# Interview with the Vampire (TV series)

Anne Rice's Interview with the Vampire, or simply Interview with the Vampire, is an American gothic horror television series developed by Rolin Jones for AMC, based on The Vampire Chronicles by Anne Rice, named after the first book. Starring Jacob Anderson as Louis de Pointe du Lac and Sam Reid as Lestat de Lioncourt, it begins with the vampire Louis recounting his past and tumultuous relationship with the vampire Lestat.
The series embraces the queer elements of Rice's work, which are only insinuated in the 1994 film adaptation, and deals with themes such as race and abuse. It is the first series set in the Immortal Universe, a shared universe based on Rice's novels. A series order was made in June 2021, after AMC Networks purchased the rights to intellectual property encompassing 18 of Rice's novels in 2020.
The series premiered on October 2, 2022, with the first two seasons covering the eponymous novel. In June 2024, the series was renewed for a third season, to cover the second book The Vampire Lestat. The series received positive reviews, with praise for its writing, costumes, soundtrack, production design, lead performances and their chemistry. It has received nominations at the Critics' Choice Television Awards and GLAAD Media Awards among others.

## Premise

Interview with the Vampire centers on the life story of vampire Louis de Pointe du Lac, as told to veteran journalist Daniel Molloy, to whom he previously gave an unpublished interview in 1973. An affluent black man in the 1910s New Orleans, Louis is romanced and later made a vampire by the charismatic Lestat de Lioncourt. But Louis struggles with his humanity, and the introduction of Lestat's newest fledgling, the teenage vampire Claudia, only strains their relationship further. In the present, Daniel begins to doubt the veracity of Louis' story, noting differences from the earlier version.

## Cast and characters
### Main

* Jacob Anderson as Louis de Pointe du Lac, a 145-year-old vampire who summons Daniel Molloy to redo their interview of 49 years earlier. In 1910, Louis is a 33-year-old closeted Creole man and successful brothel owner in New Orleans. He is haunted by guilt and seethes at the racism directed at him.
* Sam Reid as Lestat de Lioncourt, a hedonistic French vampire who falls in love with Louis upon his arrival in New Orleans. He later turns Louis into a vampire but is irritated by Louis' preoccupation with humans. His background of abuse at the hands of his family and maker makes him fearful of abandonment. Having read The Vampire Chronicles as a kid, Reid revisited the books and constantly referenced them as he prepared for the role. He also took singing and piano lessons to portray Lestat's musicality.
* Eric Bogosian as Daniel Molloy, a cynical journalist in his 70s with Parkinson's disease and a long history of drug and alcohol abuse whose interview with Louis in 1973 ends with him being attacked.
* Bailey Bass (season 1) and Delainey Hayles (season 2) as Claudia, a 14-year-old girl whom Lestat turns into a vampire at Louis' insistence to save her life. She forms a daughter-father relationship with the pair and struggles with her fate as an eternal teenager.
* Assad Zaman as Armand, a 514-year-old vampire who is Louis' current turned former lover. He saves Daniel's life during the first interview. Armand first appears under the disguise of Rashid, Louis' dutiful servant.
* Ben Daniels as Santiago (season 2), the leading thespian of the vampiric troupe the Théâtre des Vampires, who is increasingly suspicious of Louis and Claudia.

### Recurring

* Kalyne Coleman as Grace de Pointe du Lac Freniere (season 1), Louis's married sister
* John DiMaggio as Alderman Fenwick (season 1), a businessman looking to take advantage of Louis
* Chris Stack as Thomas "Tom" Anderson (season 1), the owner of the Fair Play Saloon, an upscale brothel
* Rae Dawn Chong as Florence de Pointe du Lac (season 1), Louis's widowed mother
* Jeff Pope as Finn O'Shea (season 1), one of Louis's enforcers
* Dana Gourrier as Bricktop Williams (season 1), a prostitute who works for Louis
* Christian Robinson as Levi Freniere (season 1), Grace's new husband and Louis and Paul's brother in law
* Maura Grace Athari as Antoinette Brown (season 1), a blues singer who becomes romantically involved with Lestat
* Bally Gill as Rashid (season 2), Louis and Armand's servant
* Suzanne Andrade as Celeste (season 2), one of Théâtre des Vampires' thespians
* Esme Appleton as Estelle (season 2), one of Théâtre des Vampires' thespians
* Jake Cecil as Gustave (season 2), one of Théâtre des Vampires' thespians
* Roxane Duran as Madeleine Éparvier (season 2), a dressmaker who becomes Louis' fledgling and Claudia's immortal companion
* Christopher Geary as Samuel "Sam" Barclay (season 2), Théâtre des Vampires' playwright in residence
* Khetphet "KP" Phagnasay as Quang Pham (season 2), Théâtre des Vampires' projectionist and swing actor
* Yung Nguyen as Tuan Pham (season 2), Théâtre des Vampires' projectionist, swing actor and Quang's biological father
Additionally, Steven G. Norfleet guest starred as Paul de Pointe du Lac, Louis's troubled brother, while Damon Daunno guest starred as Bruce or Killer, a lone vampire Claudia meets during her travels, and Luke Brandon Field guest starred as Young Daniel Molloy. In season two, Blake Ritson and Stephanie Hayes guest starred as Morgan Ward and Emilia, a couple of refugees Louis and Claudia meet in Romania, while Joseph Potter guest-starred as Nicolas de Lenfent, Lestat's former friend and lover, and Justin Kirk guest-starred as Raglan James, a member of the Talamasca.

