By RODNEY HO/ rho@ajc.com, originally filed Friday, March 11, 2016
One of the first scripted dramas to land in Atlanta after the state passed juiced up tax credits in 2008 was the CW's "The Vampire Diaries."
The show - like vampires - has staying power. The network has given the show its eighth season for 2016-17. It has also cleared a fourth season for the spin-off "The Originals."
Both shows are heavily shot in Conyers and have built up a very loyal following thanks in large part to the two major leads and heartthrobs Paul Wesley and Ian Somerhalder. Nina Dobrev left after six seasons.
The CW moved "Vampire Diaries" to Fridays this past season and ratings have slipped. In 2015, the show averaged 2.359 million viewers (Live + 7), ranked 13th among all prime-time shows in Atlanta. It was the 252nd most popular prime-time show across all television, matched by FX's "The Americans."
Last year, "The Originals," which airs after "The Vampire Diaries" Fridays, drew 1.926 million viewers (Live+7). That's ranked 19th among Atlanta-produced prime-time shows and 326nd out of all TV prime-time shows. Its ratings were comparable to that of Starz' "Outlander" and Bravo's "Below Deck."
Once the network's biggest show, "Vampire Diaries" has been eclipsed by "The Flash" (5.844 million), "Arrow" (4.134 million), veteran show "Supernatural" (2.881 million) and "iZombie" (2.431 million).
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