The Vampire Lestat Is Missing A Key Element Of What Made Interview With A Vampire So Good
June is Pride Month, and there’s plenty of A+ content about queer stories hitting TV and the big screen. Anne Rice’s Interview with a Vampire has a long history for LGBTQ+ community, and we’re a few episodes into the show’s third season on AMC. Retitled The Vampire Lestat, the book to screen adaptation has once again caught my attention. Although there’s one big thing I’m missing from its firs two seasons on the air.
Reviews for The Vampire Lestat are quite positive, and in many ways it feels like a brand new show. We are now finally in Lestat’s POV, which stands in juxtaposition to some of the stories Louis told in the first two season (streaming with a Netflix subscription). It’s wild watching Sam Reid’s character tour as a rock star, but there is on essential ingredient I wish was still included.
I Miss The Romance Between Lestat And Louis
In the first two seasons of Interview with the Vampire, Sam Reid’s Louis tells the story of his long life to Daniel Molloy (Eric Bogosian). The heart of the story is about his romantic connection with Lestat, who transforms him into a vampire and creates a family unit alongside Claudia. Their queerness was noticeably left out of the Interview with the Vampire movie, and in my opinion it helped make the show even more captivating. But The Vampire Lestat is largely set in 2025, after the title character and Louis have become estranged following the release of Daniel’s book.
While both Louis and Lestat remain major characters in the new season, I’m missing their love story, which was previously central to the story. It remains to be seen if they end up making up, but right now I’m missing the experience of shipping these two blood suckers.
Interview with the Vampire has brutal kills and an intriguing decades-long story that still captures my attention. Having Lestat take center stage for Season 3 offers a new and exciting perspective on Anne Rice’s beloved story, but I still miss the love triangle that was established in the first two seasons between Lestat, Louis, and Armand. Hopefully we get to explore more of this dynamic in the remaining episodes of the season.
Of course, there are plenty of other thrilling narrative threads that are being pulled on in The Vampire Lestat. To start, the first episode’s time-jump saw an injured Louis and Armand following Lestat’s apparent death, as well as a mysterious “global catastrophe.” What’s more, I’m curious about the waitress Louis visits who resembles a grown-up Claudia. I’ll be tuning in to each new episode… and crossing my fingers that the show’s love story returns.
New episodes of Interview with the Vampire air Sundays on AMC as part of the 2026 TV schedule. For now, folks can re-watch the first two seasons over on Netflix.
