Nina Dobrey and Paul Wesley

The three-year-old CW network had its biggest series debut ever with “The Vampire Diaries” last night, drawing nearly 5 million viewers.

The drama, set in a small town featuring a couple of vampires and plenty of hot teenagers, also drew a record number of young women and teens. It’s riding the wave of interest in vampires, following the huge success of the “Twilight” film and HBO’s “True Blood.”

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Although the pilot was shot in Vancouver, the rest of this season’s 13 guaranteed episodes are being filmed in and around metro Atlanta.

Odds are good the series will get its “back nine” episodes very soon, meaning a full season of 22 shows.

The show opened bigger than “Gossip Girl,” “Melrose Place” or “90210.”

I visited the set Wednesday and interviewed most of the actors. I’ll post something about that next week in time for episode number two.

Currently, there are three scripted TV shows being shot in Atlanta. The first season of Lifetime’s “Drop Dead Diva,” which was renewed for a sophomore year, recently wrapped in Peachtree City. An upcoming mid-season series on Fox “Past Life” is taping as I write this. And there’s “Vampire Diaries.”

I doubt Atlanta has ever had this much scripted TV action at one time. The tax incentives the state is now offering has helped sway studios to shoot here.

The Smoking Gun reported today that five of the show’s actresses were arrested for tomfoolery at a bridge while filming the show in Monroe County August 22. The CW has not confirmed whether this was footage for the show or not. Here’s our story, with mug shots.