Nina Dobrev Is Too Busy to Be on Legacies, but She Loves That You Love It

Legacies has not been shy about name-dropping the original Mystic Falls gang from The Vampire DiariesandThe Originals, but will it ever put its money where its mouth is when it comes to actual cameos from them?

So far, we've gotten some awesome visits from Matt Donovan (Zach Roerig) and Jeremy Gilbert (Steven R. McQueen) that have reminded us that while we may not see them all the time, the OGs we know and love are still very much alive in this world. The one character fans will always be eager to see more of, though, is Elena Gilbert (Nina Dobrev). And unfortunately, fans might be waiting a long time for that particular cameo since Dobrev's schedule is pretty busy thanks to her new CBS sitcom, Fam.

"I have a full time job here, so I don't know that I can," Dobrev tells TV Guide of whether we'll ever get a visit from Elena on Legacies. "But I'm excited and happy to see that the show is living on, and it's a testament to the show itself that people love it so much and have a hunger for it and have an appetite that they need to satiate. So spin-off after spin-off -- that means it's a good thing... Julie Plec is the new Shonda Rhimes; she has like 95,000 shows on the air. She's a force."

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It doesn't sound like we should expect Dr. Elena Salvatore to pop into Legacies anytime soon, but it's gratifying knowing Dobrev still has such warm feelings for The Vampire Diaries and its spin-offs.

To be honest though, it's hard to envision ascenario that would warrant bugging Damon (Ian Somerhalder) and Elena Salvatore, no matter how close they live. Since they both became human at the end of The Vampire Diaries, they face no threat from Malivore or any of the other threats to the supernatural kids at the Salvatore School for the Young and Gifted. They don't have the kind of magical expertise Bonnie (Kat Graham) often provides from off-screen, and they don't have any kids at the school like Caroline (Candice King) does. It sucks, but leaving Damon and Elena to their happily-ever-after is the storyline that jives most with the narrative that Legacies and its predecessors have laid out.

Legacies returns Thursday, Jan. 24 at 9/8c on The CW.

(Full Disclosure: TV Guide is owned by CBS, one of The CW's parent companies.)

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