The Originals Season 3

Right now you can watch The Originals Season 3 on and — and it goes further with its ideas than most genre entertainment bothers to. The 1-season run is exactly the right length for what it is doing. 3,604 people have weighed in on TMDB, and the verdict leans heavily positive. Joseph Morgan leads a cast that never lets the concept overwhelm the characters. Start it whenever you need something guaranteed to land.

There is a reason The Originals Season 3 keeps coming up in conversation. The Originals Season 3 uses its genre premise as cover for asking bigger questions. Season three finds Klaus and Elijah estranged from each other, even as both brothers adjust to life with their long-lost sister, Freya. Hayley suffers mightily at the hands of Klaus’s petty vengeance, while Marcel and Davina rule the city under a new status quo. Meanwhile, Cami and Vincent find themselves caught up in a surprising mystery involving the newest resident of New Orleans. Joseph Morgan and Daniel Gillies lead a cast that brings real weight to the material. It was aired in 2015. The world-building is meticulous enough to sustain multiple rewatches, with details early on that only make sense later. It sustains a level of quality that very few manage to hold onto all the way through.

For late-night viewing or a proper weekend binge, The Originals Season 3 fits the bill. It does not lean on comparisons to make its case. The complete run is available and best experienced without too much prior knowledge of where it goes. Watch for Joseph Morgan in particular — the performance elevates the material. Satisfying on multiple levels.