Ian Somerhalder: A Vampire We Can Hate

Did you catch the series debut of The Vampire Diaries last night?

If not, you're in the minority: the show set record ratings for a premiere on The CW, as over 4.8 million viewers tuned in to see if Paul Wesley really could make people forget about Robert Pattinson.

The answer? Of course not. But the opening episode was still very entertaining and suspenseful. It was highlighted by Ian Somerhalder's turn as Damon Salvatore, a blood sucker fans can finally hate.

While 2009 has clearly been the year of the vampire, pop culture followers have been stuck with metrosexual, kind-hearted creatures of the night; from Pattinson in the Twilight Saga to Stephen Moyer's Bill Compton in True Blood. Even Alexander Skarsgard's Eric, from that same HBO series, lives by a certain code.

But not Damon, at least not yet. Check out a clip from last night's episode of The Vampire Diaries and see if you're as taken by this bad ass as we are: