The Uncanny Similarities Between The Vampire Diaries and Buffy the Vampire Slayer

In 1997, Joss Whedon’s Buffy the Vampire Slayer premiered. In 2009, The Vampire Diaries aired. These shows are more than a decade apart, and yet, watching them both, there are very noticeable similarities. They essentially use the same formula. While other shows have had similar storylines, with a “chosen one” having to save the world, very few series are as similar as these two shows. Even more, many of them are not as popular and have not had such an impact on society. So, why does this specific type of show work so well?

Let’s start with the characters, shall we? First, let’s go with Buffy the Vampire Slayer. 

Buffy Summers is introduced as a 16-year-old girl, and even if she looks like a normal ‘90s teenager, she most definitely is not. She is the Slayer, tasked with saving the world from monsters, demons, and other supernatural creatures that range from being very ugly to very attractive. She is helped by her “Scooby Gang,” which includes Willow Rosenberg, Xander Harris, Rupert Giles, and others who come and go throughout the series. Willow is her best friend and revealed as a witch by Season 3. Xander is the token normal human who helps as much as possible, and has a bit of a crush on Buffy in the beginning. Giles is a librarian and Watcher, who keeps the teenagers in line and also, you know, hopefully alive! Then, of course we need a love triangle, so in comes Angel and Spike. Angel is a broody, “good” vampire with a violent past, and Spike is the bad boy vampire. The two vampires have a history, as we later find out. Next, we have Cordelia Chase as a cheerleader and traditional popular girl. She dated Xander, but eventually develops a relationship with Angel (which is explored in the spinoff series Angel). We have Joyce Summers, Buffy’s mother, who gets involved with the supernatural world, even if she doesn’t find out until later in the show, and finally, we have Dawn, Buffy’s younger sister, who also tangles with creatures, even though Buffy tries to protect her (Dawn doesn’t appear until Season 5, in a unique twist that suddenly writes her character into the show). 

Now let’s look at The Vampire Diaries. 

Elena Gilbert is a 17-year-old girl at the beginning of the show. Similar to Buffy, she looks normal, but is actually a Petrova Doppelganger (part of the Petrova family line, with ancestors to whom she looks identical). She gets involved with the supernatural world when she meets Stefan, a broody vampire to whom she immediately feels a connection. As she fights supernatural beings, she is aided by friends and family. There is Bonnie Bennett, her best friend since childhood who discovers that she is a witch. There is Matt Donavan, who dated Elena and still loves her. He is the token human, who attempts to help despite lacking any form of powers. We have Alaric Saltzman, the history teacher who helps the kids fight and again, you know, stay alive. We have another love triangle with Stefan and Damon. Stefan is a broody vampire who is a Ripper, meaning he was very violent before finally vowing to no longer hurt humans. On the other side, Damon, Stefan’s brother, is a bad boy vampire. For more side characters, we have Caroline Forbes, a cheerleader and friend (although there may be tension at times with a little known thing called jealousy), who dates Matt for a bit but ends up with Stefan. We have Jenna Sommers (or Aunt Jenna), who is a mother figure for Elena, and who gets involved with the supernatural world, even if she doesn’t know it yet. Finally, there is Jeremy, Elena’s younger brother who she tries to protect as much as possible. But, of course, he gets involved anyway.

Clearly, Buffy the Vampire Slayer and The Vampire Diaries use a LOT of the same character tropes!

We’ve already gone over some relationship drama, but that’s definitely not where the similarities end. Let’s talk about similar plot points. There are certainly parallels with how the main girls find out their love interest is a vampire. On both shows, the vampires were initially very mysterious, so much so that it’s sort of surprising that they weren’t discovered sooner. Angel appeared out of the blue at the perfect moments to give Buffy cryptic advice, just as Stefan would miraculously appear to talk to Elena. Also, for both storylines, Buffy and Elena are initially afraid when they find out, but eventually come to realize that Angel and Stefan are good vampires and won’t hurt them…until later, when both “good” vampires inevitably hurt the girl they love.

That brings us to another storyline, but first, we need context. In the Buffyverse, when someone becomes a vampire, they lose their soul. Angel, however, is unique: he is cursed with a soul, making him a good vampire. On The Vampire Diaries, vampires have the option to turn off their humanity, allowing them to avoid feelings of guilt and morality. In Season 2 of Buffy, Angel loses his soul after experiencing a moment of true happiness. On The Vampire Diaries, Stefan turns off his humanity multiple times, in similar scenes—and by similar, I mean very similar.

Another parallel storyline is the main character having to sacrifice herself. Buffy needs to die in order to defeat the Master, as told in a prophecy. Elena needs to die for Niklaus, a hybrid werewolf/vampire, to break his curse. Both protagonists don’t want to die, since they’re teenagers, and strongly declare that they want to live. But eventually, they realize that they must sacrifice themselves. Don’t worry though, they come back. That’s another thing: people who die on these shows don’t stay dead for long!

There are other storylines like the witch best friend turning evil for a bit, and a main character’s mother dying from cancer, and moments like the main character and their frenemies fighting to be homecoming queen, but I think I’ve covered the major ones. 

So, why are they so similar? Well, Buffy the Vampire Slayer worked very well with its generation, getting seven seasons and then continuing on in comic book form, so The Vampire Diaries may be attempting to be the Buffy for this generation. As for why they are both so popular, the combination of supernatural and completely human problems makes for some entertaining binge-watching; it’s also real enough to be able to relate to, but still fictional enough to escape from reality when necessary. Even though none of us have experienced vampires crashing high school events, every high school has that one kid who’s great with computers, or is a “mean girl” with a heart of gold, and every storyline comes from human reactions. And of course, it’s not a bad thing that they’re similar. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it, right? I love both of these shows, even if I might have a soft spot for ‘90s fashion.

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