Interview With the Vampire

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. .... The Vampire Lestat” outdoes season 2.

Filled with deep complexity, staggeringly emotional performances, and a protagonist who's captivating in so many layered ways, this season of Interview with the Vampire is not only the show at its best, but one of the best seasons of TV in 2026 so far.

Certainly, there are more than a few eye-widening shocks throughout this season that will surely inspire heated discourse, and the sheer glut of plot forced into a short season run leaves some moments in need of a deeper breath. It wouldn’t be an Anne Rice project without that. Still, this is a striking and nervy piece of work that goes there over and over again.

An alternately rollicking and gutting work of apocalyptic camp. .... Lestat becomes, like its predecessor, an empathetic portrait of an immortal monster with human psychology.

I'm still nursing the TV ["hangover"] version after watching The Vampire Lestat (complimentary, of course). The Vampire Lestat sits in a unique place within the overall series, both a sharp pivot from the straightforwardly formal interview that preceded it and a chaotically thrilling continuation of the existing story.

Through six episodes made available for review, “The Vampire Lestat” proves itself to be the show’s wildest, most risky and probably funniest season yet.

For the third season, lead showrunner Rolin Jones pulls off a hell of a hat trick and puts a lot onto the chiseled shoulders of Sam Reid, reprising his role as the sexy, witty bloodsucker Lestat de Lioncourt. Good news: Reid is electrifying and looks, acts and struts around like a legit rock star from the Bowie and Jagger age.

Beyond Gabriella, new characters never develop beyond props, as “Lestat” too closely mirrors its namesake’s narcissism. (The band is named The Vampire Lestat and, fittingly, the other band-members couldn’t matter less.) But if you can give yourself over to his melody, Lestat repays your indulgence with complete immersion. .... 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.

The show is veering toward a more flamboyant, rollicking, and dare I say comedic energy. It’s an ambitious makeover that the cast and crew are well-equipped to handle, none more than Reid, who sinks his fangs into Lestat’s superstar avatar with aplomb. .... Getting to see IWTV‘s events through Lestat’s eyes and learn more about his origins makes season three enticing so far.