Vampire Diaries hits big for CW

The Vampire Diaries, the new television series based on the series of LJ Smith novels, scored the biggest premiere audience in network The CW’s history last week, it has been revealed.

Nielsen ratings for the supernatural romance series show that it garnered a viewership of 4.8 million viewers, with a 2.1 preliminary rating among the target demographic. The critical reviews for the show, which stars Nina Dobrev in the lead female role, have been decidedly mixed.

However, what would otherwise be great news for the freshman series was marred by the revelation that Dobrev was arrested along with a number of other actresses and a cameraman on 22 August, after numerous reports that young women were flashing motorists on the I-75 in Georgia. Those arrested insist that they were filming for the show, but they were later charged by Monroe County officials with disorderly conduct and released on bond.

Vampire Diaries airs on Thursday evenings, on The CW in the United States.