## Episodes
### Series overview

| Season | Title | Episodes | Episodes | Originally released | Originally released |
| Season | Title | Episodes | Episodes | First released | Last released |
| 1 | Part I | 7 | 7 | October 2, 2022 (2022-10-2) | November 13, 2022 (2022-11-13) |
| 2 | Part II | 8 | 8 | May 12, 2024 (2024-5-12) | June 30, 2024 (2024-6-30) |

### Season 1: Part I (2022)

| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Teleplay by | Original release date | U.S. viewers (millions) |
| 1 | 1 | "In Throes of Increasing Wonder..." | Alan Taylor | Rolin Jones | October 2, 2022 (2022-10-2) | 0.622 |
| In 2022 Dubai, immortal vampire Louis de Pointe du Lac begins retelling his life story to journalist Daniel Molloy. In 1910, successful New Orleans brothel owner Louis is befriended by the mysterious and handsome Frenchman, Lestat de Lioncourt. Louis, burdened by his troubled younger brother Paul's disapproval and the limitations put upon him as a black man, struggles with his increasing attraction to the flamboyant and rakish Lestat. When Louis and Lestat finally consummate their relationship, Louis is overcome by the intense feelings brought upon by Lestat's "little drink" of his blood and vows never to see Lestat again. Paul jumps off the roof to his death, and a devastated Louis is tortured by his mother's blame and Lestat's persistent advances. He recounts his many sins in a church confessional, but Lestat arrives and slaughters the priests. Lestat offers Louis an escape from the troubles of his mortal life, and with Louis's agreement, Lestat makes him a vampire. |||||||
| 2 | 2 | "...After the Phantoms of Your Former Self" | Alan Taylor | Jonathan Ceniceroz & Dave Harris | October 9, 2022 (2022-10-9) | 0.525 |
| Lestat begins teaching Louis how to hunt for prey and use his new vampiric powers, but though he is eager to feed, Louis is not the remorseless killer his mentor is. Six years later, Louis and Lestat have purchased the Fair Play Saloon and rechristened it as Azalea Hall, but Louis still struggles with his new life. After a long overdue visit home, the temptation to drink the blood of his infant nephew painfully reminds Louis that he is no longer human. Still, he cannot fully embrace the casual cruelty and disregard for human life while Lestat toys with a dying tenor opera singer in front of him. |||||||
| 3 | 3 | "Is My Very Nature That of the Devil" | Keith Powell | Rolin Jones & Hannah Moscovitch | October 16, 2022 (2022-10-16) | 0.445 |
| Louis proposes that he and Lestat only prey on the worst of humankind. Lestat participates in the experiment, but Louis still has qualms that drive him to feed off animals instead. Louis feels threatened when Lestat takes a blues singer, Antoinette, as a lover, so Louis has sex with Jonah, a childhood friend in town on leave. Louis finds that he is unwelcome at his family's home, as his mother Florence sees what he is. Alderman Fenwick targets Azalea Hall as part of a push by white business owners to force Louis and other black owners out of Storyville and take over their properties. This is the last straw for Louis, who murders Fenwick and hangs his mutilated corpse in public. The white citizens retaliate with fire and destruction. A despondent Louis hears the thoughts of a young girl in a burning boarding house and rushes in to save her. |||||||
| 4 | 4 | "...The Ruthless Pursuit of Blood with All a Child's Demanding" | Keith Powell | Eleanor Burgess | October 23, 2022 (2022-10-23) | 0.469 |
| In the present, Daniel reads Claudia's diaries. She is saved from the fire by Louis, but she is horribly burned. Louis convinces Lestat to make her a vampire rather than let her die. Claudia receives a crash course in vampirism and makes her first kill, but she proves to be impulsive, eating more than Louis or Lestat while being less cautious. But she proves to be a good addition to their household, acting as a daughter to the older vampires. As vampires' thoughts cannot be read by the one who made them, Louis and Claudia have a special connection apart from Lestat, although Claudia also expresses a fondness for Lestat when it comes to vampiric activities. Louis's mother dies, and his sister Grace wants to buy their family home from Louis, having grown fearful of him. Louis begrudgingly agrees to have the papers drawn up. After witnessing a couple making love during one hunt, Claudia becomes frustrated to be an adult in the body of a teenager and acts out. She falls in love with a man named Charlie, but in her excitement, she accidentally kills him. Lestat makes her watch Charlie's body burn. |||||||
| 5 | 5 | "A Vile Hunger for Your Hammering Heart" | Levan Akin | Hannah Moscovitch | October 30, 2022 (2022-10-30) | 0.465 |
| Louis and Lestat learn that Claudia has secretly been on a mass murder spree and has carelessly dumped the bodies in an area just below the river level. A big storm comes in, and a multitude of corpses wash up. The police come to the townhouse for a routine search and nearly discover the human parts Claudia has been collecting in her room. Lamenting that Lestat and Louis have each other to love, Claudia admits she has tried to make other vampires to have someone for herself, but has repeatedly failed. Claudia leaves for parts unknown, and Louis's relationship with Lestat is worse than ever. During her travels, Claudia meets another vampire named Bruce, who does something to her that Louis will not discuss with Daniel in the present. After seven years of researching vampire lore, Claudia returns to take Louis away with her. Louis is tempted, and a furious Lestat attacks, leaving Louis beaten to a pulp. |||||||
| 6 | 6 | "Like Angels Put in Hell by God" | Levan Akin | Coline Abert | November 6, 2022 (2022-11-6) | 0.473 |
| Lestat has disappeared in shame, and Claudia nurses Louis back to health. A remorseful Lestat eventually makes overtures to reunite with Louis, who ignores the apologies and gifts for six years. But Louis cannot let go of his connection to Lestat, and he and Claudia consider allowing their maker back into a new version of their family where Claudia is an equal. They give Lestat a list of conditions for his return, but ultimately nothing changes. Lestat relates how as a human he was kidnapped by the vampire Magnus, kept in a room full of corpses that looked like him, and eventually made a vampire, after which Magnus immolated himself. Louis tries to broker peace between Lestat and Claudia but to no avail. Claudia decides to leave for Europe, stowing away on a train, but Lestat locates Claudia and threatens her into returning home, insisting that Louis needs both of them. Claudia decides that she and Louis need to kill Lestat to finally be free of him, and Louis agrees. In the present, Daniel dreams of his first encounter as a young man with Louis and remembers that Louis's young familiar Rashid was also there. |||||||
| 7 | 7 | "The Thing Lay Still" | Alexis Ostrander | Rolin Jones & Ben Philippe | November 13, 2022 (2022-11-13) | 0.433 |
| The vampires' eccentricity and agelessness have attracted increased attention, so Lestat decides they should leave New Orleans. Claudia manipulates Lestat into throwing an elaborate Mardi Gras ball before they leave. In the present, Louis explains to Daniel that there are several ways to "kill" a vampire, including starvation, decapitation, fire, and drinking the blood of the dead. At the ball, the vampires choose a handful of guests to be slaughtered and drained afterward. Claudia tells Louis that she has drugged one of them with laudanum and arsenic. As Lestat is poised to drink from the tainted man, he reveals that Antoinette, now a vampire, has warned him of their plan, but he suddenly collapses. A triumphant Claudia explains that she knew Antoinette was trailing her, and that she also poisoned Tom Anderson, from whom Lestat has already drunk. Louis slits Lestat's throat, and he and Claudia leave Lestat's corpse in a trunk to be thrown in the city dump. In the present, Daniel accuses Louis of leaving Lestat somewhere full of rats as a means to save him. Louis reveals that Rashid is actually the ancient vampire Armand and the love of his life. |||||||

