''Anne Rice's Mayfair Witches'', or simply ''Mayfair Witches'', is an American
supernatural thriller drama
Drama is the specific mode of fiction represented in performance: a play, opera, mime, ballet, etc., performed in a theatre, or on radio or television.Elam (1980, 98). Considered as a genre of poetry in general, the dramatic mode has b ...
television series created by
Esta Spalding and
Michelle Ashford, based on the novel trilogy ''
Lives of the Mayfair Witches'' by
Anne Rice
Anne Rice (born Howard Allen Frances O'Brien; October 4, 1941 – December 11, 2021) was an American author of gothic fiction, erotic literature, and Christian literature.
She was best known for her series of novels '' The Vampire Chronicles''. ...
. The series stars
Alexandra Daddario
Alexandra Anna Daddario (born March 16, 1986) is an American actress who had her breakthrough portraying Annabeth Chase in the ''Percy Jackson'' film series (2010–2013). In 2021, she starred in the first season of the HBO series ''The White ...
as Rowan Fielding,
Harry Hamlin
Harry Robinson Hamlin (born October 30, 1951) is an American actor, author, and entrepreneur. He is best known for his roles as Perseus in the 1981 fantasy film '' Clash of the Titans'' and as Michael Kuzak in the legal drama series '' L.A. Law' ...
as Cortland Mayfair,
Tongayi Chirisa as Ciprien Grieve, and
Jack Huston as Lasher. It premiered on
AMC
AMC may refer to:
Film and television
* AMC Theatres, an American movie theater chain
* AMC Networks, an American entertainment company
** AMC (TV channel)
** AMC+, streaming service
** AMC Networks International, an entertainment company
*** ...
on January 8, 2023, and is the second television series in Rice's Immortal Universe, following ''
Interview with the Vampire
''Interview with the Vampire'' is a gothic horror and vampire novel by American author Anne Rice, published in 1976. It was her debut novel. Based on a short story Rice wrote around 1968, the novel centers on vampire Louis de Pointe du Lac ...
''. In February 2023, the series was renewed for a second season.
Premise
Neurosurgeon Dr. Rowan Fielding learns she is the heiress to a dynasty of powerful witches haunted by a sinister spirit.
Cast and characters
Main
*
Alexandra Daddario
Alexandra Anna Daddario (born March 16, 1986) is an American actress who had her breakthrough portraying Annabeth Chase in the ''Percy Jackson'' film series (2010–2013). In 2021, she starred in the first season of the HBO series ''The White ...
as Rowan Fielding, a neurosurgeon who learns that she is the heiress to the Mayfair dynasty
*
Tongayi Chirisa as Ciprien Grieve, an agent of the Talamasca assigned to Rowan, and a combination of the characters
Michael Curry and
Aaron Lightner from the novels
*
Jack Huston as Lasher, a powerful, shape-shifting entity who has been bound to the Mayfair witches for centuries
*
Harry Hamlin
Harry Robinson Hamlin (born October 30, 1951) is an American actor, author, and entrepreneur. He is best known for his roles as Perseus in the 1981 fantasy film '' Clash of the Titans'' and as Michael Kuzak in the legal drama series '' L.A. Law' ...
as Cortland Mayfair, the current Mayfair patriarch
Recurring
*
Beth Grant
Beth Grant (born September 18, 1949) is an American character actress. Between 2012 and 2017, she was a series regular on the television comedy '' The Mindy Project'' in the role of Beverly Janoszewski. She is also known for her role as Gracie ...
as Carlotta Mayfair, Rowan's severe and controlling aunt, and Cortland's sister
*
Erica Gimpel as Elena Fielding,
Rowan's adopted mother, secretly a Mayfair cousin who is aware of Rowan's connection to the family
*
Annabeth Gish
Anne Elizabeth "Annabeth" Gish (born March 13, 1971) is an American actress. She has played roles in films ''Shag'', ''Hiding Out'', '' Mystic Pizza'', ''SLC Punk!'', ''The Last Supper'' and ''Double Jeopardy''. On television, she played Special ...
as Deirdre Mayfair, Rowan's biological mother, an invalid plagued by the manipulative Lasher
* Geraldine Singer as Millie Mayfair, Cortland's other sister
* Hannah Alline as Suzanne, a healer in 1681 Donnelaith, Scotland, and the ancestor of the Mayfair witches
* Ravi Naidu as Samir, Ciprien's superior at the Talamasca
*
Jen Richards
Jen Richards is a transgender American writer, actress, producer and activist.
