Vampire Diaries Fridays
Damon (Ian Somerhalder, left) and Stefan's (Paul Wesley) fans are worried about the new Friday night time slot for "The Vampire Diaries." CW

“The Vampire Diaries” Season 7 is on the move. After the CW drama’s winter hiatus, the show will return on Fridays along with its sister show, “The Originals.” After spending six and a half seasons on Thursdays, this move concerns many “TVD” fans. They’re worried that Friday night ratings will be the final stake in the heart of the show.

They’re right to be concerned. The vampire drama suffered a slight loss after Nina Dobrev’s departure. They were averaging 1.5 million viewers last year, and are only averaging 1.2 million at this point, TV Series Finale reports. It’s a big drop from the series’ high point in Season 1 when 3.6 million fans were watching their series. As the series has steadily dropped, it wouldn’t be surprising if “The Vampire Diaries” Season 7 is the last season.

However, if the ratings stay steady, the CW may decide to keep the show around. After all, a small audience on a Friday night is better than no audience. While several shows, like “Hart of Dixie” and “The Carrie Diaries,” have gone to Fridays to die on the network, some shows have survived. “America’s Next Top Model” was moved to Fridays in Cycle 19 and continued for three more seasons (only Cycle 21 was moved to a week night spot). And then there is “Supernatural.”

“Supernatural,” much like its leading men, has proved that it cannot be killed. The demon hunters’ fans followed them to the Friday night time slot for two years in Seasons 6 and 7, and then the show was moved back to Wednesdays. They’re in Season 11 now.

It’s entirely possible that “TVD” could be just like “Supernatural” and survive the move, especially since most watchers aren’t tuning in live. The CW’s press release notes that both “TVD” and its sister-show “The Originals” typically “more than triple their audiences when viewing beyond the night of air is tallied, across DVR, digital, and VOD platforms.”

“The Vampire Diaries” enthusiasts will have to wait an see if the show can survive the time slot. Do you think the drama can last beyond Season 7? Take the poll:

“The Vampire Diaries” Season 7 and “The Originals” Season 3 will move to Fridays beginning Jan. 29. “Legends of Tomorrow,” another DC Comics spinoff from “Arrow and “The Flash,” and “The 100” Season 3 will take over Thursdays starting Jan. 28.

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