The Walking Dead net is welcoming a host of new undead with AMC’s lavish take on Anne Rice’s seminal 1976 novel, Interview With the Vampire.
Adapted for the big screen with Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt in 1994, this gorgeously rendered version casts Jacob Anderson (Game of Thrones) as the title vamp, Louis de Pointe du Lac. The immortal summons journalist Daniel Molloy (Eric Bogosian, Succession) to record his exploits since being turned in early 1900s New Orleans by cruel companion Lestat de Lioncourt (Sam Reid).
It’s been 46 years since Interview was published, so expect some tweaks for the seven-episode first season: Fledgling vamp Claudia (Bailey Bass), whom Louis and Lestat adopt, is now a teen instead of a child, and the romance between Louis and Lestat isn’t just hinted at. But the real change is how these vampires have developed.
“When we meet Louis in the modern day, he’s at the peak of his knowledge,” Anderson notes. “How many books [has he] read…how much YouTube has Louis watched?”
The series also launches AMC’s planned Anne Rice–iverse. Next up: Anne Rice’s Mayfair Witches in 2023. Until then, this crew has plenty of literary fangsters to hang with (see below!). — Damian Holbrook
Anne Rice’s Interview With the Vampire, Series Premiere, Sunday, October 2, 10/9c, AMC, AMC+
Battle of the Book-Based Bloodsuckers
Vampire Academy
Source Material: Richelle Mead’s YA series of the same name.
Why We’re Thirsty for It: Aside from steamy romances like the one between guardian Rose (Sisi Stringer) and her disciplined trainer, Dimitri (Kieron Moore), it’s also adapted by the queen of teen paranormal dramas, Julie Plec (The Vampire Diaries, Legacies).
Premieres Thursday, September 15, Peacock
Reginald the Vampire
Source Material: The comedic six-book Fat Vampire series from Johnny B. Truant.
Why We’re Thirsty for It: In a world of vampire shows, sometimes you just want to laugh! You’ll get that with this Syfy series starring the Spider-Man franchise’s Jacob Batalon (below) as vampire Reginald. “He may not be the typical hero of the story,” Batalon notes.
Premieres Wednesday, October 5, 10/9c, Syfy
James Dittiger/SYFY
Let the Right One In
Source Material: The 2004 novel by Swedish writer John Ajvide Lind-qvist, already adapted in two popular films.
Why We’re Thirsty for It: This thriller radically changes the tale. Instead of being centuries old, child vamp Eleanor (Madison Taylor Baez) was only turned a decade earlier and must rely on her father for survival.
Premieres Sunday, October 9, 10/9c, Showtime —Emily Aslanian
This is an excerpt from TV Guide Magazine’s 2022 Fall Preview issue. For more first looks at fall’s new shows, pick up the issue, on newsstands now.