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This is one of the best and worst times of year for TV fans. On the one hand, it’s still summer and every once in a while it feels good to enjoy the weather and not worry that our DVRs are going to burst at the seams. The downside of course is that we still have to wait two or three months for our favorite shows to return from hiatus. But there is another bright side to this time of year. The casts and crews of our favorite shows have gone back to work and that means we start getting news and if we’re lucky, tiny spoilers, on what we can expect from the next season of our shows. This week, we learned that The Vampire Diaries has booked several guest stars for season six.
When we last left off in Mystic Falls, all of the vampires and witches had been forced to leave the town behind or have the magic they possessed stripped away, which would leave the witches powerless and the vampires…dead. The gang put together a plan to blow up the Travelers, but there were unfortunate consequences: mainly Damon and Bonnie didn’t make it back from the Other Side.
The good news is that Alaric did and Matt Davis has officially rejoined the cast as a series regular for next season. Enzo also made it back to the land of the living and Michael Malarkey, who quickly became a fan favorite after his season five debut, will also be a series regular for season six. We should probably place our bets now on just how much Enzo and Ric will hate each other.
As for the more recent casting news, it seems like season six might have a medical theme. Marco James (The Client List) has landed the role of Liam, who comes from a family of doctors, and is described as “cocky, yet good-natured”. Liam is a medical student at Whitmore College.
Jodi Lyn O’Keefe (Hit the Floor, Prison Break) will be playing Jo, who is described as “a tough and accomplished doctor at the university. She demands excellence from her students and has learned the hard way that there’s no room for error.” We’ll meet Jo and Liam in the season premiere and we can’t help wondering if there’s more to both characters since doctors have always been a bit shady on this show (one used vampire blood to treat patients and the other experimented on vampires).
Next, we have Kai, played by Chris Wood (The Carrie Diaries). He’s described as “a charming, unstable newcomer with the unsettling ability to seem normal as the situation demands – the perfect mix of playful and obsessive.” Hmm…is anyone else getting the red alert stalker vibe from that description? We’ll have to keep our eye on this character.
Jayson Warner Smith (Rectify) has been tapped to play the recurring role of the currently-unnamed owner of a high-end hot rod shop. Perhaps someone will get a job as a mechanic this season? Stefan always liked cars and Matt knows how to fix them. There must be a reason this character is already slated for more than one episode…
Earlier in the week, Julie Plec announced on Twitter that Colin Ferguson (Eureka) would be coming to town as the leader of a militia and give Sheriff Forbes a run for her money. Given the state Mystic Falls was in when we last saw it, we can see why a militia might rise up, but we can’t help remembering how things did not end well for the town council in season four.
Ivy, another new college student, will be played by Emily C. Chang (Days of our Lives). Ivy is described as “the quintessential girl next door with a wild side.” Finally, Gabrielle Walsh (Paranormal Activity) has been cast as Sarah, who comes to town with spunk, street smarts and an agenda.
Which new (or returning) characters are you most excited to meet? Which one will be the first to die? (Come on, it’s TVD. Someone’s going to die pretty fast). Hit the comments below and share your thoughts and theories with us!
The Vampire Diaries returns Thursday, Oct. 2 at 8/7c on The CW.
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