The Netflix vampire series, V Wars dropped its 10-episode season on December 5th, 2019 and after over a year, we can still personally attest that it’s entirely binge-worthy. V Wars manages to put the horror back into the vampire genre, but not in the way you’d expect.
We surprised even ourselves by how much we enjoyed V Wars. Netflix’s take on vampires is just plain good scary fun. Here are all the reasons why V Wars shouldn’t have been canceled and why we’re rooting for it to somehow get a season 2.
V Wars brought us back to vampires
Vampires of a decade ago were definitely more sexy & scary, and we aren’t saying there’s anything wrong with that. We love some repressed urges as much as any romance buff, but that trope has been sucked dry (sorry, not sorry).
V Wars turns the scare factor way up, by adding a twist. The series is based on NY Times bestselling suspense novelist, five-time Bram Stoker Award winner, Jonathan Mayberry’s vampire apocalypse book series. The most terrifying part is that Mayberry somehow makes vampires into a viable reality.
As Mayberry explains the V Wars premise, “It’s about evolution, about DNA, and it’s about what happens when we recognize that we are not necessarily the same as we were, and we are becoming a different species,” Maberry continues. “The vampires are very likely the next stage in human evolution, which means they’re leaving us behind like we left behind the Neanderthals.
Yes, it’s as creepy and horrible as it sounds. Even better is the cinematography by Craig Wright that really does a great job of keeping us in the horror mindset for V Wars. It’s dark & eerie and generally feels ominous.
However, Netflix’s V Wars isn’t highbrow. It’s fun. The show is gripping, chilling, well-paced, and generally entertaining. Listen, if you’re here for Bram Stoker, you’re going to be disappointed. However, this cross-genre post-apocalyptic evolutionary vampire take is perfect for those who feel like they’ve seen it all before.
Season 1 of V Wars
V Wars’s main conflict is through Dr. Luther Swann (Ian Somerhalder) and Michael Fayne (Adrian Holmes). Somerhalder finds a way to make us completely forget about Vampire Diaries, the other vampire series he devoted eight years of his life to. While fans of Vampire Diaries may be tuning into V Wars to find their favorite vampire again, Somerhalder’s role is as different as the show itself.
Swann & Faye are besties when Michael gets a mysterious virus that turns him into a vampire, Fay is one of the V Wars’ s first victims. Thankfully, Dr. Swann is an epidemiologist, who investigates patterns and causes of disease. He begins frantically trying to develop a cure to save his friend, and then to save the world, as the mysterious disease spreads.
Season 1 of V Wars definitely has some struggles. Our main complaint with the series is the convoluted timeline. The structure of the storyline had us trying to piece together a couple of details, but generally, those issues resolved in the next few scenes. The fragmented style didn’t take away from the fun.
Don’t just take our word for it
We’re not the only ones having a good time with V Wars. We went to the most reliable review site out there to see what audiences really thought of the show, Twitter. The general consensus is: V Wars bingers are already calling for there to be a season 2.
While critics are mixed on their feelings about V Wars, the Twitterverse seems to have no such conflict. Loving the twist on the vampire drama, as well as the conflict between Swann & Faye, who have their own special chemistry, V Wars is pulling some major praise from fans.
Will there be a V Wars season 2?
We’re not here to give anything away, but we can say that V Wars season 1 leaves fans with a cliffhanger. Additionally, the books that form the basis for the Netflix series provide a whole lot more material than what was covered in season 1.
According to TVLine, Netflix officially cancelled V Wars in 2020. However, former The Vampire Diaries star Ian Somerhalder has yet to abandon Dr. Swann, saying, “No, no it’s not the end of the road for Dr. Swann or V Wars. There are a lot of great stories to tell and I’m going to tell them.” According to Somerhalder, V Wars had enough viewership to prompt a season 2.
