If you are fan of vampires and other supernatural creatures then you are in for a double dose of fun tonight. CW's new spin-off of The Originals premieres tonight, following the season five premiere of The Vampire Diaries.

 

The new series follows the original vampire siblings, as Klaus (Joseph Morgan), the vampire-werewolf hybrid, has returned to the city his family helped build three centuries ago, New Orleans, which has been taken over by his former protégé, Marcel (Charles Michael Davis). As always, Klaus is not one to take a back seat and wants what is his returned, though it's a lot more complicated than he might think. Klaus's onetime flame, werewolf Hayley (Phoebe Tonkin), has a secret that could give he and his family a chance at redemption, and when Elijah (Daniel Gillies) finds out her revelation and that she's being kept by witch Sophie Deveraux (Daniella Pineda), he leaves for New Orleans to lend help to Klaus, whether he wants it or not.

When I first knew about the spin-off, I honestly wondered if it could work. Generally you want to root for the lead of the show, and over the seasons, Klaus has not been a nice character on The Vampire Diaries, more someone you love to hate. Yet there has also been a glimpse here and there, mostly connected to Caroline (Candice Accola), who wouldn't be on the spin-off. Would it work?

I was pleasantly surprised after watching the screener. I was actually glad that Klaus is still the same; he's never going to be the hero, though I can see after watching the first episode that there will be a chance for redemption and I think that that struggle (even if he loses it) will be interesting; everyone loves a bad boy. I also can get on board with the reasons their characters are moving to New Orleans.

I also really enjoyed Elijah in the episode. He's always been the more levelheaded one and he and Morgan play well off of each other, whether talking or fighting.

I'm interested to see Rebeckah (Claire Holt)'s part to play during the season, as she hasn't become as involved much as of the pilot, but I have a feeling she will be joining the fun.

The aspect of the witches in this series and the role they play will add an interesting dynamic to the series as well. Of course there will also be werewolves in the series, since Tonkin is a big part of the show.

I'm curious if the network will ever do any "crossover" episodes, because there I'm sure will be opportunity to bring characters from each series back and forth.

Overall I really enjoyed the pilot. The series will be a lot the same tone as The Vampire Diaries, yet unique in its own way. Fans of the original series will definitely like the spin-off, and even if you saw the "backdoor pilot" during The Vampire Diaries, it's still a watch and adds some new and interesting pieces, as well as a different ending.

The Originals premiere tonight with "Always and Forever," on the CW at 9:00pm ET, following the season five premiere of The Vampire Diaries.