Vampire Diaries: Caroline's Babies, a New Threat and più to Come in 2016 

is heading to some dark, surprising places in 2016 — and I’m not just talking about Fridays.

For starters, the show will resume Season 7 on Jan. 29 (The CW, 8/7c) with a “really cool concept episode,” executive producer Caroline Dries tells TVLine. “You might be asking, ‘What show am I watching?’ when you turn on the TV. We’ll be dealing with the fallout from the winter finale for a while, both emotionally and plot-wise.”

Additionally, Dries says, “the babies inside Caroline will have to come out sooner or later.” Despite their magical nature, however, they’ll take the standard nine months to develop, which will call for a bit of a time jump in the new year.

RELATEDThe Vampire Diaries, The Originals Moving to Fridays in 2016

On the villain front, we’re about to meet Rayna, the vicious vampire hunter TVLine told you about last month. For the record, Dries is fully aware that her portrayer —

‘ Leslie-Anne Huff — bears a striking resemblance to a certain sleeping doppelganger.

“That’s definitely just a coincidence,” she says with a laugh. “We looked at a lot of actors, and I was like, ‘I think she looks exactly like Nina.’ I was convinced otherwise. I actually haven’t met her yet in person, though, and everyone says she doesn’t look like her in person. She’s a great actress, and she’s perfect for the role. … We’ll get to see her present-day story and then everything will click when you see her in the future.”

And last, but certainly not least, Dries re-confirms that we haven’t seen the last of Tyler in flash-forwards.

Hit PLAY on the newest trailer above, then drop a comment below: What do 

Last night was so sad and Ian’s acting fantastic throughout.

Ok the new rumors are that Stefan’s hell are the flash forwards. His hell would be everyone he cares about being in danger and hurt so this prediction would fit really well with the ff. But this interview says that we’ll get to see Rayna’s present day story and then everything will click in the ff. So not sure now. hmmm

A lot of the time yes, but the relatively weak competition on that night allows certain shows like Grimm, with a loyal fan base, to stake a claim and live happily. Hopefully a TVD/Originals double billing will experience similar success.

Not always. And not on the CW. Supernatural spent a while on Fridays before moving again.

I don’t think so on, on the CW at least. Supernatural spent a season, or part of a season at least, there and is still doing just fine.

Did she just spoil who the mystery person hunting down Stefan is in the future? Vampire hunter…everything will click when we see her in the future…

God, I *hope* she just spoiled who the mystery hunter-of-everybody is. I was fearing that the H.O.E. would turn out to be Nora or Mary-Louise, on a rampage after one or the other died, but I really want to see those crazy kids work things out. (Scarlett Byrne, especially, is a lot of fun to watch, given how badly-written her character Lexie was on Falling Skies.) And as Heretics who may or may not be of Klaus’s bloodline, it might be interesting to see them show up on The Originals, especially if they were to, say, vamp Davina into the newest Heretic.

She better bring them hell like no other. Sick of Damon and his carp! I think she going to be working with Matt and start trying to end all the heretics. If Matt get killed off then that’s the end. No way I’m caring about crybaby monster and there love problems

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