### Season 2: Part II (2024)

| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Teleplay by | Original release date | U.S. viewers (millions) |
| 8 | 1 | "What Can the Damned Really Say to the Damned" | Craig Zisk | Hannah Moscovitch | May 12, 2024 (2024-5-12) | 0.282 |
| Louis and Claudia travel to Europe at the end of World War II, searching for fellow vampires. Louis is tormented by a ghostly imagining of Lestat in his head, while Claudia remains emotionally distant. In Romania, while searching for evidence of Vlad the Impaler, the pair are taken in by a refugee community who seem as terrified of vampires as they are of the Soviet occupiers. They eventually encounter a grotesque, feral vampire and its maker, the weary and mysterious Daciana. Instead of going with them back to America, Daciana throws herself into fire. After having heard on the radio that it has been liberated from the Nazis, they go to Paris, the "mother of New Orleans". In the present, Armand resists engaging with Molloy, who gets back at him by constantly engaging the real Rashid in conversation. Molloy's questions jog Louis's memory. Armand officially becomes a participant in the interview. |||||||
| 9 | 2 | "Do You Know What It Means to Be Loved by Death" | Levan Akin | Jonathan Ceniceroz & Shane Munson | May 19, 2024 (2024-5-19) | 0.264 |
| During their first five months in Paris, Louis and Claudia are unaware that they have been watched by the local vampire coven Théâtre des Vampires, due to failing to announce their arrival, as is customary for traveling vampires. While cruising through a park, Louis is approached by their leader, Armand, who invites him to their performance. Louis and Claudia are then shown to the rest of the coven, including Santiago, whom Claudia admires, and a portrait of the coven's co-founder, Lestat de Lioncourt. Louis, anxious, tries to confirm Lestat's death with his solicitor, Roget, but fails. During a hunt with the coven, Armand admits that he can tell Louis is familiar with Lestat and advises him to be more discreet to avoid the coven's wrath. In the present, Daniel repeatedly interrupts and mocks Louis and Armand's narration. The couple fight back by digging into Daniel's past with his first wife, Alice, which triggers a flashback of Armand. |||||||
| 10 | 3 | "No Pain" | Levan Akin | Heather Bellson | May 26, 2024 (2024-5-26) | 0.194 |
| In the present, Daniel meets a Talamasca agent named Raglan James at a restaurant who provides him with more sources on Louis and Armand. Armand then recounts his first meeting with Lestat and the founding of Théâtre des Vampires to Daniel. The flashback in Paris continues with Claudia going through hazing to join Théâtre des Vampires: working backstage and in the wet room. Meanwhile, Louis keeps rejecting Armand's offer to join the coven despite spending more time together. Haunted by the hallucination of Lestat, Louis accidentally kills a man and leaves him at a park. This leads to Santiago and the coven demanding Armand discipline Louis. During the initiation, Santiago reads The Five Great Laws to Claudia, including prohibiting killing another vampire. She is given her first role for the next fifty years: a baby. Armand decides not to kill Louis; the two bond over their shared history with Lestat and kiss. |||||||
| 11 | 4 | "I Want You More Than Anything in the World" | Levan Akin | Coline Abert & A. Zell Williams | June 2, 2024 (2024-6-2) | 0.185 |
| Claudia gradually loathes her play My Baby Loves Windows despite its success. She develops a friendship with a mortal dressmaker, Madeleine, which leads to her punishment and threat from Armand. The Théâtre des Vampires, led by Santiago, confronts Armand about his special treatment of Louis and plots a mutiny. Santiago sneaks into Louis' flat, where he discovers Claudia's old notebooks, containing Lestat's final words. After hearing about Armand's past and difficulties managing the coven, Louis bids farewell to his hallucination of Lestat and resolves to pursue a committed relationship with Armand. In the present, a mistake in their archive sparks a heated disagreement between Louis and Armand. Daniel continues to recover his memories of Armand and discovers images of the three of them from the first interview in the Talamasca's archive. |||||||
| 12 | 5 | "Don't Be Afraid, Just Start the Tape" | Craig Zisk | Jonathan Ceniceroz & Hannah Moscovitch | June 9, 2024 (2024-6-9) | 0.248 |
