AMC’s Interview with The Vampire (IWTV), the horror/drama TV show based on Anne Rice’s 1976 novel of the same name, premiered in October 2022, and was available to stream in the UK on BBC iPlayer from 2023 onwards. The show’s first two seasons received critical acclaim, praised for the way they combined nuanced discussion of race, queerness and identity with blood-soaked vampire drama. Now, in 2026, the long-awaited third season, The Vampire Lestat, is available to UK audiences on iPlayer, after its weekly release run on AMC+.
The Vampire Lestat follows Lestat (Sam Reid), formerly the antagonist of the first two seasons, as he and his newly formed rock band embark on a tour across America, while Lestat and the other vampiric characters deal with the fallout of journalist Daniel Molloy (Eric Bogosgian) publishing his new book, exposing the existence of vampires to human society. Previously, IWTV had followed the story of the vampire Louis Du Pointe Du Lac (Jacob Anderson), as he recounted his tale of immortality and tumultuous relationships to Daniel.
The run-up to The Vampire Lestat’s premiere was not without apprehension, as showrunner Rolin Jones constantly stated that he wanted season 3 to be vastly different to the first two seasons, with an intense tonal shift. Additionally, many fans were concerned that the new season’s writers’ room had been completely reshuffled, with many of the show’s previous writers not returning for a third season.
With all this in mind, I was equally excited and nervous to see what this new season had in store. What would the story look like from Lestat’s perspective? What new twists and revelations would appear? I expected shock, potentially outrage, but The Vampire Lestat left me with only disappointment. What went wrong? What happened?
The Pacing
The first episode establishes Lestat’s new persona as vampire-turned-rockstar, then continues to bludgeon the audience with ‘sex ‘n drugs ‘n rock and roll’ for the rest of the season, leaving very little space for the actual plot. Instead of the carefully structured flashbacks of the previous seasons, we are instead subjected to endless montages set to sub-par music that take up valuable storytelling time, and don’t do much to actually tell us about Lestat as a character. The action of the story is constantly dragged back to Lestat’s concerts, with the kitschy, glam rock rip-off music taking centre stage.
The pacing feels distinctly ‘off’ as the narrative jumps around between 18th century France and modern-day America, with neither setting given much time to breathe. New plotlines are constantly established and then discarded; multi-faceted, complex characters are reduced to hollow shells of themselves. The character arcs for Louis and Armand (Assad Zaman) are re-hashed, but this time lacking the intricacy that made them so compelling in the first season. Armand is reduced to a scheming, one-note villain, while Louis remains trapped in his grief for his surrogate daughter Claudia (Delainey Hayles), never allowed to progress past it.
The Dialogue
For me, the most glaring issue of this season is the pandering to its online audience, with constant references to various social media trends and slang awkwardly shoe-horned into Lestat’s narration. I initially thought this was some clever attempt at meta-commentary, with the show acknowledging its own fanbase, but these potential fourth wall breaks never developed into something interesting within the story, just became more irritating. The dialogue devolved into a barely-coherent series of quippy one-liners, devoid of any sincerity and practically begging to be reposted to someone’s twitter stan account.
This style of internet-influenced dialogue could be tolerable if it was limited to Lestat, but every character in the show has suddenly adopted this incredibly grating speaking manner. Previously, the show had maintained an almost prose-like element with its dialogue and narration, reminiscent of the 19th century gothic novels it drew inspiration from. So, when those same characters start discussing reddit and labubus, it’s pretty jarring. The writer’s obsession with incorporating modern references result in lines that feel bizarrely out-of-character, often undermining moments of emotional vulnerability throughout the season.
Interview with The Vampire isn’t the only piece of media to be afflicted with the urge to be unfunnily self-aware, you’ll find it in most Marvel movies and Netflix originals. But what makes this instance particularly disappointing is that before The Vampire Lestat released, this was a show that fully committed to the authenticity and sheer passion that’s expected of a gothic drama, regardless of how ridiculous its premise may be. Sure, it could be camp and over-the-top in places, but I far prefer that to The Vampire Lestat’s cold insincerity, especially when its predecessor managed to strike such a careful balance between vampire cliches and genuinely gripping drama.
The Positives
Of course, it’s not all bad. The cast continues to be brilliant, with some truly excellent acting on display, Delainey Hayles brief return as ghost-Claudia being a perfect example of this, and Lestat’s vampire band, the new faces in this season, all have great chemistry and energy on stage. The set design and costuming are equally impressive, and the special effects (including the gallons of fake blood) look incredible. These are the things I’ll look forward to in the fourth season, while also praying that the writing somehow returns to the quality upheld in seasons 1 and 2.
The Vampire Lestat is now streaming on BBC iPlayer
Featured image credit: Sophie Giraud/AMC
2nd Year Film+ Media and Journalism student.
