"Hope" is the key word for Legacies Season 2. The Vampire Diaries and The Originals fans hope to see more characters from those shows in The CW spinoff. Legacies fans also hope to see more of supporting characters like Penelope Park, and the rise of favorite relationships. And we all hope that we haven't seen the last of Hope Mikaelson after her Klaus-would-be-proud sacrifice in the Legacies Season 1 finale.
There are a lot of exciting possibilities for where Legacies could take The Vampire Diaries Universe next in 2019-2020. Here's what we know so far about Legacies Season 2.
When Will Legacies Season 2 Premiere?
Legacies Season 2 will be keeping its Thursday nights at 9 p.m. timeslot, right behind Supernatural. In June, The CW announced Legacies Season 2 would premiere on Thursday, October 10, 2019. That means we're getting Legacies a bit earlier than we did last year; Legacies Season 1 premiered October 25, 2018.
What Will Legacies Season 2 Be About?
Legacies Season 1 ended with Hope sacrificing herself to protect Landon (and everyone else). She jumped into the Malivore pit, which saved the day because she is the one and only tribrid, but her heroism came with a price -- it left everyone forgetting she ever existed. The CW issued a synopsis for Legacies Season 2, saying the 2019-2020 season would show us a world without Hope and all the chaos that goes with it. Meanwhile, Hope will be trying to find her way back to the Salvatore School. Season 2 will also "be filled with new monsters and more romantic and emotional surprises than ever."
Legacies creator and The Vampire Diaries Universe ruler Julie Plec told TV Guide Season 2 will show how much impact Hope had in everyone's lives without them even realizing what they're missing. She also said there's hope for remembering Hope and getting her back, and we should expect clues to emerge on that front for our confused characters. Plec also said they planned to make Malivore an ongoing threat, like Voldemort was for Harry Potter, but also continue to have more cool monsters of the week.
When Does Legacies Season 2 Start Filming?
After the Legacies Season 1 finale aired, Julie Plec answered some fan questions on Twitter. At one point, she noted that her team would start writing Legacies Season 2 at the beginning of June and start filming in late July.
Legacies Season 2 production started right on cue in July, with the cast starting filming the Monday after San Diego Comic-Con. There are meant to be 20 episodes in the 2019-2020 season, up from 16 for Season 1.
Hope Mikaelson (Danielle Rose Russell)
So much of Legacies Season 2 is going to have to follow whatever happened next to Hope after she jumped into Malivore, while balancing that with everyone else at the Salvatore School kinda noticing there's something missing. Danielle Rose Russell said she hoped Season 2 would show more of Hope's darker side, since jumping into Malivore must've damaged her psyche.
Everyone else may have forgotten her, but she should still remember them. That includes her love, Landon, although it sounds like he may move on from her in Season 2, which "kills her." However, it also sounds like we meet two new characters -- siblings who both have crushes on Hope. Hope will of course also remember headmaster/mentor Alaric and -- if Matt Davis can be believed -- they have some adventures in Season 2. The one who needs Hope most of all right now is probably Rafael, who is stuck in perma-wolf mode.
Legacies fans already got a hint of how bad the world would be without Hope in Lizzie's alternate timeline episode. So, we need Hope back. However, Julie Plec noted to TV Guide that, wherever Hope is, evil Clarke is there as well. Plec compared their dynamic to Damon and Bonnie from The Vampire Diaries. If we get Hope back, we probably get Landon's bro back, too. Also, if Hope died and returned, Plec told TVLine she'd presumably come back as a vampire. Would she become a true tribrid with the powers of all three -- a witch, a werewolf, and a vampire? Maybe. But, as Plec asked, if the monsters didn’t die in the pit, did Hope? If not, Hope might just return in the same non-vampire status as before. At some point, though, she has to go full vamp, right?
