In less than a month, the seventh season of "The Vampire Diaries" will return to the small screen. But it will also be the first one where lead star Nina Dobrev will no longer be part of the show. So how will the plot of "TVD" run next season without its lead character Elena Gilbert? 

Series showrunner Julie Plec recently sat down with the Entertainment Weekly to talk about how she conceptualized the show now that Dobrev has departed from the series. She shared that she got her inspiration from the first season of HBO's "Game of Thrones." 

The TV adaptation of George R.R. Martin's best-selling novels is known for constantly killing off some of its most loved characters each season. 

"At first I said well, 'How could there be a show without Ned Stark?' And then by season 2 I was like, 'Ned who?' And then after the Red Wedding I was like, 'How could there be a show without the Starks?' And then by season 4 I was just as invested in other characters, so there's a way there that if you can tell good stories, people can survive the loss of their favorite," the series showrunner said. 

While it still has to be proven with their show, Plec said that she is confident that the transition for the first season without their main heroine will offer something new to the viewers.

Elena did not completely leave Mystic Falls last season, but she is as good as gone after Kai Parker (Chris Wood) linked her life to Bonnie's (Kat Graham), which means that she will remain in deep slumber until Bonnie dies. 

Fans of the supernatural horror fantasy drama are now looking forward to seeing how Damon Salvatore (Ian Somerhalder) and his brother Stefan (Paul Wesley) will deal with losing Elena. They also want to see how Stefan's budding romance with long-time friend Caroline Forbes (Candice Accola) will progress in the upcoming season. 

"The Vampire Diaries" season 7 premieres with the episode "Day One of Twenty-Two Thousand, Give Or Take" on Thursday, Oct. 8, on The CW.