The Originals isn’t, really. It’s a spinoff from The Vampire Diaries, set in New Orleans, and focuses on the supposedly “original” vampires who’ve caused so much emotional turmoil and teen angst in Vampire Diaries’ star-crossed town of Mythic Falls.
New Orleans is hot and sultry, with a stormy history replete with ghosts, witches, goblins and spirits. New Orleans is a natural — if somewhat overused — setting for TV tales of the supernatural, and The Originals made good use of the Big Easy’s charms in its opener earlier this month.
It bowed to decent if not spectacular ratings on the CW network in the U.S., and on the looseknit CH chain of independent stations here in Canada.
While it won’t make anyone forget Vampire Diaries, which has firmly established itself after four seasons now, The Originals looks like a safe bet to make it through the season without fear of cancellation — which should satisfy those Vampire-obsessed viewers worried that they would become addicted to a new show, only to have it yanked unceremoniously off the air.
The Originals is not The Vampire Diaries, though. It doesn’t have Nina Dobrev, for one, or Paul Wesley or Ian Somerhalder for another. The actors in The Originals are largely unfamiliar, even to dedicated Diaries viewers. And while the two share the same head writer-producer, Julie Plec, they’re quite different in tone.
The Originals is dark and moody, or tries to be, where Diaries is bright and lively, even during scenes of mayhem. It doesn’t take a psychic to guess that Diaries fans, given a choice, will remain more loyal to the original.
Casual viewers, meanwhile, will find themselves baffled by The Originals’ complicated backstory. The action revolves around the three Mikaelson siblings, the world’s original vampires: Klaus, played by U.K. actor Joseph Morgan; Elijah, played by Winnipeg native Daniel Gillies, and Rebekah, played by Aussie-born Claire Holt.
Assorted lovers, hangers-on, groupies, protegés and pretenders to the vampire throne flitting around in the background, along with the usual coterie of witches, demons, werewolves and restless spirits.
In tonight’s outing, Klaus and Rebekah join forces to take down an uppity pretender at a masquerade ball, only to discover that the best-laid plans of vampires and men often go astray, especially when party guests aren’t who they pretend to be.
The Originals does not bear close examination. It’s best to just accept it on its own terms, and go with it. Either you appreciate the genre, or you don’t.
And while The Originals’ short-term prospects are safe for now, its longer-term prospects are more iffy. The real trouble with The Originals, based on the early evidence of its first three episodes, is its lack of crossover appeal.
The Vampire Diaries has survived as long as it has in part because Dobrev, Somerhalder and Wesley are charismatic performers who’ve breathed life into otherwise wafer-thin characters. Week after week, they make the impossible seem, if not believable exactly, plausible at least. 8 p.m., CH, CW
Three to see
• The absorbing, full-length documentary Superheroes: The Never-Ending Battle profiles the history of superheroes in North American culture from 1938 to present day and, more importantly, places each legend in the context of its times, from the Great Depression to the Communist witch hunts of the 1950s, to today’s obsession with zombies, vampires and Spider-Man. 8 p.m., PBS
• Marvel’s Agents of SHIELD continues to scare up superhero-size numbers for CTV, despite the inevitable fall-off from its opening-night ratings performance. Tonight, Agent Coulson (Clark Gregg) and the SHIELD team pursue a woman from Coulson’s past who’s pulling off spectacular, high-stakes heists. 8 p.m., CTV, ABC
• NCIS continues to draw a crowd, even in its 11th season. Tonight, Gibbs (Mark Harmon) and McGee (Sean Murray) go to Afghanistan to investigate the murder of a woman who was impersonating a dead soldier. And this is in the top five most-watched shows on TV in Canada. 8 p.m., Global, CBS
