Legacies spoilers follow.
Legacies has seen the long-anticipated return of some Vampire Diaries' characters for its series finale.
The spin-off, created by Julie Plec, came to an end in the last-ever episode ('Just Don't Be A Stranger, Okay?'), an emotional ride which saw the return of many a familiar face, including that of Caroline Forbes, played by Candice King in both The Vampire Diaries and The Originals.
As Legacies had welcomed OG guest stars before, some fans felt that Caroline's return was long overdue – particularly as she's the surrogate mother of two main characters on the spin-off.
Related: Why Legacies was cancelled and hopes for a season five and spinoff
Following the finale, King offered an explanation for the stars not immediately aligning for Caroline's return.
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"The root of the matter is by the time I wrapped up on Vampire Diaries and played on The Originals a bit, I realised I was working and filming throughout my whole pregnancy and that whole first year of my daughter being born," she told TV Guide.
"Those are long days, and I was away from my family, so to have the opportunity to have our whole family unit at home for a while was important to me, and to us, so I felt like I needed a moment."
Related: Vampire Diaries boss reveals another spinoff is coming following Legacies cancellation
By the time King was ready to get back on set, 2020 happened, meaning the pandemic brought several productions to a halt.
"And I found out I was pregnant again," she added. "So in lieu of wanting to try to transfer any more babies into Caroline's vampire uterus, we held off."
In the Legacies series finale, Caroline appears briefly to step in as headmaster of the Salvatore School and to pay a visit to her teen vampire daughter Lizzie (Jenny Boyd).
Legacies airs on The CW in the US.
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Stefania is a freelance writer specialising in TV and movies. After graduating from City University, London, she covered LGBTQ+ news and pursued a career in entertainment journalism, with her work appearing in outlets including Little White Lies, The Skinny, Radio Times and Digital Spy.
Her beats are horror films and period dramas, especially if fronted by queer women. She can argue why Scream is the best slasher in four languages (and a half).