| After Armand departs for a hunt, Daniel and Louis speak privately about what transpired during the first interview in San Francisco in 1973. With the help of the files Raglan James gave to Daniel, the two start to piece together the details of that night. In San Francisco, not long after Armand's intervention, Louis and Armand enter into a heated argument. When Armand brings up his relationships with Claudia and Lestat, Louis finds it too hard to stomach and attempts suicide by going into the sunlight. Armand intervenes and saves his life. Louis writhes in pain for four days before Armand moves him to his coffin and aids his recovery. Armand taunts him by revealing that he has found Lestat telepathically. Lestat tries to reach out to Louis through Armand, but Armand refuses to pass along his message of love. Armand psychologically tortures and attempts to kill Daniel, but Louis stops him. Back in Dubai, both Louis and Daniel realize that Armand had heavily manipulated their memory of what happened that night. |||||||
| 13 | 6 | "Like the Light by Which God Made the World Before He Made Light" | Emma Freeman | Hannah Moscovitch & Shane Munson | June 16, 2024 (2024-6-16) | N/A |
| In the present, Daniel returns to the same restaurant to meet Raglan James, who informs him that Talamasca cannot protect his life and advises him to fear Louis rather than Armand. The conversation between Armand and Louis is increasingly heating up, and Armand notices Louis has regained memories of what happened in San Francisco. The flashback in Paris continues, with Santiago discreetly circulating Claudia's journals within the coven and organizing a coup. An attack on Madeleine causes Claudia to reveal her vampire nature, leading Madeleine to seek transformation into Claudia's immortal companion. Following Armand's rejection to sire a new vampire, Louis turns Madeleine. Armand informs Louis that he has left the coven after being given a choice. The episode concludes with Armand allowing the coven to ambush Louis, Claudia, and Madeleine and present them as the accused in a dramatic trial-style matinee, with Lestat revealed to be alive and in attendance. |||||||
| 14 | 7 | "I Could Not Prevent It" | Emma Freeman | Kevin Hanna & Rolin Jones | June 23, 2024 (2024-6-23) | N/A |
| The sham trial continues with Santiago serving as the "ringmaster", riling up the jeering human audience, charging Louis, Claudia, and Madeleine with violations of The Five Great Laws, and reading out Claudia's diary, with Lestat testifying as the victim and Armand being forced to watch from the balcony. Claudia and Louis try to speak in their defense, but the coven cripples their feet and uses their collective power to disorient them. Lestat reveals that Louis demanded him to turn Claudia despite being fully aware of the plight of a child vampire, and he goes off script to apologize for beating Louis up. Claudia and Madeleine are condemned to death by a burning ray of the sun, which is carried out on stage, but not before Claudia threatens to kill every audience member post-execution and Louis is shoved into a coffin, filled with gravel, and locked in a crypt to die from starvation. |||||||
| 15 | 8 | "And That's The End of It. There's Nothing Else" | Levan Akin | Rolin Jones | June 30, 2024 (2024-6-30) | 0.291 |
| Freed from the coffin by Armand, Louis sets the Theatre aflame, kills the vampires of the coven, with Sam the only one to escape surviving, and saves Claudia's diaries. He reunites with Armand and they meet Lestat in Magnus's old lair, but Louis only "kills" him symbolically by choosing Armand for the rest of his life. In the present, the interview ends there, but Daniel, having been sent Armand's original script for the trial, reveals that Armand was the director of the trial and that Lestat, not Armand, had saved Louis from receiving a death sentence. Louis fights with Armand but leaves him and Daniel behind in the Penthouse. He travels to New Orleans and meets Lestat; the pair finally reconcile. Some months later, Daniel, turned into a vampire by Armand, has published the interview as a best-seller book, openly saying that all is true, although it is implied that no one believes him. Back in Dubai, Louis hears the telepathic rage of vampires around the world demanding his death but calmly dares them to come for him. |||||||

