblings' parents, the arrival of an aunt who threatens the baby's life, and a new family member who shows up to help.

The third season shows the Mikaelsons facing both a prophecy that speaks of their downfall and the first generation of non-Original vampires which they sired, who have wanted revenge against the Mikaelsons for nearly a millennium.

The fourth season jumps ahead five years, with the Mikaelsons returning to New Orleans and having to face a reawakened ancient mystical menace set on destroying anything in its path.

The fifth and final season of the series takes place seven years after the fourth season, with Hope now being a teenager at a school for supernatural children, the Salvatore Boarding School for the Young and Gifted and the Mikaelsons still having to face the ancient menace from the previous season while trying to re-unite their family once again.

Cast and characters[]

Main article: List of The Originals characters
  • Joseph Morgan as Klaus Mikaelson: The self-proclaimed King of the French Quarter of New Orleans and the Original Hybrid: half-Original Vampire and half-werewolf. As the son of a witch and a werewolf alongside being a vampire by magic, Klaus is one of the most powerful and feared supernatural beings in history but also has a soft spot for his family. He is the father of Hayley's daughter, Hope, and is the adoptive father of Marcel, also his former protégé. He eventually develops feelings for Cami.
  • Daniel Gillies as Elijah Mikaelson: An Original Vampire and Klaus's older maternal half-brother. He is shown to be extremely suave, always sporting a suit, and level-headed compared to Klaus's more heated tendencies. He is also known as the "Noble Brother". He harbors romantic affections for Hayley.
  • Claire Holt as Rebekah Mikaelson (season 1; special guest star seasons 2–5): An Original Vampire and Klaus's younger maternal half-sister. She is Klaus's favorite and the youngest of the Mikaelson siblings after the death of Henrik. At one time, she was in a romantic relationship with Marcel. Despite her unwavering love for her family, she desires to find love and start a family of her own, which is complicated by her family name and vampire status. She eventually leaves New Orleans to pursue a simpler life outside of her family. Holt departs the main cast near the end of season 1 but has guest-starred sporadically in every season since. Maisie Richardson-Sellers portrayed Rebekah during the second half of season 2 and one episode of season 3, when Rebekah possessed witch Eva Sinclair's body.
  • Phoebe Tonkin as Hayley Marshall: Originally a werewolf, later hybrid, who conceived a daughter with Klaus named Hope. She is revealed to be the long-lost Alpha of her werewolf bloodline. Later, she rises to become the Alpha of the entire Crescent pack when the Alphas of all the other bloodlines bow down before her. She is initially reluctant to be involved with the Mikaelsons, but is eventually accepted into the family and accepts them in return. She reciprocates Elijah's romantic feelings, but marries Jackson Kenner in order to unite their packs.
  • Charles Michael Davis as Marcel Gerard: A vampire and former slave. He was turned by Klaus, his adoptive father and former mentor. He has a romantic past with both Rebekah and Cami. His relationship with the Mikaelsons is complicated as a result of his history with them as well as philosophical differences. They are often adversarial as Klaus and Marcel constantly struggle for power over the French Quarter of New Orleans. He rescues Davina from being sacrificed and takes her under his wing as his adoptive daughter. Towards the end of the third season, Marcel is transformed into an Upgraded Original Vampire, a vampire far more powerful than the Originals themselves, thus fulfilling a Prophecy said at the start of the season.
  • Daniella Pineda as Sophie Deveraux (season 1): A powerful witch of the French Quarter who is Monique's aunt.
  • Leah Pipes as Cami O'Connell (seasons 1–3; special guest star seasons 4–5[6]): A human bartender with a psychology degree who acts as a therapist for and eventually becomes romantically involved with Klaus Mikaelson. For decades, her family has helped protect the human locals of the French Quarter from all things supernatural.
  • Danielle Campbell as Davina Claire (seasons 1–3; special guest star seasons 4–5[7]): A powerful young witch and Marcel's adoptive daughter who becomes Regent of all witch covens in New Orleans. She doesn't much care for the Mikaelsons and seeks to destroy them with Marcel's help, until she unknowingly falls in love with one.
  • Yusuf Gatewood as Vincent Griffith (seasons 2–5; guest star season 1): A witch once possessed by Finn, the eldest brother among the Mikaelson siblings. He is the ex-husband of Eva Sinclair, the witch Rebekah possessed. He succeeds Davina as Regent of all witch covens in New Orleans.
  • Riley Voelkel as Freya Mikaelson (seasons 3–5; recurring season 2): Klaus's long-lost maternal older half-sister, Freya is an immensely powerful and skilled thousand-year-old witch. She is the eldest of the Mikaelson siblings, and only returns to the Mikaelson family after breaking free from control and immortality curse of their Aunt Dahlia.
  • Danielle Rose Russell as Hope Mikaelson (season 5), the teen-aged daughter of Klaus and Hayley, and who is an extremely powerful supernatural being as she holds the three-fold lineage of vampire, werewolf, and witch.
    • Young Hope is portrayed by Summer Fontana (recurring season 4, guest season 5).
    • Baby Hope is portrayed by uncredited infant actors in seasons 1–3.
  • Steven Krueger as Josh Rosza (season 5; recurring seasons 1–4), a visitor to New Orleans who is soon turned into a vampire. He befriends Davina, and later serves as Marcel's lieutenant.

