I think something people have to remember is Lestat in the show was 150 years old when he came to America for the first time. 150 years old. That’s only about 30 years younger than he was at the start of The Vampire Lestat book. (And at this point in the show, he’s over 160 years old now.)
Lestat, in the Interview with the Vampire book, was still pretty much a fledgling himself when he came to America (turned in 1781, and came to America in 1791 - 10 years apart). And he was still very impetuous about everything he did.
In the show, because of the age up, he’s less impetuous but way more outside humanity now as well. Like he was after Queen of the Damned.
You can see that change in how both chose Louis as their companion. In the book, Lestat attacked Louis and drained him to the point of death first before having spoken even one word to him. Louis becoming a vampire in the book was pretty much a fait accompli after that - either become a vampire, or he would die. And the whole thing took 3 nights.
In the show, he basically courted (or hunted as Louis put it) him first, and it was only when he got ghosted that he went full vampire psycho-mode in front of Louis. And all that took at least a month, if not a bit longer.
Guess I’m trying to say that amc Lestat is way more outside of humanity at this point in the story than the book Lestat was, simply because of their ages in each telling of the story. But with the same damn issues book-Lestat had at this point in the story still.
He’s also clearly kept a safe bubble around himself, Louis, and Claudia in New Orleans. Because, well, he’s old enough to have the power to do that here, a power Rice’s older vampires have the ability to do, to keep other vampires away from their territory. There clearly are other vampires in the US now, though not too many. In contrast, there really were none back in 1791 for Lestat to really worry about.
If you’ve read the book, then you know Europe - or at least Paris - was a bad idea to go to. With the way the timeline has changed, being made older as it were, why do I now feel that it’ll probably be worse than that? Because I do.