With just over a week until The Vampire Diaries makes it long-awaited return to The CW, producers Julie Plec and Kevin Williamson have sat down to discuss the show's past and future.

In the following interview, Plec breaks down the series, explaining how the first six episodes were essentially the "Vicki Chapter," as writers knew for awhile she'd be the first character to die.

Why did they go ahead with this storyline? In a possible jab at Heroes, Williamson said it was due to a major problem he has with many genre shows: viewers don't believe any lead players will ever be killed.

That isn't the case on The Vampire Diaries, not anymore. Watch the video below to learn what surprise awaits fans at the conclusion of next week's installment, "Bloodlines."

[video url="http://www.tvfanatic.com/videos/bloodlines-preview/" title="Bloodlines Preview"] [/video]

Get an early glimpse at the episode now. We've got a few photos from Bloodlines, including your first look at Gina Torres on the show.

Matt Richenthal is the Editor in Chief of TV Fanatic. Follow him on Twitter and on Google+.