Episodes[]

Main article: List of The Originals episodes
SeasonEpisodesOriginally aired
First airedLast aired
PilotApril 25, 2013 (2013-04-25)
122October 3, 2013 (2013-10-03)May 13, 2014 (2014-05-13)
222October 6, 2014 (2014-10-06)May 11, 2015 (2015-05-11)
322October 8, 2015 (2015-10-08)May 20, 2016 (2016-05-20)
413March 17, 2017 (2017-03-17)June 23, 2017 (2017-06-23)
513April 18, 2018 (2018-04-18)August 1, 2018 (2018-08-01)

Production[]

On January 11, 2013, it was announced that a backdoor pilot focused on the Originals, starring Joseph Morgan as Klaus and titled The Originals would air sometime in April for a potential series pick-up for the 2013–2014 season. On April 26, 2013, The Originals was confirmed for a full series.[8] This second spin-off attempt will be overseen by Julie Plec, with no involvement by Kevin Williamson.[9] The Originals was officially picked up by The CW on April 26, 2013, for the 2013–14 season.[10] Season one of The Originals was set to premiere on Tuesday, October 15.[11] However, on July 29, 2013, The CW announced that the series premiere would instead air on October 3, 2013, following the fifth-season premiere of The Vampire Diaries in order to attract fans of the series.[1] On October 10, 2013, the CW ordered three additional scripts for the series.[12] On November 11, 2013, the CW decided to order a full season for The Originals.[13]

Following her March 11 episode Claire Holt left the main cast.[14] Holt confirmed that she would be returning to the show, but that she needed to spend time with her family first.[15]

Reception[]

Ratings[]

Viewership and ratings per season of The Originals
Season Timeslot (ET) Episodes First aired Last aired TV season Viewership
rank		 Avg. viewers
(millions)		 18–49
rank		 Avg. 18–49
rating
Date Viewers
(millions) 		Date Viewers
(millions)
1 Tuesday 8:00 pm 22 October 3, 2013 (2013-10-03) 2.21[16] May 13, 2014 (2014-05-13) 1.76[17] 2013–14 149 2.61 112[18] 1.6/4[19]
2 Monday 8:00 pm 22 October 6, 2014 (2014-10-06) 1.37[20] May 11, 2015 (2015-05-11) 1.19[21] 2014–15 136 2.03 147[22] 0.9/3[23]
3 Thursday 9:00 pm (1–9)
Friday 9:00 pm (10–22)		 22 October 8, 2015 (2015-10-08) 0.89[24] May 20, 2016 (2016-05-20) 0.85[25] 2015–16 145 1.96 163[26] 0.6/2[27]
4 Friday 8:00 pm 13 March 17, 2017 (2017-03-17) 1.05[28] June 23, 2017 (2017-06-23) 0.80[29] 2016–17 141 1.37[30] TBD 0.3[31]
5 Wednesday 9:00 pm 13 April 18, 2018 (2018-04-18) 0.97[32] August 1, 2018 (2018-08-01) 0.86[33] 2017–18 151 1.36 [34] 155 0.6[35]

