From reading reviews and dissections of TVL from Black viewership, AMC - like a lot of television corpos - did not anticipate a (Black) critical viewership for the show, and what's more, do not appreciate critical (Black) viewership that isn't lavishing praise.
In particular, they seem particularly irked that Lestat's abuse of Claudia and Louis, and participation in Armand's sham trial (lynching), is still snapping at his heels when folk talk about him. And mind you, this discussion is happening among Black folks who like (camp a) and dislike (camp b) Lestat as a character.
To that end, they truly seem to be reacting, sympathetically, to the white folks who find this aspect of Black critical reviews of the franchise (in totality) bothersome or an obstacle to their particular enjoyment of the series (because they see it 'everywhere' on social media). In which case, a lot of yt commentaries on the show are particularly about needing Louis to do something they can pull up as an example of how Black fans are ignoring his flaws and deifying him.
Holding his past as a pimp against him (or refusing to evaluate his capitalist behavior as anything other than pimp, and not a standard businessman), and ultimately, some hope that Lestat's POV will definitively out Louis (and Claudia) as liars of some sort.
Bc, apparently, the showrunners have created a narrative amongst themselves that fans accused Lestat of raping or threatening to rape Claudia, vs. talking about the totality of his abusive behavior post-ep5 (s1). In particular, how he threatened to carry out physical harm and often did.
(Non-Black fans driving criticism is they believe Black fans of the show feel Louis and Claudia have done no wrong, or simply aren't as critical of them as they are of Lestat. When, if you're Black and you spend most of your time talking abt IWTV and TVL with other Black folks, that couldn't be further from the truth.
But seeing as they aren't invited into Black fan spaces, all the non-Black side of this fanspace can or tends to do is react negatively and or take the criticism of TVL/Lestat often as a personal attack.)
It reminds me of how the writers (and fans) reacted to how Black folks reviewed and talked about Sleepy Hollow during the second season. More than a few elements in that show post-S1 truly felt like a manifestation of their frustration that certain characters (Ichabod and/or his wife) or ideas (random white men showing up every other episode, then becoming recurring or supporting leads) weren't embraced, or that the show was being reviewed so critically (when it was clear Abbie was being shorted).
(But I'll say this plain so there's no misunderstanding: They are not Lestat's abusers. There is nothing they've done to Lestat that wasn't about protecting themselves (and each other) from him. There is no unicorn of "mutual abuse" involved in their former dynamic. Nothing for them to repent or make amends for regarding Lestat.
Louis' failures as a parent or brother to Claudia are not comparable to Lestat's harms. The only person Louis will ever have to make amends to is Claudia. Claudia's hatred of Louis is not the same as her contempt for Lestat (nor does it negate the love she carried for him, however soured it became), nor does it mean Louis is exactly like Lestat (or her rapist).
This is something non-Black fans (and even the writers themselves) need to make peace with and understand.
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