## Production
### Development

A new franchise adaptation of Anne Rice's The Vampire Chronicles was initially in development as a film series at Universal Pictures and Imagine Entertainment. The novel series had previously been adapted into Interview with the Vampire, starring Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt, in 1994 and the less commercially successful 2002 sequel, Queen of the Damned. Rice's son, Christopher Rice, had adapted the screenplay, and Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci were set as producers. The project paused until November 26, 2016, when Anne Rice had regained the rights to the franchise with the intention to develop the novels into a television series, where she and her son would serve as executive producers. Upon this announcement, Rice stated, "A television series of the highest quality is now my dream for Lestat, Louis, Armand, Marius, and the entire tribe. Though we had the pleasure of working with many fine people in connection with this plan, it did not work out. It is, more than ever, abundantly clear that television is where the vampires belong."
On April 28, 2017, it was announced that Paramount Television Studios and Anonymous Content had optioned the rights after a competitive month-long bidding war. Christopher Rice was attached to rewrite the screenplay, with Anonymous Content's David Kanter and Steve Golin joining as executive producers. On January 11, 2018, Bryan Fuller became the showrunner, but quit later that month to not interfere with what the Rices were planning. In a competitive situation, Hulu put the project in development on July 17, 2018, with Dee Johnson replacing Fuller as showrunner on February 19, 2019. It was later announced on December 19, 2019, that Hulu had decided not to move forward with the project, with Rice adding her trilogy Lives of the Mayfair Witches, the rights to which were still owned by Warner Bros. Pictures, to the larger, complete rights package. Paramount Television was in a position to regain the rights to the novels as it was reported the studio was among the four bidders seeking the property.
On May 13, 2020, it was announced that AMC Networks had purchased the rights to the intellectual property encompassing 18 novels and the possibility to develop feature films and television series from the deal. On June 24, 2021, AMC gave an adaptation of the first novel in the series, Interview with the Vampire, a series order consisting of eight episodes, with the series scheduled to premiere in 2022. Rolin Jones was attached as creator, showrunner, and writer. Mark Johnson was named executive producer alongside Jones under their overall deals with AMC Studios to oversee the universe for AMC, with Anne and Christopher Rice set as non-writing executive producers. On July 19, 2021, it was announced that Alan Taylor was attached as an executive producer and to direct the first two episodes of the first season. On September 28, 2022, ahead of the series premiere, AMC renewed Interview with the Vampire for a second season which will cover the second half of the novel, bringing the series to a total of fifteen episodes.
On June 26, 2024, AMC renewed the series for a third season, adapting the second book in the series The Vampire Lestat.

### Writing and themes

With AMC's intention of creating a universe out of Rice's work, show creator and writer Rolin Jones stated that the later books in The Vampire Chronicles influenced the decisions made when adapting the story and acknowledged the challenge between being loyal to the source material and keeping the story interesting to those who are familiar with it. Among the significant changes is Louis' background, which shifted from a white planter and African slave owner in the late 1700s to a mixed-race Creole pimp in Storyville, a red light district in early 20th-century New Orleans. Jones said that the changes were made to place the story in a "time period that was as exciting aesthetically as the 18th century was without digging into a plantation story that nobody really wanted to hear now". The series also embraces the queer relationship that exists in Rice's novels, unlike the 1994 film adaptation. On the relationship between the two lead characters, Jones stated that the show is a gothic romance and that he wanted to "write a very excitable, aggressive, toxic, beautiful love story". Critics praised the series' writing for avoiding color-blind casting and allowing the series to explore themes such as race, sexuality, history, and abuse.

### Casting

In August 2021, Sam Reid and Jacob Anderson were confirmed to play the lead roles of Lestat de Lioncourt and Louis de Pointe du Lac. Two months later, Bailey Bass joined the cast in a starring role as Claudia, whose age was changed from five-year-old in the novel to fourteen-year-old to avoid Louisiana's child labor law. Kalyne Coleman subsequently landed a recurring role as Grace, Louis's sister. In 2022, Christian Robinson and Assad Zaman joined the cast as Levi and Rashid, respectively, while Eric Bogosian was cast as Daniel Molloy in an undisclosed capacity. In April the same year, Maura Grace Athari completed the cast as Antoinette.
Anderson, Reid, Bogosian, and Zaman reprised their roles in the second season, while Delainey Hayles replaced Bass as Claudia due to "a variety of unforeseen circumstances". In 2023, Ben Daniels and Roxane Duran joined the cast to play Santiago and Madeleine. In February 2024, upon the announcement of the second season's release date, David Costabile joined the cast as a guest star.

### Filming

Principal photography for the first season began in late 2021, running from December to April 2022 in New Orleans. Production designer Mara LePere-Schloop recreated Storyville district by building about 40 period building facades for the show's Iberville and Liberty Street on a backlot at The Ranch Studios in Chalmette from October 2021 to January 2022. The show was also shot at several New Orleans landmarks, including Gallier House, which Anne Rice used as the model for Lestat's townhouse, and Beauregard-Keyes House, for the interior of Fair Play Saloon.
The second season officially began filming on April 3, 2023, and was expected to end on August 31, with most of the shoot taking place in Prague, which will stand for Paris, including Barrandov Studios. Filmings in Paris and New Orleans were also done. Craig Zisk was named as one of the directors, while the season was expected to premiere in "early-to-mid 2024". On May 3, given the script for the series had already been written, AMC spokesperson confirmed that the ongoing Writers Guild of America (WGA) strike was expected to not disrupt the series' schedule, but rewriting was not allowed. Filming was eventually halted in July due to the 2023 SAG-AFTRA strike and resumed after "roughly 10-week hiatus" on October 2, following AMC Networks' interim agreements with the union and the conclusion of the WGA strike.

