The Vampire Diaries showrunner Julie Plec tells Clive Whittingham about keeping a drama going for years, the impact of Netflix on the creative process and the social media minefield.

Showrunner Julie Plec has seen both sides of the American television dream. The Vampire Diaries entered its eighth season on The CW last Friday. But her quarantine series Containment, based on Belgian series Cordon, was canned by the same network after a single run.

“I will forever grieve the demise of Containment,” Plec says. “I wanted to complete the end of that story, over one more season or maybe just a few more episodes. But I also thought there was a big future in the concept itself, being able to take that idea to different cities and scenarios.”

No such problems with The Vampire Diaries, which is now in its final run, somewhat truncated over 16 episodes.

“The fun of having a final season is that every choice you make and every story road you go down has a finality to it, which makes the storytelling that much easier,” Plec says.

“In the middle of a run, when you’re not sure how much longer you’re going to be around, you’re often saving things for later. When you finally get to the end you can pull the trigger on everything you’ve been waiting for.

“My favourite story about 24 is they had an entire series worked out but used most of it in the first six episodes. When you’re trying to make your mark you try not to hold back because you have no idea if you’re going to be here in six months. But once you settle into a groove you can hold back on a few things.”

Plec says one of the biggest challenges of writing for broadcast or cable is structuring in the commercial breaks, something that Netflix and binge-watching is changing for writers in the US. Tellingly, she’s a huge fan of Netflix’s recent break-out hit Stranger Things.

“Your primary responsibility is to service the person who’s putting you on the air,” she says. “That’s a big act up to the commercial breaks, big shifts at the end of the episode, dynamic teasers, those are the things that keep people from switching over during the break. We owe that to the broadcaster.

“It’s terrible for the creative process. All writers dream of Netflix. Having to execute seven dynamic act outs an episode means you have four or five pages to begin your act, amp it up and then twist it so you’re building a story based on surprises every seven or eight minutes as opposed to one longer, slower journey. It does make for exciting television when it’s done well; it’s just really hard to do.

“These days if we haven’t got the perfect mid-season finale, it’s OK because they’ll never know on Netflix.”

Plec is prolific on Twitter, which for TV writers and executives can be a bit like walking into a room full of people who hate you, particularly on a show like The Vampire Diaries with its dedicated fanbase.

“In order to keep your sanity and confidence you want to stay off social media, but in order to feel a connection with your fanbase you want to be involved in it,” Plec says.

“I’ve come to realise I can’t look to my Twitter mentions to tell me what is working or not working on the show but I can look to them to call me out on things that I didn’t see or mistakes I might be unintentionally making. That sort of feedback has helped over the years, which is why I keep going into the minefield.”

So as we prepare to turn the final page of The Vampire Diaries, what’s next for Plec? “I’ll potentially be making my television in Canada from this point forward,” she jokes, referring to the possible election of Donald Trump as president.

“I’ve been working very hard for the last 10 years without stopping,” she adds. “I’m going to let these things finish. I’m going to dip my toe into some other opportunities, but I’m going to hold off writing something new until I’ve had a minute to lie on a beach. You have to live life to be able to write about it.”