AMC has hosted a lot of iconic TV shows over the years, from The Walking Dead to Breaking Bad to Mad Men. They’re in the middle of making another banger as we speak, although not nearly enough people are talking about it: Interview With The Vampire, an adaptation of Anne Rice’s classic 1976 horror novel, is coming back for a third season with a new name, a new lead character, and a new attitude. And whether you’ve already sucked the first two seasons dry or are just hearing about this show for the first time, you need to be psyched out of your mind about it.
The acting, atmosphere, writing, and production are all top-notch
It’s just a good show
Credit: AMC
The first two seasons of Interview With The Vampire cover the transformation of Louis de Pointe du Lac (Jacob Anderson) from a morose businessman in early 20th-century New Orleans into a morose bloodsucking creature of the night. Meanwhile, in the present, Louis narrates his story long after the fact to irascible middle-aged reporter Daniel Molloy (Eric Bogosian), who frequently calls out Louis on his contradictions, lapses in memory, or flat-out lies. Can we believe Louis’ story? That’s just one of the many layers that make what could have been a mere morsel of a show into a multi-course meal.
Anderson, who you might remember as Grey Worm from Game of Thrones, is terrific as the self-pitying, savvy Louis, but it’s Australian actor Sam Reid who runs away with the show as Lestat, the vampire who turns Louis in the first place. Lestat is a hedonistic egotist who thinks he is owed the world, and he’s so charming that he nearly gets it. The show doesn’t blink when it comes to this character: Lestat does awful, stomach-churning things to both people he loves and to complete strangers, but he’s so charismatic we can’t help but love him anyway. I couldn’t be more excited about him stepping into the spotlight in season 3, which will simply be called The Vampire Lestat.
The second season of Interview takes us from New Orleans to Paris, which gives it a chance to show off its lush production design. The show takes its time building to its big twists, but when they come, they hit like a blitzkrieg. Between that, the multifaceted characters, the deepening lore, and the grisly scenes of vampire-on-vampire violence, this show really has it all.
It’s a great spin on an old classic
When the reboot is actually better than the original
Interview With The Vampire has been adapted before: there was a 1994 movie with Brad Pitt as Louis and Tom Cruise as Lestat. It’s pretty good, to the point where I thought that a TV show would be pointless. I have never been happier to be wrong.
The show does not feel like a retread of the movie because it makes huge changes to the source material: the time period moves from the 17th century to the 19th; Louis being Black brings up a ton of issues that the producers eagerly explore; and the show makes explicit things the book only hinted at, mainly the nature of Louis and Lestat’s twisted codependent relationship, which might also be love. Interview With The Vampire doesn’t provide easy answers and is richer for it.
At the same time, the show doesn’t change so much that it disrespects the source material. This is still Anne Rice’s world: decadent, bloody, moody, and spellbinding, but updated so that it can convince 21st-century audiences to fall in love with vampires, which has to happen at least once a generation. It’s been a while since the Twilight craze, so I suggest everyone get on board with Interview now before The Vampire Lestat comes along and changes everything.
The new season will be the boldest yet
Three words for you: vampire rock opera
We’re now done with the past. The Vampire Lestat, based on Rice’s book of the same name, will pick up in modern times as Lestat starts a rock band, exposes vampire secrets to the public, and unknowingly awakens an ancient vampire intent on killing most of the people on Earth and ruling as a kind of god-queen. That sounds pulpy, and it is, but this show has been so consistent and thoroughly in control of its tone that I have no doubt it can pull it off.
The trailer has fans salivating. Rock hasn’t been a hugely popular genre for decades, but watching Sam Reid glower, sneer, and strut his way across the stage growling out a suite of original songs might just bring it back. It looks like we’re in for a horror musical, which isn’t a risk many shows would take in their third seasons. But I wouldn’t put anything past Interview With The Vampire.
This is also the point in Anne Rice’s books where the stakes start to get more apocalyptic, so I expect the tension to ratchet up as well. I expect chilling scenes of terror, too, although Interview With The Vampire has always been more than just a horror show; scarier episodes of TV do exist, although this one has its share of gnarly moments. All in all, the potential for the new season is off the charts. Now all we have to do is wait.
Put it in my veins
Unfortunately, we’ll be waiting for a minute; all we know right now is that The Vampire Lestat will premiere on AMC and AMC+ sometime in 2026. In the meantime, there are plenty of other horror shows and movies coming out soon to enjoy, and at least one sci-fi show that should inspire similar levels of delirious anticipation.
Release Date
November 11, 1994
Runtime
123 minutes
Director
Neil Jordan
Writers
Anne Rice
Producers
David Geffen
