Vampire Diaries: The Originals Gets Disappointing Streaming Update

By Sam Hargrave Posted:
The Originals TV poster

The Vampire Diaries spin-off The Originals made a disappointing streaming move.

The world of The CW's supernatural teen drama The Vampire Diaries expanded in 2013 alongside the flagship series' fifth season with The Originals spin-off.

The Originals ran for five seasons, even outliving The Vampire Diaries by over a year before Legacies arrived to take its place.

All three shows in the supernatural universe have now concluded, with no indication of whether the untitled fourth show in the works will be picked up.

The Originals Officially Leaves Netflix

Vampire Diaries and The Originals poster
The CW

For over a year, The Vampire Diaries spin-off The Originals has been found streaming on Netflix. But the popular streamer has now officially removed The CW drama from the service as of September 6, disappointingly leaving it without a new home.

Those now looking to enjoy the five seasons of The Originals in the U.S. will now, unfortunately, have to fork out for the digital purchase, which can be found now on Apple TV, Amazon, Vudu, and Microsoft.

This isn't the first time Netflix has removed The Originals, with its last time taking place on July 1, 2022, only for it to return just over a month later on August 18.

What's on Netflix reported at the time that, according to their intel, the streamer had renewed its deal with The CW to host The Originals for a further year, with that period now seemingly at an end with no renegotiation currently in sight. 

Where Will The Originals Stream Next?

Up until last year, The CW supernatural universe's flagship series, The Vampire Diaries, had its home on Netflix alongside The Originals. However, the show vacated the service in September 2022 in favor of a move to HBO Max.

While Netflix's decision to hold onto The Originals while letting The Vampire Diaries go seemed confusing at the time, this may be a sign that the spin-off may soon join its parent show on Max.

On the topic of The Vampire Diaries' second spin-off Legacies, the show remains on Netflix and is expected to stay there. This comes due to an agreement that concluded with shows debuting in the 2018/19 season that saw The CW's shows come to Netflix during their lifetime and for five years after ending.

As that five-year window has now just lapsed for The Originals following its conclusion in August 2018, The CW is free to shop the series elsewhere, with Max currently being its most likely new streaming home.

The Originals is available now for digital purchase.

- About The Author: Sam Hargrave
Sam Hargrave is the Associate Editor at The Direct. He joined the team as a gaming writer in 2020 before later expanding into writing for all areas of The Direct and taking on further responsibilities such as editorial tasks and image creation.