Ian Somherhalder is coming to Netflix in the new vampire drama V-Wars, but for some reason a lot of people have taken to thinking that the plot sounds very similar to another series that was featured on FX. V-Wars is being likened to The Strain largely because the main character, Somerhalder, plays the role of a doctor that suddenly notices a new disease that is turning people into murderous creatures that feed on other humans. Now if the term ‘feeds’ is taken out of context and likened to cannibalism then it could be different, but with a title like V-Wars there’s not a lot of difference to be seen. Of course The Strain was something that looked very different in a visual sense but the main idea is that the doctor notices this happening, his friend turns into one of the diseased, and from that point on society begins to crumble as the disease spreads.
Unfortunately for V-Wars, and this isn’t to say it won’t be any good, this plot has been pushed a few times throughout history. A lot of times it seems as though producers and directors are attempting to bank on the fact that people do forget shows and movies that were mediocre in order to play on the same theme the next time around. But in the age of the internet there’s really not a lot that can be done since people can simply look up plot summaries and compare them. Plus, the idea of fooling someone with something like this isn’t all that great and the probability isn’t all that high. Viewers are bound to remember The Strain since it was on TV not all that long ago and it was considered something of hit during its run. Trying to make people forget this just because the new show coming out is something slightly different is not a great leap forward.
It could be that V-Wars will go in a new direction with its plot and story line but until it does it will be haunted by the ghosts of other vampire shows and movies that have come before, much as they were by their predecessors. The idea of vampirism is one that frankly terrifies people no matter how it’s brought up, but the idea has been run into the ground a few times. This is kind of lamentable since the story of Dracula and other vampires have so many different directions to go in for those that can think of them. Some of them aren’t exactly admissible since they go against the grain of the entire franchise but they’re still possibilities that could interest the right viewers. But in this case V-Wars is basically picking up on a very basic story line that has been proven to work in the past. The only trouble with it is that trying to use the same plot over and over tends to alienate the fans.
So if the story veers off and becomes its own independent thing then it should work, otherwise they’d better hope the acting is on point.
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