Alaric Saltzman (Matt Davis)
Alaric is basically running the school solo, except for Dorian, who deserves a raise. Caroline should be running the place with him, but she's off in Europe trying to find a way to help the twins beat The Merge when they reach age 22. (Apparently we will get a Caroline reference in the Season 2 premiere, though.) Guidance counselor Emma also took a sabbatical, for however long that lasts. Alaric admitted in the Legacies Season 1 finale that he didn't make the best choices as headmaster, and he left his fate at the school up to the new honor council. What happens if they decide he should go? Here's what Julie Plec told TV Guide:
I think that for a man whose last decade-plus of his life has been committed wholly to his daughters and this school, if he wakes up one morning and is no longer the headmaster, that's going to be a big dramatic shift for him and I'd wonder how he would make it through that.
Alaric has spent a lot of time with Hope, training her as her mentor and father figure. Hope called Alaric in the Legacies Season 1 finale to say goodbye and have him destroy information about her so everyone would forget her. But "There's Always a Loophole," as the Season 1 finale title noted, and we know that won't be the end of Hope. Alaric is also going to have to be busy watching his twin daughters Josie and Lizzie, since they just discovered the Ascendant they used with Bonnie Bennett on The Vampire Diaries, and that could open a huge can of Kai-flavored worms. Alaric could sure use some backup at the school. Hint, hint, Caroline. Here's more on what might be ahead for Alaric, per Matt Davis.
Landon Kirby (Aria Shahghasemi)
As a phoenix, Landon can die and come back nearly new, which is helpful since he really does seem to need to be saved a lot. He could use some fight training in Legacies Season 2, just saying. He's going to have to be the strong one with best friend Rafael in werewolf mode. With Raf in a tight spot and Hope at least temporarily out of his life, Landon is probably going to be more lost than ever.
I had previously speculated here that Landon might get a new love interest, since Hope isn't around and Landon doesn't even remember that he dated her. Apparently some kind of love triangle like that is ahead for Landon in Season 2 and it breaks Hope's heart. Also, what will Landon remember about his brother Clarke and Malivore lore in general? Anything at all? I wonder how long the lack of memory will last for everyone.
Rafael Waithe (Peyton Alex Smith)
Poor Raf is not in a good place without Hope's unique help on the werewolf front. As Julie Plec put it bluntly to TVLine:
He’s fucked, basically. Hope had said in a previous episode that he can use the ring to turn into a werewolf, but she’s the only one who can turn him back. He doesn’t realize that the one person who can fix him is no longer in existence. Rafael will start Season 2 still as a wolf, which will do a huge number on him, psychologically speaking. It’s going to affect his relationship with everybody.
That sounds awful for Raf, but also maybe exciting for actor Peyton Alex Smith to play all those psychological notes. Should be interesting to watch...from a safe distance.
Josie Saltzman (Kaylee Bryant)
Josie almost died from a Malivore mud bullet in the Legacies Season 1 finale, but she was saved by -- who else? -- Hope via Hope's uniquely powerful tribrid blood. Will that blood affect Gemini Coven Siphoner Josie in some way? We'll have to see. At least Josie and Lizzie seemed to bond in the finale, as the threat of Josie dying made the twins put aside their many differences, including the looming threat of who would survive in The Merge.
Because, yes, now they finally know about The Merge. Also, they have a lingering memory of that thing they found in the Legacies Season 1 finale. The Vampire Diaries fans know it's an Ascendant, which could be used with their Gemini Coven magic to release their evil Uncle Kai Parker from his latest Prison World. That would be bad. But, also exciting.
Kai killed the twins' biological mother, aka his twin sister, on her wedding day to Alaric. Kai also tried to kill the twins. It's hard to imagine he wouldn't try again if he returned, but he also might just try to turn them against each other so they do the work for him. There are many possibilities there.
On the Josie romance front, she's one of those characters fans ship across many options. Posie shippers hope Penelope Park returns to reunite with Josie. Hosie shippers saw Josie's chemistry with Hope. And Josie started the season liking Raf. Maybe she won't have any romances in Legacies Season 2, or they could go for the Landon angle and try to bring them together in Hope's absence. We'll see.