Awards and nominations[]

Year Award Category Nominee(s) Result Refs
2014 Emmy Awards Outstanding Hairstyling For A Single-Camera Series Colleen Labaff, Kimberley Spiteri Nominated [36]
People's Choice Awards Favorite Actor in a New Series Joseph Morgan Won
Favorite New TV Drama The Originals Nominated [37]
Teen Choice Awards Choice TV Actor Fantasy/Sci-Fi Joseph Morgan Nominated [38]
Choice TV Actress Fantasy/Sci-Fi Claire Holt Nominated
2015 Teen Choice Awards Choice TV Actor Fantasy/Sci-Fi Joseph Morgan Nominated [39]
2016 Teen Choice Awards Choice TV: Liplock Joseph Morgan & Leah Pipes Nominated [40]
Choice TV Actor Fantasy/Sci-Fi Joseph Morgan Nominated
2017 Teen Choice Awards Choice TV Actor Fantasy/Sci-Fi Joseph Morgan Nominated [41]
2018 American Society of Cinematographers Awards Outstanding Achievement in Cinematography in Regular Series for Commercial Television Kurt Jones (Episode: "Bag of Cobras") Nominated [42]
People's Choice Awards The Sci-Fi/Fantasy Show of 2018 The Originals Nominated [43]
Teen Choice Awards Choice Fantasy/Sci-Fi Series The Originals Nominated [44]
Choice TV Actor Fantasy/Sci-Fi Joseph Morgan Nominated

The Originals: The Awakening[]

See also: List of The Originals episodes § The Originals: The Awakening

In November 2014, a web series titled The Originals: The Awakening was released as the fourth show in the franchise. The series explores the character Kol Mikaelson and his relationships with his siblings. Flashing back to 1914, Kol is on a quest to form an alliance with the witches of the French Quarter. Awakening gives answers to some questions about Kol's past, including the origins of his rivalry with his family and the unique backstory he has with the New Orleans witches. Each webisode is approximately two minutes long. The series concluded on December 8, 2014. To date, The Originals: The Awakening is the only web series in The Vampire Diaries franchise.

Novels[]

On January 27, 2015, the first book in a series of novels based on the show was released.[45] The Rise, The Loss, and The Resurrection make up the three novels in The Originals series written by Julie Plec.[46]

Spin-off[]

Main article: Legacies (TV series)

In August 2017, it was announced that a spin-off focusing on Hope Mikaelson, the daughter of Klaus and Hayley, was in development. Julie Plec, co-creator of The Vampire Diaries and creator of The Originals, wrote the script and is credited with creating the series.[47] In January 2018, it was revealed that filming for the pilot would go into production in the second quarter of 2018.[48] It was announced in March 2018 that the spin-off was in fact ordered to pilot, but instead of a traditional pilot, Plec would be delivering a fifteen-minute pilot presentation of the series to The CW. It was also announced that The Vampire Diaries veteran Matt Davis would star in the project along with Aria Shahghasemi, Quincy Fouse, Jenny Boyd, and Kaylee Bryant. Shahghasemi debuted in the fifth season of The Originals as Hope's friend Landon.[49]

On May 11, 2018, it was announced that the spin-off, titled Legacies, was ordered to series for the 2018–19 season. The show centers around "a 17-year-old Hope, along with Alaric's twin daughters, and other young witches, vampires, and werewolves" as they come of age at the Salvatore Boarding School for the Young and Gifted.[50]

See also[]

References[]

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External links[]

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