Sam Reid is operating on another level in The Vampire Lestat episode one. It’s a bold, messy, and theatrical restart.
I’m honestly so glad I went into this premiere as blind as possible, because this was not the version of the show I had built in my head… and that ended up being the BEST thing about it.
The first two seasons of Interview with the Vampire had such a specific rhythm and identity. The Dubai interview setup, Louis trying to unpack his memories, Daniel pushing for the truth, Armand lurking around and making everything more complicated, that format became the show. So when this episode starts making it clear that we are not simply doing more of that, but instead fully shifting into Lestat’s world, I had that brief moment of, “Wait, am I going to be into this?” And then very quickly I was like, “HOW DARE I QUESTION THEM?”
Because this is exactly what a third season should do. It keeps the DNA of the series intact — memory, perspective, unreliable narrators, trauma, romance, performance, all of that — but it completely changes the delivery system. This premiere feels like a rock and roll documentary got possessed by a vampire soap opera. It’s “Almost Famous” with vampires, but way more deranged, horny, self-aware, and emotionally unstable.
What I loved most is how the documentary format continues the show’s obsession with truth, but in a totally different way. A documentary is supposed to capture what is “real,” but with Lestat, it feels like he is acting the most when the camera is on him. That is such a perfect choice for this character. Louis’ version of events was controlled, wounded, poetic, and reflective. Lestat’s version is loud, theatrical, defensive, funny, vulgar, and clearly built out of someone who is trying to reclaim his own name before anyone else can define him.
The episode really clicked for me once Lestat finds Daniel’s book and starts spiraling. As heightened and ridiculous as it all is, there is something weirdly relatable about that. The idea of reading someone else’s version of your life, your relationship, your worst moments, and feeling like, “That is not how I remember it,” is such a human wound. Then, because he’s Lestat, instead of processing that in a healthy way, he forms a band, becomes a rock star, and turns his identity crisis into a global performance. It’s silly, but it also makes total emotional sense for him.
Sam Reid is just operating on another level here. This episode asks him to be seductive, pathetic, terrifying, hilarious, broken, narcissistic, and weirdly vulnerable, sometimes all in the same scene. He sells the rock star persona without making it feel like cosplay. The concert sequences could have easily become embarrassing if the show didn’t fully commit, but it does. The music, the costumes, the editing, the crowd, the sexuality of it all — IT’S A LOT, but it’s supposed to be a lot. Lestat is a lot.
I also really enjoyed how modern and satirical this premiere feels. Lestat being thrown into the era of TikTok, algorithms, stan culture, viral fame, and everybody performing a version of themselves online is a perfect match for him. Of course he understands the falseness of it. Of course he can manipulate it. But also, of course it would mess with him. He has been around for centuries, has always wanted some form of fame or worship, and now he’s living in a time where everyone is chasing attention all the time. That feels like heaven and hell for Lestat.
The pacing is very different, and I mean that as a compliment. The episode feels intentionally disorienting. We are jumping between documentary footage, flashbacks, memories, intoxicated vampire chaos, and the larger mystery of where all of this is heading. Lestat himself feels like he is trying to organize the story while actively falling apart inside of it. The drugged-out sequence especially captures that feeling of time collapsing, where trauma, memory, desire, and performance all start bleeding into each other.
I do still want Louis and Lestat in the same room. Obviously. Their dynamic is such a huge part of why this show works. But I didn’t find myself missing Louis as much as I expected to in this premiere, because Lestat’s point of view is immediately so compelling. The episode still keeps Louis’ presence alive, especially through the book and the emotional fallout of what Lestat believes has been done to him. So even when Louis is not physically dominating the episode, the relationship is still haunting it.
As a premiere, this was bold as hell. It risks alienating people who just wanted the exact same show again, but I respect that it doesn’t do that. It says, “No, this is Lestat’s story now,” and then completely changes the language of the series to match him. It is messier, louder, funnier, sexier, more abrasive, and more chaotic, but goddamn does it feels right.
If the rest of the season can balance the rock star absurdity with the emotional tragedy underneath it, I think this could be something really special. This episode didn’t just continue Interview with the Vampire. It reintroduced the show through Lestat’s ego, pain, humor, and hunger for control. And honestly? I’m fully in. I can see this becoming my favorite season of the series!
About The Vampire Lestat
In the new rock and roll centric season, the Vampire Lestat (Reid) goes on an electric multi-city tour while being haunted by “muses” from his wild and rebellious past. As his band’s popularity and star power rises, so does Lestat’s influence over vampires and humans alike, leaving others to contend with Lestat’s power in the face of the Great Conversion, an unnatural surge in the vampire population.
In addition to Reid, The Vampire Lestat stars Jacob Anderson, Assad Zaman, Eric Bogosian, Delainey Hayles and Jennifer Ehle and is executive produced by award-winning producer Mark Johnson, creator, writer and showrunner Rolin Jones, Hannah Moscovitch, along with Christopher Rice and the late Anne Rice.
Starring Sam Reid, the wild and captivating next chapter in Anne Rice’s Immortal Universe premiered Sunday, June 7 at 9pm ET/PT on AMC and AMC+.
