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The Vampire Diaries remains one of the most popular vampire TV shows of all time, inspiring intense fan devotion from the beginning. The Vampire Diaries featured an ensemble cast full of stars. While the central love story was the triangle between Elena, Stefan, and Damon, there was another romance that excited fans.

The connection between Klaus and Caroline, played by Joseph Morgan and Candice King, was deep and intense, earning the nickname “Klaroline” during the show’s original run. Still, the two were doomed to an unhappy ending, one that co-creator Kevin Williamson revealed was necessary. 

'The Vampire Diaries' cast smiling
Paul Wesley, Candice King, Michael Malarkey, Kat Graham, and Ian Somerhalder | Albert L. Ortega/Getty Images

Klaus and Caroline had an intense romance

Klaus and Caroline first cross paths in the third season of The Vampire Diaries when Klaus turns Caroline’s then-boyfriend into a hybrid. After Klaus unexpectedly saves Caroline’s life, the two start to bond – and viewers see for the first time that Klaus is capable of true love.

According to The Cinemaholic, Klaus and Caroline became one of the show’s most buzzworthy almost couples, and for a time, it seemed the two might be endgame. Still, Caroline opted to pursue a romance with Stefan over Klaus, and eventually, Stefan and Caroline get married.

As for Klaus, he moves on to rule New Orleans before the end of the series without ever losing hope that he might reconnect with Caroline once again. While the two eventually touched base again in the series spinoff The Originals, the finale of The Vampire Diaries seemed to put the kibosh on any enduring romance between Klaus and Caroline.

What did Kevin Williamson say about the love story between Klaus and Caroline?

Many fans were devastated that Klaus and Caroline didn’t end up together. However, as The Vampire Diaries co-creator Kevin Williamson revealed in a 2017 interview with TV Guide, the relationship between the two was one that necessarily had to get “sacrificed” in order for the series to progress as it did. “That’s the one storyline that we sacrificed,” Williamson dished.

“You know, Klaus went off to another series and we never really got to play that story out, because had Klaus stuck around, clearly that would have been a relationship and road we would have gone down for at least a storyline. I miss that storyline. I always wanted to see it. But things happen. No regrets, for sure.”

He also revealed that the letter that Caroline found was intended as a way to honor the couple, dubbed “Klaroline” by fans of the show. Williamson said that through it all, the desire to please the fans was at the forefront. “That was the guiding force. That was the whole thing. Julie and the writers, we were like, ‘We have to say thank you,'” he said.

Candice King has admitted that she doesn’t see the appeal of Klaus and Caroline’s romance

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While many fans loved the romance between Klaus and Caroline, Candice King, who played Caroline, didn’t feel the same way. King once noted that there seemed to be such a disconnect between a “good girl” like Caroline and the stereotypical “bad boy” Klaus. “I just never got it. I love Joseph Morgan. We loved working together … I just never saw these characters together ’cause he was really diabolically evil,” King said. 

Certainly, it was that antagonist element that endeared “Klaroline” to many fans in the first place. Still, many fans ended up appreciating the way that The Vampire Diaries ended, even if that meant Caroline and Klaus couldn’t have their happily ever after.