Lizzie Saltzman (Jenny Boyd)
Lizzie and Josie Saltzman ended Season 1 on good terms, but the threat of The Merge is still in the air. Per Gemini Coven ritual, the twins would be forced to face each other, with the "stronger" twin absorbing the magic of the "weaker" twin, and the weaker twin dying. Don't forget that Lizzie's amazing wish realm episode included her learning about The Merge, before she got the update in the regular timeline.
With her final wish, she had made it so the Jinni never ended up in Malivore. But that removed the memory of the events from Lizzie's mind, except for a remnant that the Jinni said would linger and slowly make her go crazy. It was suggested that Lizzie could snap and kill Josie, as in the alternate timeline. But Josie did show by the end of Legacies Season 1 that she had a powerful strength of her own, showing Lizzie that maybe she wouldn't be able to defeat Josie in The Merge after all. If their Uncle Kai does come back, I feel like he'd manipulate the heck out of Lizzie by getting inside her already fragile mind and causing all kinds of mischief.
One exciting Lizzie note to add is that she's getting a new love interest in Legacies Season 2. Descendants star Thomas Doherty has been cast as her love interest, a very old vampire with old-fashioned ways. His name is reportedly Sebastian. Sounds like this guy!
Other Legacies Characters In Season 2
In addition to the new love interest for Lizzie, the Salvatore School is also getting a new professor. Buffy and Angel alum Alexis Denisof has been cast as "urbane British sorcerer" Professor Vardemus. We'll first meet him in Legacies Season 2, Episode 2. He was described by TVLine as "a bit of a dandy [who] wins over the Salvatore students with his steadfast belief in the superiority of their supernatural world."
There are many other existing Legacies characters fans hope to see get key storylines in Legacies Season 2. MG (Quincy Fouse) just cut ties with his Triad mom, and he and Kaleb (Chris Lee) re-bonded in the end. Will MG keep in touch with his new gorgon friend? Or will MG maybe get closer to his crush, Lizzie, in Season 2? Will we get an episode focused on true MVP Pedro (Reznor Malaiik Allen)? Will Emma Tig (Karen David) return? And, what about Penelope Park (Lulu Antariksa)? So many fans came to love Josie's "evil ex" turned staunchest defender that it was heartbreaking when Penelope was shown leaving the Salvatore school for Belgium. Will we ever see her again? Here's what Julie Plec told TV Guide:
Certainly my hope is that she remains in our universe and she, in spite of being in Belgium with her family, may make an appearance again. I can't make any promises, but I certainly would love to see her.
However, during Comic-Con, Julie Plec had no set plans to introduce Penelope. But maybe that will change. Penelope had used a spell to capture information on what everyone at the school wrote down. That's how Josie first learned about The Merge, and it seems to me that kind of info might be helpful in people remembering Hope.
What Characters From The Vampire Diaries and The Originals Could Return For Legacies Season 2?
Julie Plec said that Hope's Legacies Season 2 storyline includes a link to the family left behind, so she's trying to get some stars from The Originals to return. She didn't know who would return at that point. She did say she wanted to have Hope's Aunt Freya Mikaelson on the show, but actress Riley Voelkel had a schedule conflict with Roswell, New Mexico. Legacies Season 1 established a precedent for bringing back Vampire Diaries and The Originals characters for guest or recurring roles. We have Matt Davis' Alaric, Demetrius Bridges' Dorian, and Danielle Rose Russell's Hope as regular characters continuing from TVD and The Originals. Zach Roerig also showed up as Matt Donovan for two episodes. Steven R. McQueen had a blink-and-you-missed-him return as Jeremy Gilbert.
