The Vampire Diaries season 7

The Vampire Diaries, an American supernatural drama, was renewed for a seventh season by The CW on January 11, 2015, and premiered on October 8, 2015. On March 11, 2016, The CW renewed The Vampire Diaries for an eighth season, which was confirmed to be the final one in July 2016.

Main

 * Paul Wesley as Stefan Salvatore
 * Ian Somerhalder as Damon Salvatore
 * Kat Graham as Bonnie Bennett
 * Candice King as Caroline Forbes
 * Zach Roerig as Matt Donovan
 * Matt Davis as Alaric Saltzman
 * Michael Malarkey as Enzo St. John

Recurring

 * Elizabeth Blackmore as Valerie Tulle
 * Scarlett Byrne as Nora Hildegard
 * Teressa Liane as Mary-Louise
 * Todd Lasance as Julian
 * Leslie-Anne Huff as Rayna Cruz
 * Jaiden Kaine as Beau
 * Ana Nogueira as Penny Ares
 * Mouzam Makkar as Alex St. John
 * Lily Rose Mumford as Josie Saltzman
 * Tierney Mumford as Lizzie Saltzman

Special guest

 * Annie Wersching as Lily Salvatore
 * Michael Trevino as Tyler Lockwood
 * Joseph Morgan as Klaus Mikaelson

Guest

 * Jodi Lyn O'Keefe as Jo Laughlin (possessed by Florence)
 * Tim Kang as Oscar (himself; possessed by an unknown phoenix stone vampire)
 * Alex Mauriello as Krystal
 * Aisha Duran as Virginia St. John
 * Evan Gamble as Henry Wattles
 * Ryan Dorsey as Marty Hammond (possessed by Stefan Salvatore)
 * Justice Leak as Malcolm
 * John Charles Meyer as young Giuseppe Salvatore
 * Gavin Casalegno as young Damon Salvatore
 * Luke Judy as young Stefan Salvatore
 * Euseph Messiah as Ellis
 * Nina Dobrev as Elena Gilbert (voice only; uncredited)

Casting
The cast features Paul Wesley as Stefan Salvatore, Ian Somerhalder as Damon Salvatore, Kat Graham as Bonnie Bennett, Candice Accola as Caroline Forbes and Zach Roerig as Matt Donovan.

On April 6, 2015, it was announced that Nina Dobrev would be leaving after the sixth season and that Michael Trevino would only appear as a guest on the new season. On April 11, 2015, it was announced that Steven R. McQueen would be departing the show.

On July 15, 2015, it was announced that Scarlett Byrne and Teressa Liane were hired to play Nora and Mary Louise, respectively. Nora and Mary Louise are described as extremely powerful and protective with each other, because it is the first same-sex couple in the series; additionally it is reported that Elizabeth Blackmore was chosen to give life to Valerie. The trio is part of the family of heretics adopted by Lily Salvatore. On November 5, it was announced that Leslie-Anne Huff was hired to play Rayna, a vampire huntress.

Critical response
Based on 13 reviews, the 7th season currently holds a 77% on Rotten Tomatoes with an average rating of 7.75 out of 10. The site's critics consensus reads, "Despite an Elena-less season, Vampire Diaries still has plenty of fleshed out plot and new characters for fans to sink their teeth into."