'Vampire Diaries' Taking Advantage of Social Media Buzz

The CW

"The Vampire Diaries"

It pays to be a watercooler show.

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The CW’s hit drama The Vampire Diaries was the most buzzed-about television series for the week of Jan. 21-27, topping Trendrr.TV’s list of most social primetime broadcast shows.

In an effort to ramp up awareness for Thursday’s “Catch Me If You Can,” several castmembers – including Nina Dobrev, Paul Wesley and Ian Somerhalder – participated in a live Twitter session with executive producer/showrunner Julie Plec during the episode’s broadcast. A hashtag, #TVDparty, was specifically created for the occasion – and was often among the top 10 trending topics at various points of the evening.

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Across multiple social media platforms, including Twitter, Facebook, GetGlue and Viggle, Vampire Diaries generated nearly 865,000 interactions, taking over the top spot from Fox’s American Idol.

For a serialized drama such as Vampire Diaries, which inspires several Twitter trending topics during any given Thursday broadcast, social dominance is crucial – especially when ratings are usually a fraction of what other networks normally average. For The CW, however, Vampire Diaries remains the network’s most dependable show, often serving as a launch pad for rookie TV dramas like The Secret Circle and Beauty and the Beast.

STORY: 'Vampire Diaries': Stefan Moves On in a Familiar Way

The same can be said for ABC Family’s teen soap Pretty Little Liars, which – like Vampire Diaries – dominates the social media sphere on its broadcast night; in this case, Tuesdays. Last August’s midseason finale became the top “social” television episode to date, according to SocialGuide.

Pretty Little Liars executive producer Oliver Goldstick, who isn’t on Twitter, likened the online atmosphere as “old-time communal” television viewing earlier this month at Television Critics Association's winter press tour: “It’s cutting edge, but it’s old-fashioned,” he said.

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