### Music

Rolin Jones asked his former The Exorcist collaborator Daniel Hart to score the series. Hart and Jones centered the score's style on the period in which the show's protagonists live and discussed early 20th-century American classical musicians as influences. Hart composed a theme for each of the main characters on the tone of their voices so the music would be a part of their internal monologues. Milan Records released the first season soundtrack album on October 22, 2022, which includes the song "Come to Me," performed by Sam Reid as Lestat de Lioncourt. The second season soundtrack album was released on May 17, 2024, five days after the season premiere.

## Release

The series premiered on AMC on October 2, 2022, with an advance release three days earlier on the network's streaming service AMC+, in all of its regions except Spain, where it premiered on January 12, 2023. The rest of the seven-episode first season was released weekly, with a one-week advance on AMC+. In 2023, the series was aired on BBC Two in the United Kingdom, ABC Television in Australia, and Sky in Germany, alongside a digital release on their respective streaming services. In the Middle East and North Africa region, the series is available on the streaming service OSN+. The first season was included in the AMC+ "programming pop-up" on Max in the US from September 1 to October 31, 2023, and will be made available on US Netflix for a year starting August 19, 2024.
RLJE Films released the first season on DVD and Blu-ray in region A on September 26, 2023, which includes French and Spanish dub as well as the series' panel at the 2022 San Diego Comic-Con.
The second season premiered on May 12, 2024.

## Reception
### Critical response

Critical response of Interview with the Vampire :
| Season | Rotten Tomatoes | Metacritic |
| 1 | 98% (82 reviews) | 80 (30 reviews) |
| 2 | 98% (72 reviews) | 89 (14 reviews) |
Both seasons of Interview with the Vampire have been widely praised. On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the overall series holds an approval rating of 98%. Meanwhile, on Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, the overall series has a score of 83 out of 100. IndieWire named the series one of the most essential LGBTQ TV shows of the 21st century.

#### Season 1

On the review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, 98% of 82 critics gave the first season a positive review, with an average rating of 8.15/10. The website's critics consensus reads, "With a playful tone and an expansive sweep that allows Anne Rice's gothic opus to mull like a chalice of blood, Interview with the Vampire puts a stake through concerns that this story couldn't be successfully resurrected." Metacritic assigned it a weighted average score of 80 out of 100 based on 30 critics.
Allison Piccuro of TV Guide gave the season a score of 8.9 out of 10, writing that it "successfully breathe[d] new life into an old story" by not overly reliant on the original material, as many adaptations are. Judy Berman of Time named Interview "the season's best fantasy franchise reboot", despite House of the Dragon and The Rings of Power debuting in the same period. According Matthew Gilbert of The Boston Globe, the show alter[ed] specifics of the novel's story line in ways that wind up working spectacularly well," which might surprising fans of the book and frustrating purists. Jenna Scherer, writing for The A.V. Club, opined that the changes added "fascinating depths" to Louis and allowed the show to explore themes, such as race, sexuality, and history. Giving the series an "A-", she also attributed its success to the show's "gothic melodrama vibe", adding that it had the appeal of Rice's work, which is "smart, thoughtful writing with a heaping helping of Harlequin paperback camp". Brian Tallerico from The Playlist noted how the show found a balance between "the Southern Gothic escapism of something like True Blood with the rich cultural commentary of Hannibal". In an article highlighting race change in TV adaptations, Kelly Lawler for USA Today stated that Interview is "a story that is very Black and very gay, and it never feels like either of these choices is tokenism". Meanwhile, on the change to the framing device through Daniel Molloy, Darrin Franich for Entertainment Weekly opined that "there's a legacy-sequel quality to [it], a sense that all parties need to re-examine their lore". He gave the show a grade of "B".
However, some critics lamented the loss of subtlety in the writing. Tallerico found Molloy "can feel a bit too much like a writer's highlighter". Franich called the Dubai portion of the show "the least compelling subplot" and stated that "supporting characters who should feel crucial don't make enough of an impression". Meanwhile, Charles Bramesco of The Guardian argued that the show's choice to be explicitly queer felt like it's "catering to a viewership that's been made to wait too long to see the objects of their affections get it on" and gave the series three out of five.
The performances of the main cast were all praised by critics, with Anderson and Reid and their chemistry receiving particular praise. Scherer noted that Anderson proved he was "more and ready" to lead his own series, stating: "He believably plays all the stages of Louis' life." In the publication's best TV performance of the year list, Saloni Gajjar stated that Anderson "arguably exceeded" Brad Pitt's performance in the 1994 film adaptation. Meanwhile, Kayleigh Donaldson of Consequence felt Reid's performance was "directly taken from the novels, as opposed to the camp eccentricity of Tom Cruise". IndieWire included Reid in its best film and TV performance list of the year and stated, "Every minute of Reid's performance here is a master class in manipulation." Anderson and Reid were listed together by several critics, with TV Guide praising: "Their sizzling chemistry and wholehearted commitment [...] is what makes [sic] Interview with the Vampire work."
Critics also praised the costumes, production design, and music of the season. Benny Bishop of Comic Book Resources wrote an article praising the use of music in the season and stated that the show managed to make "music into a character" by expertly managing its diegetic and incidental music and using it to make a story "just as informed by music as the culture it shows on-screen". Several critics were disappointed about the show's exclusion from the Emmy Awards and included it in their snub lists.

