The Originals: How The Vampire Diaries Spin-Off Ended & Where Can You Watch It

History would likely confirm that spin-off series aren't always successful. But once in a blue moon a spin-off comes along that captures the spirit of its predecessor while bringing something fresh to the mix. In the case of "The Originals," however, that moon might be more of a blood red as it was spun off from The CW hit "The Vampire Diaries." 

"The Originals" unfolds largely in New Orleans' French Quarter district, following the titular members of the Mikaelson brood — Klaus (Joseph Morgan), Rebekah (Claire Holt), and Elijah (Daniel Gillies). The bloodthirsty trio earned that title as they're believed to be the first vampires to have ever come into existence. And over the course of its five-season run, "The Originals" explored their various supernatural adventures.

That run came to a tragic, and inevitably bloody end in a 2018 finale that shockingly, and permanently closed the door on both Klaus and Elijah. That was, of course, the result of the brothers being more or less consumed by ancient magic known as the Hollow. Those deaths were rightfully drawn out over much of the episode, with Klaus' journey to "peace" proving particularly moving, even as Elijah's was arguably the more heartbreaking of the two. As for Rebekah and the rest of the Mikaelson faction, they essentially rode off into the sunset with far happier endings — or rather new beginnings. And if you want to experience every wistful moment for yourself, you can now do so on Netflix.

With all five seasons of "The Originals" streaming on Netflix, you can indeed experience this part of the sprawling Mikaelson saga in its entirety on the platform. The streamer also has all four seasons of "The Originals" spin-off "Legacies," by the way. That makes it the place to get your melodramatic vampire kicks in the streaming realm, though you'll also need a subscription to Peacock if you want to add "The Vampire Diaries" to your binge.

Assuming you don't already have a subscription to Netflix, you do still have a few viable ways to bring the vampiric chaos of "The Originals" into your living room as the series in full is available through several video-on-demand providers. That list currently includes major players like iTunes, Prime Video, Vudu, and Google Play. Before you set about buying episodes, or even full seasons of "The Originals" through those channels, you should know it'll cost you a pretty penny. And yes, purchasing episodes at the going rate of $1.99 a pop will add up very quickly on a series that aired a total of 92. Ditto for a full season buy-in, which, as of this writing, will cost you a whopping $24.99 per on those platforms.

Yes, these days it's a little harder to love Netflix than it used to be. And far be it for us to tell you how to spend your money, but if you are hell-bent on binging "The Originals" anytime soon, it makes a lot of sense to seek it out on Netflix.