Will either Sheriff Donovan or Jeremy be back in Legacies Season 2? It would be great to see them. I'm not sure how much to believe from what Alaric actor Matt Davis said at Comic-Con, but he said Alaric might have a romance with the new sheriff in Mystic Falls. If that's the case, what happened to Matt? Also, Jedidiah Goodacre returned as The Originals' Roman, and I kind of thought they'd do more with him than what was in Season 1, so maybe he'll be back too?
As for adding characters in Legacies Season 2, the name on everyone's lips is Caroline. She was referenced all the time in Season 1, as the mother of twins Lizzie and Josie, and co-head of the entire Salvatore School. Caroline is off in Europe, but actress Candice King is the one they really need to sign to get her on board, even if just for a cameo. Hey, if NCIS can get Ziva back, we can get a Caroline cameo, right? Well, we'll see.
Also, Julie Plec knows she put Kai Parker actor Chris Wood on the spot with that Legacies Season 1 finale cliffhanger with the Saltzman twins and the Ascendant. So, will Kai be in Legacies Season 2 or not? Again, we'll have to wait and see.
And what about the Salvatores? The Vampire Diaries' Damon and Elena live in Mystic Falls in the timeline of Legacies, and Lizzie's alternate universe episode mentioned they have kids. We even heard about their daughter, Stefanie, named in honor of Stefan Salvatore. Julie Plec acknowledged the existence of the kids and said one of the things she's thinking about is how Damon and Elena's kids might fit into the world of Legacies. Ian Somerhalder has his own vampire show for Netflix called V-Wars, but Nina Dobrev just saw her CBS sitcom Fam cancelled, so maybe she'd be willing to pop in as Elena Gilbert-Salvatore?
Julie Plec named six characters from The Originals and The Vampire Diaries that she'd love to see on Legacies -- including Caroline and Kai, but also TVD's Bonnie (Katerina Graham), and The Originals' Freya (Riley Voelkel), Vincent (Yusuf Gatewood), and Rebekah (Claire Holt). We'll have to see if any or even all make appearances on Legacies. Paul Wesley (Stefan Salvatore) returned as a director for Legacies Season 1 and it would be great to see him back for more in Season 2, or as one of the monsters of the week. We know he shut the door on playing Stefan again. What about Joseph Morgan as Klaus Mikaelson? Any way we could get him even in a flashback or in vision form for Hope?
Where Can I Watch Legacies Season 1?
Legacies Season 1 had 16 episodes airing on The CW. You can stream the episodes now on The CW app, or rent episodes through Amazon Prime Video, or stream via Vudu. You can also watch all of Legacies Season 1 on Netflix, along with every season of The Vampire Diaries and The Originals.
Interestingly enough, some fans are binge-watching Legacies and then going back to watch The Vampire Diaries and The Originals to catch all of the references from the previous shows. This means it's not just fans starting with The Vampire Diaries, and then going to the first spinoff with The Originals, and then to the joint spinoff Legacies. I love that some fans are starting with the new show and working backwards. It suggests good things for the longevity of The Vampire Diaries Universe if those old shows are still picking up new fans years later.
Will There Be A Legacies Season 3?
It's currently summer 2019, and that's too soon to say if the writers (and network) want the story to continue into Legacies Season 3. The CW renewed Legacies for Season 2 well before Season 1 was finished airing, so, hopefully, that's the case again in 2019-2020 for Season 3. Really, though, I hope the network lets Julie Plec and company know early on what the status is, so Season 2 doesn't leave us on a forever-dangling cliffhanger.
The Vampire Diaries got eight seasons, and The Originals had five seasons. Here's hoping Legacies gets at least three seasons (giving us a better chance of ever seeing some of the TVD and Originals characters above). But a Legacies Season 3 will take viewers showing up to watch Legacies Season 2, so don't miss a Thursday night episode if you want to see the story continue into 2020-2021.
Stay tuned for more updates from CinemaBlend on Legacies Season 2, before and after its Thursday, October 10, 2019 start date. Here's hoping we also get some kind of special 10-year reunion special for The Vampire Diaries, since the timing seems like it would work well for all three franchise shows.
