The Vampire Diaries: When Ian Somerhalder Envisioned A Different Ending For The Series & All TVD Fans Would Be Crying Buckets Ian revealed he had another ending in mind for the Salvatore brothers. April 27, 2021 When Ian Somerhalder Opened Up About What He Would Change About The Vampire Diaries Finale (Photo Credit: IMDb) The first season of The Vampire Diaries aired in 2009, and by the time it wrapped up in 2017 – after eight intense seasons – we fell in love with each and every character. While each of their stories was given closure, it was a bitter-sweet moment for fans as some were delighted with the happy ending Ian Somerhalder and Nina Dobrev’s Damon Salvatore and Elena Gilbert had; others shed tears on the death of Paul Wesley’s Stefan Salvatore.