The Vampire Diaries season 5

The Vampire Diaries, an American supernatural drama, was renewed for a fifth season by the CW on February 11, 2013. The fifth season premiered on October 3, 2013, followed by the series premiere of the spin-off series The Originals.

Main

 * Nina Dobrev as Elena Gilbert / Katherine Pierce / Amara
 * Paul Wesley as Stefan Salvatore / Silas / Tom Avery
 * Ian Somerhalder as Damon Salvatore
 * Steven R. McQueen as Jeremy Gilbert
 * Kat Graham as Bonnie Bennett
 * Candice Accola as Caroline Forbes
 * Zach Roerig as Matt Donovan / Gregor
 * Michael Trevino as Tyler Lockwood / Julian

Recurring

 * Olga Fonda as Nadia Petrova
 * Rick Cosnett as Wes Maxfield
 * Michael Malarkey as Enzo St. John
 * Shaun Sipos as Aaron Whitmore
 * Penelope Mitchell as Liv Parker
 * Chris Brochu as Luke Parker
 * Marguerite MacIntyre as Liz Forbes
 * Kendrick Sampson as Jesse
 * Janina Gavankar as Qetsiyah/Tessa
 * Caitlin McHugh as Sloan
 * Raffi Barsoumian as Markos

Special guest

 * Jasmine Guy as Sheila Bennett

Special appearance

 * David Anders as John Gilbert
 * Sara Canning as Jenna Sommers
 * Daniel Gillies as Elijah Mikaelson
 * Bianca Lawson as Emily Bennett
 * Joseph Morgan as Klaus Mikaelson

Guest

 * Rick Worthy as Rudy Hopkins
 * Matt Davis as Alaric Saltzman
 * Kayla Ewell as Vicki Donovan
 * Claire Holt as Rebekah Mikaelson
 * Jason MacDonald as Grayson Gilbert
 * Hayley Kiyoko as Megan King
 * Nathaniel Buzolic as Kol Mikaelson
 * Heather Hemmens as Maggie James
 * Arielle Kebbel as Lexi Branson

Development
The series was renewed for a fifth season on February 11, 2013. The first writers meeting held on April 15, 2013. Filming began on July 10, 2013, and finished on April 10, 2014.

Casting
Within the first three episodes, four new characters were introduced: Nadia, a girl with a mission of revenge who has traveled around the world, Jesse, an upper-class boy who goes to college, Actors Olga Fonda and Kendrick Sampson were cast in the roles of Nadia and Jesse, respectively. On August 2, 2013, it was announced that Janina Gavankar would play Tessa.

Critical response
Based on 13 reviews, the fifth season holds a 100% on Rotten Tomatoes with an average rating of 8.56 out of 10. The site's critics' consensus reads, "After a floundering fourth season, Vampire Diaries redeems itself with scorching twists that remind viewers that nothing is sacred."