25 shows to watch if you like Riverdale
By Sundi Rose
The Vampire Diaries
I know this list seems like a love letter to The CW, but it is the modern authority on teenage melodrama, it seems. It gave us Riverdale, after all, and so many of the other shows on this list as well.
The premise: A young girl meets a mysterious set of brothers in a creepy Virginia town and subsequently becomes involved in the sexiest love triangle of all time.
Elena, our resident damsel in distress, meets and falls in love with the youngest of the Salvatore brothers, Stefan. She soon learns that he’s a vampire and that there’s lots of vampire politics going on in their town of Mystic Falls.
Stefan’s brother, Damon, is a darker and stormier version of his brother, and his mischief attracts Elena’s interest. She bounces back and forth between the two brothers, all the while fighting the forces of evil and the occult. There are other folks around — a witch, a werewolf, a hybrid and demons — all of which are terribly good looking.
Why you’ll like: Everyone loves a beautiful vampire. We just can’t resist. The reasons are varied and diverse, but it’s mostly because, as humans, we’re so obsessed with youth and beauty. Vampires are young and beautiful forever, so it’s vicarious for us.
It’s also a romantic overload of a show. All the proclamations of undying affection, romantic face-touching and grand gestures would make any fan melt right into their shoes. They are in love, and we love to watch it.
Where to find it: Netflix has all eight seasons. It’s a great summer binge, but you better get started. There’s a lot of bedroom eyes and emotional ennui to get through.