Teen romance is not the only thing Legacies will be changing up. Anticipation continues to mount for the latest spinoff in The Vampire Diaries franchise, and prospective viewers can add another piece to the ever-developing details surrounding it. Technically a spinoff of The Originals, Legacies will follow the daughter of one of Vampire Diaries' most prominent villains: Klaus Mikaelson. So, which force of evil will the spinoff have at its fore? Showrunner Julie Plec has shared a key insight on Legacies and its villains, saying:
There is definitely an overall Big Bad that we slowly hint at. We're doing something ... that I have never done before, which is embracing, not always, but often, a Monster of the Week.
You can never underestimate the power of this formula. It is a strong one, and whether it is Smallville with its meteor-afflicted foes or The Flash and its dealings with metahumans, it works. Both series utilized the format early in their respective runs, and it worked out swimmingly for both of them. So, Julie Plec announcing that Legacies will embrace such a setup (per TVLine) is a significant hint as to how the show will work.
And we may have already received a possible hint as to how the Big Bad may play into the spinoff. As fans of Vampire Diaries' Caroline are well aware of by now, she will not be present when Legacies begins. And given that her daughters are central to the plot of the show, it is a bit surprising. The characters on the show will have their reasons for not being alarmed at first. However, Julie Plec has revealed that as the season progresses, a mystery will spring up regarding her whereabouts.
In that vein, Julie Plec revealed that when Legacies begins, Alaric will believe Caroline has had to leave in the short-term in the interest of procuring her daughters' "long-term survival." Could Legacies' ultimate villain be a threat to the Saltzman twins? And do they have something to do with Caroline not returning? Time will tell if none of this is connected. With Caroline away and the show steering clear of declaring a central Big Bad early in its run, it seems like the two could be.
Regardless, Legacies is making a smart move by taking its time building up to its Big Bad. When they were historically revealed on Vampire Diaries, they tended to take over all the focus and conversation on the show. With a villain-of-the-week angle, fans of the spinoff can enjoy having its main characters and their relationships with one another established before they have to focus on combatting the threat of the central villain. It is a break from the franchise's legacy, which should work to its advantage.
Legacies will premiere Thursday, October 25 at 9 p.m. ET on The CW. For other new television shows set to bow this fall, check out CinemaBlend's guide to TV's fall premieres. If you are solely curious about what's coming up on The CW's lineup, feel free to check out the network's fall schedule here.
