The Vampire Lestat isn’t actually the first season of a new series, so there may be some confusion as it premieres on the 2026 TV schedule. The AMC show is effectively Interview with the Vampire Season 3, shifting to the perspective of Sam Reid’s Lestat de Lioncourt following that emotional Season 2 ending. I was a bit unsure about the new series; IWTV is great, but AMC’s other Anne Rice book-to-screen adaptation Mayfair Witches has been up and down. However, these rave reviews and a perfect Rotten Tomatoes score have made up my mind.
Interview with the Vampire was already considered one of the best vampire shows before it shifted to Lestat’s POV under a new title, and according to Ben Travers of IndieWire’s review of The Vampire Lestat, the new horror series deserves a place on the list, too, for an “unchecked bravado” that’s hard to find these days. The critic gives it a B+, writing:
If you can give yourself over to his melody, Lestat repays your indulgence with complete immersion. The Vampire Lestat whisks you into its fantasy world, where every detail is rich with significance and every episode is a revelation. It’s rare to find television bold enough to commit as fully as The Vampire Lestat does, and rarer still to see a performer as magnetic and multifaceted as Reid to carry it through. Once you’re in, there’s no turning back. Enjoy the show.
Critics were given 6 of the season’s 7 episodes to screen, and Rotem Rusak of Nerdist rates them 4.5 out of 5 stars, writing that Lestat takes us on a “fangulous journey” that’s unlike anything else on TV. Rusak praises Sam Reid for the depth he brings to his character, and she applauds how the series honors Interview with the Vampire’s LGBTQ+ history. In the critic’s words:
The Vampire Lestat is going to hit you like a wrecking ball of attitude, atmosphere, music, emotions, and deep vibes. If the first two seasons of the narrative, titled Interview with the Vampire, were an orchestration of tense strings, beautiful though sedate, pulling the viewer toward a masterful crescendo. The Vampire Lestat is an unyielding rock show, a buffet of sight, sound, and tragedy, that cackle unapologetically as wave after wave of emotion crash into you… And we haven’t even yet seen the final episode.
Judy Berman of Time’s The Vampire Lestat review calls it an “alternately rollicking and gutting work of apocalyptic camp,” writing:
In place of the sweeping emotionality that defined Louis’ perspective comes a Vampire Lestat North American tour diary that is part scuzzy rock doc, part druggy, neo-glam fantasy, and, as Lestat is stalked by vamps who’d prefer he didn’t draw so much attention to their existence, part supernatural thriller. A device that frames the season’s events as a flashback also teases a climax of global proportions and introduces doubt around the survival of the self-described ‘performative vampire’ Reid so vividly portrays.
Lacy Baugher of Den of Geek gives it 4.5 stars out of 5, writing that it’s a thoroughly enjoyable evolution to what is, “hands down, one of the best adaptations in television history.” The events of the series expand, reframe and even contradict what we learned on Interview with the Vampire Seasons 1 and 2, playing into the idea that this is a story being told, sometimes by unreliable narrators. Baugher lauds Sam Reid’s talents, writing:
It’s difficult to overstate the scope and scale of Reid’s performance here, from playing multiple versions of Lestat across various points in his human and undead life, singing all the songs himself, and running a gamut of frequently devastating emotions from overt cruelty to crippling despair. It’s a tremendous achievement, and although award bodies rarely give genre television the respect or attention it deserves when it comes time to hand out statuettes, if there were any justice, Reid would land an Emmy for this.
Sherin Nicole of RogerEbert calls this “gothic alt-rock opera” delicious and malicious, as we realize that the Lestat we knew from IWTV was merely Louis’ interpretation — a version both villainized and idealized — and in The Vampire Lestat we are meeting the real character for the first time. Nicole says:
The new POV and campiness aren’t the only reasons The Vampire Lestat is a departure from Interview With the Vampire. Do not doubt it’s just as depraved, soaked in unceasing obsession, violence, and emotional overkill as before. However, when you reach Ep 4, something deeper emerges from the thrills and the winkingly self-aware humor. The loneliness of being a vampire and the centuries of shameful secrets begin to burn brightly. That’s when this re-envisioned series really starts to cook.
It isn’t just the critics above who are praising The Vampire Lestat for its bold storytelling and title change — the series premiered to a perfect 100% Rotten Tomatoes score. If you were a fan of Interview with the Vampire’s first two seasons (which can be streamed with a Netflix subscription or on AMC+), you’ll want to waste no time jumping into Lestat’s take on immortality
New episodes drop at 9 p.m. ET Sundays on AMC and can be streamed with an AMC+ subscription.
