Seriously, Vampire Diaries is one the better new shows this season. I’m really enjoying it. It took an episode or two for the show to find its footing, but you should give it a chance. The writing is smart, the characters are well drawn, the acting is decent, and the show is developing a satisfying mythology and season-long story arc. Think of the misconceptions you had about Supernatural before you started to watch it: that it was just a CW (then WB) show about two beefcake guys, probably something along the lines of Charmed. I think if you give Vampire Diaries a chance you’ll see the show suffers from a similar misconception. In my opinion the show has two big strikes against it: the network that it is on (since that predisposes people to think it’s going to be Melrosy fluff), and its title. Both lead you to expect cheese. But it is actually a decent show. I’ve been very impressed with it thus far and I think Fozzie’s description was right on point.