#### Season 2

For the second season, Rotten Tomatoes reports that 98% of 72 critic reviews are positive and the average rating is 8.85 out of 10. The website's critics consensus reads, "Going from strength to strength with new settings and vivid characterizations, Interview with the Vampire's sophomore season still has plenty of inspiration coursing through its veins." On Metacritic, the season has a weighted average score of 89 out of 100 based on 14 critics, indicating "universal acclaim".
Nina Metz of the Chicago Tribune gave the season a perfect score, calling it "probably one of the best TV shows of the decade". Lacy Baugher Milas of Paste dubbed Interview "the best sort of genre series", describing it as not just a good tale but also a reflection of "genuine truths about the human experience of the world we live in now". Several critics opined the second season is better than the first for its commitment to embrace its melodramatic features, which Gavia Baker-Whitelaw of TV Guide believed is what makes the series "so compelling". She gave the season a score 9 out of 10. Matthew Gilbert of The Boston Globe described the show's writing as "elegant and, at times, moving". Carol Midgley of The Times gave the season three stars out of five, saying it was "bleaker and less camp" and "things can get repetitive". Samantha Nelson of IGN considered the show's attempt to connect with other shows in the Immortal Universe to be not too awkward but described it as "Daniel being recruited into the Avengers Initiative".
Critics praised performances by the main cast; however, some lamented Lestat's reduced appearance after the previous season's finale. Kayleigh Donaldson of TheWrap noted that "the magnetism of Jacob Anderson and those around him" kept the show's quality. Jackson McHenry wrote in Vulture's top performances of the year list that Anderson deserves "immense credit for grounding the series". Andy Smith of TVLine named Anderson as an honorable mention in the publication's performer of the week for the eighth episode, while Sam Reid was mentioned for the seventh. Collider's Carly Lane wrote that Reid was able to "inhabit facets of the character we've never really seen before". Nelson dubbed Halyes's Claudia as a "worthy successor" to Bass's, while David Opie of Empire noted that Hayles "brings a newfound maturity to Claudia". Giving the season another perfect score, Kaiya Shunyata of Dread Central wrote that Anderson, Bogosian, and Zaman were "a match made in television heaven" for their performances. Collider, TV Guide and TV Insider named Interview their best television show of 2024.

### Critics' top ten lists

Interview with the Vampire was named the best reviewed horror series of 2022 by Rotten Tomatoes, as well as one of the best reviewed TV series and new series of the year. The series was placed at number 19 on Metacritic's year-end list of most mentioned TV shows by critics as "Best of 2022".

### Ratings
#### Season 1

The premiere of Interview with the Vampire ranked as the number one new series launch ever for AMC+, and along with the return of The Walking Dead, drove the platform to its highest two days of viewership and subscriber growth since its October 2020 launch. The opening weekend performance put Interview with the Vampire alongside The Walking Dead and Better Call Saul as one of the top three new or returning series on AMC+. On AMC, 1.2 million viewers watched the premiere of the series, including 493.000 viewers in the 25–54 demographic based on Nielsen's live+3 ratings, making the series the number one new drama on ad-supported cable in 2022.
Viewership and ratings per episode of Interview with the Vampire :
| No. | Title | Air date | Rating (18–49) | Viewers (millions) | DVR (18–49) | DVR viewers (millions) | Total (18–49) | Total viewers (millions) |
| 1 | "In Throes of Increasing Wonder..." | October 2, 2022 | 0.15 | 0.622 | 0.14 | 0.690 | 0.29 | 1.312 |
| 2 | "...After the Phantoms of Your Former Self" | October 9, 2022 | 0.09 | 0.525 | 0.14 | 0.578 | 0.23 | 1.103 |
| 3 | "Is My Very Nature That of a Devil" | October 16, 2022 | 0.09 | 0.445 | 0.15 | 0.551 | 0.24 | 0.996 |
| 4 | "...The Ruthless Pursuit of Blood with All a Child's Demanding" | October 23, 2022 | 0.10 | 0.469 | 0.14 | 0.532 | 0.25 | 1.001 |
| 5 | "A Vile Hunger for Your Hammering Heart" | October 30, 2022 | 0.07 | 0.465 | — | — | — | — |
| 6 | "Like Angels Put in Hell by God" | November 6, 2022 | 0.10 | 0.473 | — | — | — | — |
| 7 | "The Thing Lay Still" | November 13, 2022 | 0.09 | 0.433 | — | — | — | — |

#### Season 2

Viewership and ratings per episode of Interview with the Vampire :
| No. | Title | Air date | Rating (18–49) | Viewers (millions) |
| 1 | "What Can the Damned Really Say to the Damned" | May 12, 2024 | 0.04 | 0.282 |
| 2 | "Do You Know What It Means to Be Loved by Death" | May 19, 2024 | 0.07 | 0.264 |
| 3 | "No Pain" | May 26, 2024 | 0.04 | 0.194 |
| 4 | "I Want You More Than Anything in the World" | June 2, 2024 | 0.03 | 0.185 |
| 5 | "Don't Be Afraid, Just Start the Tape" | June 9, 2024 | 0.04 | 0.248 |
| 6 | "Like the Light by Which God Made the World Before He Made Light" | June 16, 2024 | — | — |
| 7 | "I Could Not Prevent It" | June 23, 2024 | — | — |
| 8 | "And That's The End of It. There's Nothing Else" | June 30, 2024 | 0.05 | 0.291 |

