‘Interview with The Vampire’: The Most Underrated TV Series?

Interview with the Vampire began with a book that turned into a film starring Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt. Cruise got praise for his role, playing Lestat De Lioncourt, but Pitt left audiences wanting more. So, who could satiate the palate of fans thirsting for a more interesting Louis De Point Du Lac?

Well, may I introduce to you Jacob Anderson, the man who played Louis De Pointe Du Lac in a way that left the audience yearning for more Louis. He plays the character in the series Interview with the Vampire, one of the most underrated shows on TV today.

Season 1

Louis De Pointe Du Lac

The series begins against the skyline of Dubai in 2022, during COVID-19, when the vampire Louis De Pointe Du Lac speaks to journalist Daniel Molloy. Louis divulges a series of events that led him to the very stiff seat that he sat up on in his penthouse apartment in Al Sharaf Towers. The large floor-to-ceiling orange-tinted windows cast a dusk-like color upon the cold greys of his living room. He recounts the story of when he was still human.

As the story continues, we are introduced to characters like his family, which consists of his brother, mother, and sister. He owns properties in the neighborhood of Storyville in New Orleans, and that is where the story of him and Lestat begins. Well, technically, they start in a church.

The importance of Louis’s character is that he is a black and queer man in 1910, so everything for him in those years felt detrimental to who he was in society. A businessman, a socialite, a rise to aristocracy, a black man, a queer man, a brother, and a son, so he felt an insurmountable pressure to behave and carry himself a certain way that was seen as acceptable in society, these characteristics makes Louis relatable and instantly empathetic to audiences.

Lestat De Lioncourt

Lestat has all the acceptable things in a society built against Louis. He is white, attractive, rich, and a nobleman from France. He has pockets deeper than the secrets he holds back from society, secrets that slowly unravel as he starts to hang around Louis. His character is so intriguing that you’d have to watch for yourself to understand his complexities.

The Relationship

Louis denied himself many pleasures in his human life—that is, until he met Lestat. Lestat promises him a life filled with beauty that people will fear, adore, and see him for exactly who he is. This scene alone should be a reason to venture onto Netflix for a watch.

The pilot episode of Interview With the Vampire has to be one of the best pilot episodes that I have ever seen to date. Without spoiling, by the end of the episode, it is a must-watch.

At one point, Louis and Lestat’s relationship develops into something that becomes quite troubling. Louis does not want to feast on humans as Lestat does. Lestat makes it a charade, something Louis does not enjoy or admire.

So, as most couples do on the brink of divorce, Louis jumps into a fiery building, saves a young girl from the engulfing flames, and begs Lestat to turn her. Against Lestat’s better judgment, he complies with what his partner wants and turns the girl. This is quite a hilarious and dark moment in their relationship, one that is complicated, and if I explained it, I would be spoiling the show’s excellence, so check it out for yourself.

Claudia

Like all beautiful things in this universe, Claudia was forever doomed by the narrative. Being turned at a very young age, she was never bound for a world filled with happiness. Claudia is played by Bailey Bass in Season 1, and her acting is phenomenal. She encapsulates a Lestat-daughter-like behavior, one that is so intriguing to watch.

It didn’t help that World War II was impending, but the time Claudia spends with Louis and Lestat is troubling. She is a never-aging teenage girl wanting to be a woman. She would never be taken seriously by other adults. Though she has the will and fire of Lestat, she also has the love of Louis. It helps that they have a one-line communication between each other, for makers cannot communicate with the ones they turn. This makes the relationship between all the characters tumultuous and one you’d have to watch to fully understand.

Daniel Molloy

Daniel Molloy is the journalist who writes down the events that occur in Louis’s life. Daniel was also the journalist that Louis found in the 70s, when the initial interview occurred, but Louis offered Daniel a copious amount of drugs during the interview, making Daniel and Louis too inebriated to ask all the right questions.

If it weren’t for Daniel Molloy’s questions, Louis wouldn’t push himself further into the memories to see if what he remembers is true. As the audience, we get to see Daniel’s dissection of the narrative, and it becomes a great watch because we see the unraveling of Louis’s mind. Truly the psychological horror you’re looking for.

Season 2

If you want to avoid spoilers for Season 2, then look no further!

In Season 2, we join Louis and Claudia in the aftermath of the Second World War. They had been feeding on soldiers, which led them into a depression because the blood they were drinking was of hopeless men.

The pair stumble upon the glorious city of Paris. They also happen upon a coven, a group of vampires who have created a community where they put on plays for the nightlife of young Parisians. In a twist of events, the coven’s old leader is their maker.

What happens in Season 2 is heart-wrenching and heartbreaking, with love and death at every turn and a big twist in the last episode.

Armand

In Season 2, we learn that the loyal manservant clicking on his iPad in the background of Season 1 is the all-powerful and ancient vampire Armand. This reveal might not sound crazy on paper, but watch the show, and the revelation will make you gasp.

Armand lies about his position in Louis’s life because he wants Louis to tell Louis’s truth. However, as soon as he becomes involved in the narrative, he sits alongside Louis to depict what had happened in Paris from his perspective. As we dive into this narrative, we see an unwinding in what Louis is saying.

After the trauma Louis endures in New Orleans and Paris, of course, he cannot remember things the way they are, but is someone also gaslighting him?

Louis becomes the unreliable narrator. Who doesn’t love an unreliable narrator? It makes for an interesting series wherein every development and character should be met with skepticism.

Season 2: Claudia

In season 2, Claudia is played by Delainey Hales, who does an astonishing job at depicting the troublesome road Claudia travels. Claudia wants to find a secure sense of identity. She wants to find a community that will love her the way that Louis loves Lestat.

She is not only neglected by Louis, but she is also struggling with her womanhood and who she wants to be and look like, which is why she is attracted to Madeline. Madeline is played by Roxanne Duran, who does an exceptional job depicting her struggle with her identity and what she desires from a world that sees itself in a black and white vignette.

Why Is The Series Better?

Interview with the Vampire, the series, has been compared to the film, and many fans who enjoy the gothic horror genre argue that the show is far superior.

A core reason why fans prefer the show is that Brad Pitt does not evoke the emotion that Jacob Anderson brings to Louis’ character. If you watch the scene above, you’ll see what I mean, and just watching Jacob Anderson’s performance will have you convinced.

The acting in itself is phenomenal. I cannot tell you how many times I was devastated by Louis’ narration. The horrors depicted in the series that happen to Louis and Claudia are heart-breaking. Plus, for you Game of Thrones fans, Jacob Anderson was as excellent in that show as he is in this one, so you’re not getting subpar acting, but who am I to tell you what to do?

Season 3

Season 3, with what little we know, is going to be the season that puts Interview with the Vampire on the map. It’s set to come out in late 2025.

The lead this season is Sam Reid, who plays Lestat. It will explore Lestat and his career becoming a rockstar in 2022. Louis is back in his arms; we have much to look forward to. Their relationship can get either better or worse from here. Not only that, we have journalist Daniel Molloy scouring the streets searching for his maker.

For those of you who are still not convinced to watch the series and give it the recognition it deserves, multiple video essays on YouTube also depict the depth that the series goes into.

For the fans, though, we have much to look forward to, including more on Devil’s Minion, which, for those who don’t know, is astonishing. The taste that we get in Season 2, Episode 7 is only the tip of the iceberg.

For those of you who made it this far, you can watch Season 1 of Interview with the Vampire on Netflix and Season 2 on AMC+.