The Vampire Diaries season 4

The Vampire Diaries, an American supernatural drama, was renewed for a fourth season by the CW network on May 3, 2012, seven days before the third season's finale. Unlike the previous seasons that aired in September, it premiered on October 11, 2012, to avoid competition from major television shows. The fourth season consisted of 23 episodes instead of the usual 22 episodes.

On January 11, 2013, it was announced that a back-door pilot focused on the Originals, titled The Originals, would air on April 25 in the hopes that that series was picked up. On April 26, 2013, The CW announced that The Originals, The Vampire Diaries' spin-off series, had been picked up for a full season slated to premiere in the fourth quarter of 2013.

On February 11, 2013, the CW renewed the series for a fifth season.