'' The Vampire Diaries'', an American

supernatural Supernatural refers to phenomena or entities that are beyond the laws of nature. The term is derived from Medieval Latin , from Latin (above, beyond, or outside of) + (nature) Though the corollary term "nature", has had multiple meanings si ...

drama, was renewed for an eighth and final season by The CW on March 11, 2016. On July 23, 2016, The CW announced that the upcoming season would be the series' last and would consist of 16 episodes. The season premiered on October 21, 2016, and concluded on March 10, 2017.

Cast

Main

* Paul Wesley as Stefan Salvatore *

Ian Somerhalder Ian Joseph Somerhalder (born December 8, 1978) is an American actor. He is known for playing Boone Carlyle in the TV drama ''Lost'', Damon Salvatore in The CW's supernatural drama ''The Vampire Diaries'', and Dr. Luther Swann in Netflix's sci ...

Damon Salvatore Damon Salvatore is a fictional character In L. J. Smith's novel series ''The Vampire Diaries''. He is portrayed by Ian Somerhalder in the television series. Damon is the one of the two main protagonists along with Stefan Salvatore, especially in ...

* Kat Graham as Bonnie Bennett *

Candice King Candice René King ( Accola; born May 13, 1987) is an American actress and singer. She is best known for her role as Caroline Forbes in The CW supernatural drama series ''The Vampire Diaries'' and her recurring role as the same character on th ...

Caroline Forbes ''The Vampire Diaries'' is an American fantasy-drama television series which was first broadcast on The CW from 2009 to 2017, airing 171 episodes over 8 seasons. Kevin Williamson and Julie Plec adapted the TV series from L.J. Smith's no ...

* Zach Roerig as Matt Donovan * Matt Davis as Alaric Saltzman * Michael Malarkey as

Enzo St. John '' The Vampire Diaries'' is an American fantasy-drama television series which was first broadcast on The CW from 2009 to 2017, airing 171 episodes over 8 seasons. Kevin Williamson and Julie Plec adapted the TV series from L.J. Smith's ...

Recurring

* Kristen Gutoskie as Seline * Demetrius Bridges as Dorian Williams * Allison Scagliotti as Georgie Dowling * Nathalie Kelley as Sybil * Lily Rose Mumford as Josie Saltzman * Tierney Mumford as Lizzie Saltzman * Wolé Parks as Cade * Joel Gretsch as Peter Maxwell * Sammi Hanratty as Violet Fell * Kayla Ewell as Vicki Donovan * Reece Odum as Karen

Special guest

* Michael Trevino as Tyler Lockwood * Chris Wood as Kai Parker

Special appearance

Steven R. McQueen Steven Chadwick McQueen (born July 13, 1988), known professionally as Steven R. McQueen, is an American actor, best known for his role as Jeremy Gilbert in The CW fantasy supernatural drama ''The Vampire Diaries'' from 2009 to 2015 and in 201 ...

Jeremy Gilbert '' The Vampire Diaries'' is an American fantasy-drama television series which was first broadcast on The CW from 2009 to 2017, airing 171 episodes over 8 seasons. Kevin Williamson and Julie Plec adapted the TV series from L.J. Smith's ...

Sara Canning Sara Canning (born July 14, 1987) is a Canadian actress. She co-starred on The CW television series ''The Vampire Diaries'' as Jenna Sommers, and appeared in the 2009 feature film, '' Black Field''. She starred as Dylan Weir in the Canadian telev ...

as Jenna Sommers *

Marguerite MacIntyre Marguerite MacIntyre is an American actress, writer and producer. She is known for her role as Elizabeth Forbes in ''The Vampire Diaries'' (2009-2017) and as Miss Rhode Island in the 1994 ''Seinfeld'' episode The Chaperone. Biography She has ...

as Liz Forbes *

David Anders David Anders Holt (born March 11, 1981), known professionally as David Anders, is an American television and stage actor. He is best known for his roles as Julian Sark on ''Alias'', as Adam Monroe on ''Heroes'', as John Gilbert in the TV series '' ...

as John Gilbert * Jodi Lyn O'Keefe as Jo Laughlin * Jasmine Guy as Sheila Bennett *

Arielle Kebbel Arielle Caroline Kebbel (born February 19, 1985) is an American actress and model. She has appeared in various television series, including ''Gilmore Girls'' (2003–2004), ''The Vampire Diaries'' (2009–2017), ''Life Unexpected'' (2010), ''90 ...

as Lexi Branson * Jaz Sinclair as Beatrice Bennett *

Natashia Williams Natashia Williams-Blach (born August 2, 1978) is an American actress and former Wonderbra campaign model, who is perhaps best known for her role as Shane Phillips in the NBC/ syndicated series ''She Spies''. Biography Natashia Williams began h ...

as Lucy Bennett

Guest

* Aisha Duran as Virginia St. John *

Tristin Mays Tristin Mays (born June 10, 1990) is an American actress. Mays portrayed Riley Davis in the reboot of the ''MacGyver'' series on CBS who works as a covert operative for the Phoenix Foundation. Early life and education Mays' parents, Viveca and Mi ...

as Sarah Nelson * Alexandra Chando as Tara * Evan Gamble as Henry Wattles * Persia White as Abby Bennett Wilson * Melinda Clarke as Kelly Donovan * Nina Dobrev as Katherine Pierce / Elena Gilbert

Episodes

Production

Filming for the season began on July 20, 2016. It was announced on July 23, 2016, that season 8 of '' The Vampire Diaries'' would be the series' last and co-creater Kevin Williamson would return as a showrunner. Filming for the season ended on February 8, 2017.

Casting

On January 26, 2017, it was announced that Nina Dobrev would return as Elena Gilbert in the series finale. At the end of the episode, "It's Been a Hell of a Ride" on February 24, 2017, it was revealed that Dobrev would reprise her role of Katherine Pierce as well.

Reception

Critical response

Based on 16 reviews, the eighth season holds a 100% on Rotten Tomatoes with an average rating of 8 out of 10. The site's critics' consensus reads, "Even into its eighth season, ''The Vampire Diaries'' exceeds genre expectations while still servicing fans with Nina Dobrev's return."

Ratings

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Vampire Diaries (season 8), The 8 2016 American television seasons 2017 American television seasons