### Accolades

Awards and nominations received by Interview with the Vampire :
| Award | Year | Category | Nominee | Result | Ref. |
| American Society of Cinematographers Awards | 2023 | Outstanding Achievement in Cinematography in an Episode of a One-Hour Television Series – Commercial | Jesse M. Feldman (for "Is My Very Nature That of the Devil") | Nominated | [178] [179] |
| Astra TV Awards | 2023 | Best Cable Drama Series | Interview with the Vampire | Nominated | |
| Black Reel Awards | 2023 | Outstanding Lead Performance in a Drama Series | Jacob Anderson | Nominated | |
| Critics' Choice Super Award | 2023 | Best Horror Series, Limited Series or TV Movie | Interview with the Vampire | Nominated | [184] [185] |
| Critics' Choice Super Award | 2023 | Best Actor in a Horror Series, Limited Series or TV Movie | Jacob Anderson | Nominated | [184] [185] |
| Critics' Choice Super Award | 2023 | Best Actor in a Horror Series, Limited Series or TV Movie | Sam Reid | Nominated | [184] [185] |
| Critics' Choice Television Awards | 2025 | Best Drama Series | Interview with the Vampire | Nominated | |
| Critics' Choice Television Awards | 2025 | Best Supporting Actor in a Drama Series | Sam Reid | Nominated | |
| Dorian Awards | 2023 | Best TV Drama | Interview with the Vampire | Nominated | |
| Dorian Awards | 2023 | Best LGBTQ TV Show | Interview with the Vampire | Nominated | |
| Dorian Awards | 2024 | Best TV Drama | Interview with the Vampire | Won | |
| Dorian Awards | 2024 | Best LGBTQ TV Show | Interview with the Vampire | Won | |
| Dorian Awards | 2024 | Best Unsung TV Show | Interview with the Vampire | Nominated | |
| Dorian Awards | 2024 | Best TV Performance–Drama | Jacob Anderson | Nominated | |
| Dorian Awards | 2024 | Best Genre TV Show | Interview with the Vampire | Won | |
| Dorian Awards | 2024 | Most Visually Striking TV Show | Interview with the Vampire | Nominated | |
| Fangoria Chainsaw Awards | 2024 | Best Series | Interview with the Vampire | Nominated | |
| GLAAD Media Awards | 2023 | Outstanding New TV Series | Interview with the Vampire | Nominated | |
| GLAAD Media Awards | 2025 | Outstanding Drama Series | Interview with the Vampire | Pending | |
| Golden Claw Awards | 2025 | Best Horror TV Show | Interview with the Vampire | Pending | |
| Gotham Awards | 2023 | Breakthrough Television Over 40 Minutes | Interview with the Vampire | Nominated | |
| Gotham Awards | 2023 | Outstanding Performance in a New Series | Jacob Anderson | Nominated | |
| HPA Awards | 2023 | Outstanding Supporting Visual Effects – Episode or Series Season | Ted Rae, Tavis Larkham, Matthew Harris, Hugo Leveille, J.V. Pike (for "Is My Very Nature That of the Devil") | Nominated | |
| HPA Awards | 2024 | Outstanding Sound – Episode or Non-Theatrical Feature | Howard Bargroff, Harry Barnes, Jamie Caple, Mark Timms, Adam Armitage, Michael Holubec (for "And That's the End of It. There's Nothing Else") | Nominated | |
| International Film Music Critics Association Awards | 2023 | Best Original Score for Television | Daniel Hart | Nominated | [196] [197] |
| MOBO Awards | 2025 | Best Performance in a TV Show/Film | Jacob Anderson | Won | |
| Make-Up Artists and Hair Stylists Guild Awards | 2025 | Best Special Make-Up Effects | Tami Lane, Howard Berger, Polly McKay, Aneta Janíčková | Nominated | |
| National Television Awards | 2024 | New Drama | Interview with the Vampire | Longlisted | |
| Promax North America Awards | 2023 | Horror/Thriller Program Trailer | Zealot Inc. (for "Eternity" trailer) | Gold | |
| Promax North America Awards | 2023 | Key Art: Logo Design | Loyalkaspar | Silver | |
| Queerties Awards | 2023 | Best TV Drama | Interview with the Vampire | Nominated | |
| Queerties Awards | 2025 | Best TV Drama | Interview with the Vampire | Runner-up | |
| Rondo Hatton Classic Horror Awards | 2023 | Best TV Presentation | Interview with the Vampire | Nominated | |
| Saturn Awards | 2023 | Best Horror Television Series | Interview with the Vampire | Nominated | |
| Saturn Awards | 2023 | Best Television Home Media Release | Interview with the Vampire (Season 1) | Nominated | |
| Saturn Awards | 2025 | Best Horror Television Series | Interview with the Vampire | Nominated | |
| Saturn Awards | 2025 | Best Television Home Media Release | Interview with the Vampire (Season 2) | Nominated | |
| TCA Awards | 2023 | Outstanding New Program | Interview with the Vampire | Nominated | |
| TCA Awards | 2023 | Outstanding Achievement in Drama | Interview with the Vampire | Nominated | |

## Franchise and shared universe

Interview with the Vampire has its own set of related media within the Anne Rice's Immortal Universe franchise, including an insider podcast and an after-show special. A short form spin-off series, Night Island, is in development, with Jonathan Ceniceroz of Interview with the Vampire set to write.
In January 2023, Mark Johnson announced that a crossover between Interview with the Vampire and Mayfair Witches, the second series in the Immortal Universe based on the novel trilogy Lives of the Mayfair Witches, was in discussion.