Life and career
Richards was born in Mississippi and resides in North Carolina. She graduated from Shimer College with a BA in Philosophy, and studied at Oxford Unive ...
as Josephine "Jojo" Mayfair, Cortland's daughter
* Keyara Milliner as Odette Grieve, Ciprien's sister
*
Charlayne Woodard
Charlaine "Charlayne" Woodard (born December 29, 1953) is an American playwright and actress. She is a two-time Obie Award winner as well as a Tony Award and Drama Desk nominee. She was a series regular on the hit FX TV series Pose. She played ...
as Dolly Jean Mayfair, Cortland's cousin
*
Suleka Mathew as Arjuna, a Talamasca healer
In addition, Emma Rose Smith co-stars as Florie, Suzanne's younger sister while Ian Hoch co-stars as Keith Murfis, a coroner and observer of the Mayfairs who becomes involved with an anti-witch cult.
Production
Development
Development rights to
Anne Rice
Anne Rice (born Howard Allen Frances O'Brien; October 4, 1941 – December 11, 2021) was an American author of gothic fiction, erotic literature, and Christian literature.
She was best known for her series of novels '' The Vampire Chronicles''. ...
's ''
Lives of the Mayfair Witches'' book series were still held by
Warner Bros
Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (commonly known as Warner Bros. or abbreviated as WB) is an American film and entertainment studio headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, California, and a subsidiary of Warner Bros. D ...
in December 2019, when Rice began shopping a package combining film and TV rights to both ''
The Vampire Chronicles'' and ''Mayfair Witches''.
Rice was reportedly asking around $30 to $40 million, plus a $2.5 million buyout of Warner Bros.' rights, and the new owner would hold the rights in perpetuity, not just as an option.
In May 2020, it was announced that
AMC
AMC may refer to:
Film and television
* AMC Theatres, an American movie theater chain
* AMC Networks, an American entertainment company
** AMC (TV channel)
** AMC+, streaming service
** AMC Networks International, an entertainment company
*** ...
had acquired the rights to ''The Vampire Chronicles'' and ''Lives of the Mayfair Witches'' for developing film and television projects.
Anne and
Christopher Rice would serve as executive producers on any projects developed. Rice said, "It's always been my dream to see the worlds of my two biggest series united under a single roof so that filmmakers could explore the expansive and interconnected universe of my vampires and witches. That dream is now a reality, and the result is one of the most significant and thrilling deals of my long career."
In December 2021, ''
Deadline Hollywood
''Deadline Hollywood'', commonly known as ''Deadline'' and also referred to as ''Deadline.com'', is an online news site founded as the news blog ''Deadline Hollywood Daily'' by Nikki Finke in 2006. The site is updated several times a day, wit ...
'' reported that ''Anne Rice's Mayfair Witches'' had been given an eight-episode series order by AMC, with another Rice series, ''
Interview with the Vampire
''Interview with the Vampire'' is a gothic horror and vampire novel by American author Anne Rice, published in 1976. It was her debut novel. Based on a short story Rice wrote around 1968, the novel centers on vampire Louis de Pointe du Lac ...
'', already in production at the network. ''Mayfair Witches'' will be written and executive produced by
Esta Spalding and
Michelle Ashford, and executive produced by
Mark Johnson.
Spalding and Ashford said, "The world of witches has fascinated and terrified for centuries, and yet Anne Rice's particular lens on witches explored something new altogether—women who are powerful, and often brutal, and always committed to subverting our current power structures."
Johnson added, "My good fortune as an executive producer of ''Anne Rice's Interview with the Vampire'' has now been more than doubled with what Esta Spalding and Michelle Ashford are imagining with ''The Mayfair Witches''. While both shows couldn't be more different, they nevertheless find themselves bound under the same bewitching and engaging umbrella."
In January 2023, at AMC's TCA press tour, Johnson announced a crossover between ''Mayfair Witches'' and ''Interview with the Vampire'' is in discussions. On February 3, 2023, AMC renewed the series for a second season.
Casting
In March 2022, ''
Variety
Variety may refer to:
Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats
* Variety (radio)
* Variety show, in theater and television
Films
* ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont
* ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...
