The Originals (TV series)



The Originals is an American television series that began airing on The CW on October 3, 2013. Created as a spin-off of The Vampire Diaries, the series follows vampire Klaus Mikaelson as he and his family become embroiled in the supernatural politics of New Orleans.

The series premiere aired after The Vampire Diaries on Thursday, October 3, 2013. A week later, on October 8, 2013, it moved to Tuesdays at 8:00 p.m. Eastern (7:00 p.m. Central) in its regular timeslot where it led into Supernatural.

On March 11, 2016, The CW renewed the series for a fourth season consisting of 13 episodes, which premiered on March 17, 2017.

Series overview
The Originals is a spin-off from The Vampire Diaries which centers around the Mikaelson siblings, Klaus (Joseph Morgan), Elijah (Daniel Gillies), and Rebekah (Claire Holt). The backdoor pilot, which aired on April 25, 2013, also revealed that the werewolf Hayley (Phoebe Tonkin) is pregnant with Klaus's child and would, therefore, join the cast. The show begins with the original siblings returning to the city of New Orleans for the first time since 1919. Having originally built the city, they had been forced to flee from their vengeful father. In their absence, Klaus's protégé, Marcel (Charles Michael Davis), took charge of the city. Klaus resolves that they must take down Marcel and get back the city that once belonged to them. While doing that they must also protect their city from a war brewing between vampires, werewolves and witches. Over time new and old friendships are formed, love is in the air, death surrounds them and most of all they learn more about their own family past. The 2nd season, describes how Klaus's mystical child is going to be born and speaks of the threats that all of the family together must keep away from her. The 3rd season shows the Mikealsons facing a prophecy that speaks of their fall.

Cast and characters

 * Joseph Morgan as Niklaus "Klaus" Mikaelson: The self-procaimed King of New Orleans and the Original Hybrid: half-Original Vampire and half-werewolf. As the son of a witch and a werewolf plus being a vampire by magic, Klaus is one of the most ruthless and feared supernatural beings in history but also has a soft spot for his family. He is the father of Hayley's daughter, Hope, and is the adoptive father of Marcel, also his former protégé. Previously on The Vampire Diaries, he was romantically linked to Caroline Forbes. He eventually develops feelings for Cami.
 * Daniel Gillies as Elijah Mikaelson: An Original Vampire and Klaus' older maternal half-brother. He is shown to be extremely suave, always sporting a suit, and relatively level-headed compared to Klaus' more heated tendencies. He harbors romantic affections for Hayley.
 * Claire Holt as Rebekah Mikaelson (season 1; special guest star season 2–): An Original Vampire and Klaus' younger maternal half-sister. She is Klaus' favorite and the youngest of the Mikaelson siblings after the death of Henrik. At one time, she was in a romantic relationship with Marcel. Despite her unwavering love for her family, she desires to find love and start a family of her own, which is complicated by her family name and vampire status. She eventually leaves New Orleans to pursue a simpler life outside of her family. Holt departs the main cast near the end of season 1, but has guest started in every season since. Maisie Richardson-Sellers portrays Rebekah as she is possessing witch Eva Sinclair's body.
 * Phoebe Tonkin as Hayley Marshall-Kenner: Originally a werewolf, later hybrid, who conceived a daughter with Klaus named Hope. She is initially reluctant to be involved with the Mikaelsons, but is eventually accepted into the family and accepts them in return. She reciprocates Elijah's romantic feelings, but marries Jackson Kenner in order to unite their packs.
 * Charles Michael Davis as Marcel Gerard: A vampire, now enhanced Original Vampire, and former slave. He was turned by Klaus, his adoptive father and former mentor. He has a romantic past with both Rebekah and Cami. His relationship with the Mikaelsons is complicated as a result of his history with them as well as philisophical differences. They are often adversarial as Klaus and Marcel contantly struggle for power over New Orleans. He rescues Davina from being sacrificed and takes her under his wing as his adoptive daughter.
 * Daniella Pineda as Sophie Deveraux (season 1): A powerful witch of the French Quarter.
 * Leah Pipes as Camille O'Connell (seasons 1–3; special guest star season 4 ): A human therapist for Klaus who he is later affectionate toward, though she is also romantically involved with Marcel.
 * Danielle Campbell as Davina Claire (seasons 1–3; guest season 4 ): A powerful young witch and Marcel's adoptive daughter who becomes Regent of all witch covens in New Orleans. She doesn't much care for the Mikaelsons and seeks to destroy them with Marcel's help, until she unknowingly falls in love with one.
 * Yusuf Gatewood as Vincent Griffith (season 2–; guest season 1): A witch once possessed by Finn, the eldest brother among the Mikaelson siblings. He is the ex-husband of Eva Sinclair, the witch Rebekah possessed. He succeeds Davina as Regent of all witch covens in New Orleans.
 * Riley Voelkel as Freya Mikaelson (season 3–; recurring season 2): Klaus' long-lost maternal half-sister, Freya is an immensely powerful and skilled thousand-year-old witch, former immortal, and the eldest of the Mikaelson siblings.

Production
On January 11, 2013, it was announced that a back-door pilot focused on the Originals, starring Joseph Morgan as Klaus and titled The Originals would air sometime in April for a potential series pick-up for the 2013–2014 season. On April 26, 2013, The Originals was confirmed for a full series. This second spin-off attempt will be overseen by Julie Plec, with no involvement by Kevin Williamson. The Originals was officially picked up by The CW on April 26, 2013, for the 2013–14 season. Season one of The Originals was set to premiere on Tuesday, October 15. However, on July 29, 2013, The CW announced that the series premiere would instead air on October 3, 2013, following the fifth season premiere of The Vampire Diaries in order to attract fans of the series. On October 10, 2013, the CW ordered three additional scripts for the series. On November 11, 2013, the CW decided to order a full season for The Originals.

Following her March 11 episode Claire Holt left the main cast. Holt confirmed that she will be returning to the show, but she needs to spend time with her family first.

The Originals: The Awakening
The Originals: The Awakening is a webseries. The series explores the character Kol Mikaelson and his relationships with his siblings. Flashing back to 1914, Kol is on a quest to form an alliance with the witches of the French Quarter. Awakening gives answers to some questions about Kol's past, including the origins of his rivalry with his family and the unique backstory he has with the New Orleans witches. Each webisode is approximately two minutes long.

Principal cast

 * Nathaniel Buzolic as Kol Mikaelson
 * Keri Lynn Pratt as Mary-Alice Claire
 * Aleeah Rogers as Astrid Malchance

Novels
On January 27, 2015, the first book in a series of novels based on the show was released. The Rise, The Loss, and The Resurrection make up the three novels in The Originals series written by Julie Plec.