AMC’s Interview with the Vampire deserves an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Drama Series at the 2023 Emmys.
Emmy nominations are revealed on July 12, and that's when we find out which TV shows and performers from the last year of TV (June 1, 2022, to May 31, 2023, to be exact) have been recognized with Emmy nominations. While we don't have a vote, What to Watch wants to share a handful of our favorites that we think deserve to be honored at the Emmys.
While shows like Succession season 4 and The White Lotus season 2 will likely have a big presence at the 2023 Emmy Awards, along with newcomers like House of the Dragon and The Last of Us, there are lots of other shows that kept us entertained this past year. Check out some of the other Emmy hopefuls we are pulling for this year:
- Why Jury Duty deserves an Emmy nom for Outstanding Comedy
- Why Damson Idris deserves an Emmy nom for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama
In this instance, allow us to make the case for why Interview with the Vampire should get a nomination for Outstanding Drama Series.
Interview with the Vampire has a modern bite
When Anne Rice published Interview with the Vampire in 1976 it quickly became a global phenomenon that spawned a universe of complex characters exploring their immortality and reaping all its rewards, as well as its many pitfalls.
Creator, showrunner and writer Rolin Jones took Rice's characters and gave them an overhaul to help them shine for a modern audience. Not only must they face their vampire nature, but they must also navigate the complexities of race, sexuality and bigotry in the pre-World War I era of the American South.
The main character, Louis de Pointe du Lac (Jacob Anderson), is now a Black man living in 1910s New Orleans, where he owns several businesses. When the charismatic Lestat de Lioncourt (Sam Reid) arrives from France, the duo embark on a whirlwind romance that utterly consumes Louis, who has, until that point, struggled with his sexuality.
Louis and Lestat's immortal daughter, Claudia (Bailey Bass in season 1, Delainey Hayles in season 2) was aged up to 14 for the series instead of 5, and she is also Black. Seeing Claudia struggle with identity as a powerful creature who shall ride out eternity in the body of a child is downright haunting.
An older Daniel Molloy (Eric Bogosian) challenges Louis' recollection of past events; Daniel listened to Louis' story 50 years prior and now he's questioning how Louis once called Lestat his tormentor but now refers to him as a lover and a partner. As a seasoned journalist, Daniel holds Louis' feet to the fire this time around and strives to keep him honest.
Thanks to Jones and his team, this series represents everything fans have always loved about Interview with the Vampire, enhanced to elevate the show to a whole new level for modern audiences.
Downright decadent and deliciously queer
Through the phenomenal work of production designer Mara LePere-Schloop and her team, Interview with the Vampire is by far the most decadent series on television. From the sleek modernity of present-day Dubai to Storyville, a New Orleans neighborhood that no longer exists but was once upon a time dripping in indulgence excess, the sets come to life and are a feast for the senses.
Costume designer Carol Cutshall used fabric — and their textures, patterns and colors — to tell each character's story without the need for dialogue. As immortal creatures, vampires transcend the ages and so too must their clothing. It's possible to tell Lestat and Louis' story from their wardrobe alone.
Between the sets and the costumes, Interview with the Vampire is a buffet of visual delights.
What's more, though, is that the Interview with the Vampire series is a veritable smorgasbord of queerness. Rice's vampires have always transcended gender, but when Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt assumed the roles of Lestat and Louis in the 1994 adaptation, filmmakers were forced to tiptoe around their sexuality. 2002's Queen of the Damned wasn't much better.
By contrast, the AMC series does a glorious swan dive into its queerness, swimming around the complex intersectionality of sexuality, gender and race through the lens of powerful immortal creatures.
Louis has always been attracted to men but has been forced to live a lie… until Lestat comes into his life. Even then, despite Lestat's power and influence, Louis must carefully navigate New Orleans social and business circles. Interestingly, even though vampires are apex predators, they're not impervious to racial discrimination, as Louis discovers as a Black businessman.
Interview with the Vampire never holds back from exploring sexuality, gender and race, putting representation front and center.
Heart-stopping performances
Jacob Anderson brings riveting humanity and depth to Louis, both as a mortal man and as a vampire. Sam Reid is incandescent as he leans into Lestat's impish charisma, while Bailey Bass seems to grow years and years before our very eyes.
The cast went through bootcamp, learning to speak French, dance and play piano to help bring their characters to life. The result is performances so believable you'd never guess that Reid isn't French (he's Australian) or that Bass isn’t a 30-year-old woman in a 19-year-old's body.
Not only do these actors understand their roles, they embody them. They have taken Rice's characters and made them their own and it's so much fun to watch.
Nothing like a first impression
AMC has a long history with the Emmy Awards, including multiple Emmy wins for shows like Mad Men and Breaking Bad. It's time to continue that tradition with an Emmy nomination for one of the hottest new shows of 2022.
Interview with the Vampire season 2 is on the way, so there will be more stories to come, but the first season deserves a shot at an Emmy for Outstanding Drama Series because it's one of those lightning in a bottle moments where a show does everything so very right that it's impossible to capture again.
While we're confident the second season will be fantastic, there's nothing like a first impression and the first season of Interview with the Vampire left viewers thirsting for more. That's why Interview with the Vampire deserves an Emmy nomination to recognize the brilliance of this show and all those who are a part of it.
You can watch Interview with the Vampire season 1 on AMC Plus.