'' reported that
Alexandra Daddario
Alexandra Anna Daddario (born March 16, 1986) is an American actress who had her breakthrough portraying Annabeth Chase in the ''Percy Jackson'' film series (2010–2013). In 2021, she starred in the first season of the HBO series ''The White ...
had been cast in the lead role of Dr. Rowan Fielding. Dan McDermott, president of entertainment and AMC Studios for AMC Networks, said "Alexandra is a singular talent who has lit up the screen in everything she's been in and we couldn't be happier to have her on board, leading the cast of a series that will be a centerpiece of an expanding Anne Rice universe on AMC+ and AMC. We found our Rowan and can't wait for her to meet viewers later this year".
Harry Hamlin
Harry Robinson Hamlin (born October 30, 1951) is an American actor, author, and entrepreneur. He is best known for his roles as Perseus in the 1981 fantasy film '' Clash of the Titans'' and as Michael Kuzak in the legal drama series '' L.A. Law' ...
joined the cast that same month as patriarch Cortland Mayfair. In April 2022, AMC announced the casting of series regular
Tongayi Chirisa as Ciprien Grieve, as well as
Annabeth Gish
Anne Elizabeth "Annabeth" Gish (born March 13, 1971) is an American actress. She has played roles in films ''Shag'', ''Hiding Out'', '' Mystic Pizza'', ''SLC Punk!'', ''The Last Supper'' and ''Double Jeopardy''. On television, she played Special ...
as Deirdre Mayfair,
Beth Grant
Beth Grant (born September 18, 1949) is an American character actress. Between 2012 and 2017, she was a series regular on the television comedy '' The Mindy Project'' in the role of Beverly Janoszewski. She is also known for her role as Gracie ...
as Carlotta Mayfair,
Erica Gimpel as Ellie Mayfair and
Jen Richards
Jen Richards is a transgender American writer, actress, producer and activist.
Life and career
Richards was born in Mississippi and resides in North Carolina. She graduated from Shimer College with a BA in Philosophy, and studied at Oxford Unive ...
as Jojo, in recurring roles.
In May 2022,
Jack Huston was cast as Lasher, described as one of Rice's "most mysterious and sensual characters—a powerful, shape-shifting entity who has been bound to the Mayfair witches for hundreds of years."
Filming
As of May 2022, filming for ''Mayfair Witches'' was under way in
.
Episodes
Release
Like ''Interview with the Vampire'', the series was originally set to premiere on
AMC+
AMC may refer to:
Film and television
* AMC Theatres, an American movie theater chain
* AMC Networks, an American entertainment company
** AMC (TV channel)
** AMC+, streaming service
** AMC Networks International, an entertainment company
*** ...
and the
AMC
AMC may refer to:
Film and television
* AMC Theatres, an American movie theater chain
* AMC Networks, an American entertainment company
** AMC (TV channel)
** AMC+, streaming service
** AMC Networks International, an entertainment company
*** ...
linear network, with an intended release of late 2022,
and then on January 5, 2023.
The series premiered on AMC and AMC+ on January 8, 2023, and consists of eight episodes.
Reception
Critical response
The
review aggregator
A review aggregator is a system that collects reviews of products and services (such as films, books, video games, software, hardware, and cars). This system stores the reviews and uses them for purposes such as supporting a website where users ...
website
Rotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is an American review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee, and Stephen Wang ...
reported a 46% approval rating with an average rating of 5.8/10, based on 28 critic reviews. The website's critics consensus reads, "''Mayfair Witches'' has competent gloss and a likable lead in
Alexandra Daddario
Alexandra Anna Daddario (born March 16, 1986) is an American actress who had her breakthrough portraying Annabeth Chase in the ''Percy Jackson'' film series (2010–2013). In 2021, she starred in the first season of the HBO series ''The White ...
, but this brew is made up of too many derivative elements to conjure a compelling spell of its own."
Metacritic
Metacritic is a website that aggregates reviews of films, TV shows, music albums, video games and formerly, books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted average). Metacritic was created by Jason Dietz, Marc ...
, which uses a weighted average, assigned a score of 47 out of 100 based on 10 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".
Ratings
References
External links
*
*
{{Anne Rice
2020s American drama television series
2020s American horror television series
2020s American supernatural television series
2023 American television series debuts
Adaptations of works by Anne Rice
AMC (TV channel) original programming
Demons in television
English-language television shows
Fiction about psychic powers
Ghosts in television
Gothic television shows
Horror drama television series
Television series set in the 18th century
Television series set in the 19th century
Television series set in the 20th century
Television shows based on American novels
Television shows set in New Orleans
Television shows set in Paris
Witchcraft in television