#talamasca asks

[pynkhues]

Apparently on Talamasca they said that iron weakens vampires. Assuming they wouldn't put that in the show without it being true in iwtv as well, that's interesting to think about those bruises on Lestat's hands and wrists and what that might mean for how he was kept in Paris, assuming he was.

They did, anon! I haven’t read up to Blood Communion, which is the last book in TVC, but apparently it’s in there that iron weakens the vampires, so it would seem like they’re introducing that bit of canon into the broader series early (which honestly makes a lot of sense). It’s really interesting to consider that in the context of the shackles in Magnus’ tower, and if Armand was keeping him chained there rather than imprisoned at the theatre, and honestly, it adds another pretty fucked up layer if Magnus only chained the disappointments, so never chained Lestat, only for Armand to do it to him two centuries later.

[pynkhues]

The one thing I don’t mind about Talamasca not being renewed is that I didn’t love the direction they were headed with the vampire plot / lore. And because it’s the same universe as Interview, those choices would impact both series. I think there must have been some coordination already between them, but I’m happier with Rolin being solely in charge of the vampire side of the Immortal Universe.

Agreed, anon, it wasn't really working for me in that sense at all. I think I've said it on here before, but I feel like the Talamasca show would've been a lot more fun if they'd ditched the mystery and played with it as a bit of an anthology series/monster of the week/Doctor Who structure where they explore all these different times and places that the Talamasca has documented. You could've kept some immortal characters in there as our anchor, but otherwise played around a lot with the scope of Anne's world, had some fun little cameos from the older Mayfair's and the TdV vamps in different eras of their lives, while also telling unique stories. Instead I think they went both too big and too conventional, which is never going to work for a series set in Rice's writings.

[pynkhues]

It felt like with Talamasca the thing people were by far the most interested in was Jasper, the vampire, not the Talamasca organization and all the stuff with that and Guy's backstory, and yeah, that doesn't feel sustainable for a series. I think your idea of using the Marius stuff as a way into another series makes a lot of sense too. There's plenty they can do that maybe stems more from the books or just has more of a hook. Talamasca was just kind of blah for the most part, other than Jasper, from what I saw. The lead was really just not an interesting character, and the actor was either too hampered by that to overcome it (because a character who's just kind of dour and constantly repeating the same annoyed/angry types of lines is hard to play) or isn't a compelling enough actor to overcome it.

The writing on IWTV is unbelievable, of course, but I do think they also just managed to get the most unbelievable actors. I've rarely seen actors in anything, film or TV or theater, that I think are as extraordinary as Sam and Jacob are in these roles, and all the supporting actors in roles both large and small are fantastic (Delainey is such an incredible discovery, and I'm so excited to see Assad more fully unleashed now)

I enjoyed Helen's character, but I think that's largely because Elizabeth McGovern is a wonderful actress and was really elevating the material she was given, but yeah, Jasper was the clear standout otherwise (which also owes a lot to his actor in William Fichtner). I think you really hit the nail on the head with a big part of the issue being they couldn't figure out how to make people interested in the Talamasca, and without that, the entire series was always going to fall apart. I'd been hopeful that they could maybe do something interesting with the spy angle, but the more I've thought about it, the more I've thought it was a mistake. The 'in' really should've been the organisation as an archive, because that opens up so much vast history and pockets of time that the show could play around in, and it could've given more context to the main shows like why they have Armand's trial scripts, and why maintaining that parallel history of time in monitoring the supernatural s important. There are plenty of ways to make that thrilling without the need for secret plots and lost identities, y'know?

One of the things that I think makes IWTV work so well is that everyone's on the same page about what the show is about and what they're making, and that really plays a huge role in the quality of the writing and direction and, of course, the performances. They've got amazing actors, but the actors are able to be amazing because they know who these characters are and why they're doing what they're doing, and I just don't think that was the case with Talamasca, which is a shame.

[pynkhues]

I have no idea how this works, but I hope Talamasca being canceled doesn't mean anything negative for IWTV. Negative only in the sense that maybe them canceling one show in the franchise means they're more likely to cancel other shows in the franchise? Though they did say this:

The Talamasca has a storied place within the Anne Rice Immortal Universe, and we expect to see at least some of these characters, and the organization itself, in future expressions of the franchise

which makes it sound like they're possibly going to create more original shows in that universe, so they might just be canceling one that didn't work for them. And since it's based on original material, not books, it's a lot easier to cancel. And I can see why, honestly. I didn't love it, and it didn't get really good reviews. And I feel bad for him, maybe he's great in other things, but the lead actor especially did not get particularly good reviews, so that's hard. And it seems like AMC loves that IWTV is such a critical favorite, and then Mayfair at least has viewers (though they did bring in a second showrunner with more of a prestige background, seemingly trying to make it more acclaimed).

So maybe this has nothing to do with IWTV's chances of getting another season or two. And I am more relaxed now that we at least got season 3 and TVL, though I would be really disappointed if we didn't get season 4, of course. But I think it's likely they're really planning on that, and canceling IWTV would be a much bigger deal than canceling Talamasca. I kind of doubt they're planning more than 5 seasons of IWTV anyway, based on what Rolin has said. Maybe I could see 6 but I think 5 might be more likely.

It's a shame because I do think the concept of a Talamasca show has legs, but I agree that what they did with it didn't really work, so I'm not terribly surprised it's been cancelled. I do feel a little bad for the lead actor too given they really hung the season on his shoulders and I just don't think the writing was strong enough to lift his performance, nor his performance strong enough to elevate the material, although I will say I feel a little less bad for him since finding out he's Jane Turner's son (she's literally an Australian comedy icon, he'll be fine, haha).

I don't think it really has any bearings on IWTV though. From Rolin saying that they're splitting TVL in two and this season being seven eps, I suspect that AMC has given them a 15-episode order to adapt the book like they did with IWTV. That would mean that s4 is already more or less greenlit, and I can't imagine that AMC wouldn't want Rolin's version of Queen of the Damned, not just because they're clearly investing a lot in their relationship with him, but that source material's iconic enough that it'll be buzzy no matter how it shakes out.

With IWTV and Mayfair Witches as the tentpoles, there's really so much storyworld to explore, and it seems like they have a lot in development. If they feel Talamasca didn't land as they wanted it to, it makes sense that they'd shift focus.

[pynkhues]

https://www.tumblr.com/pynkhues/798560543147458562/httpsvarietycom2025tvreviewsanne-rice-talma?source=share

To counter that review, have a look at this one:

https://slate.com/culture/2025/10/talamasca-the-secret-order-anne-rice-amc-interview-with-the-vampire.html

It is awful with regard to what this person has to say about IWTV. It made my blood boil....

….that review is genuinely bonkers.

[pynkhues]

I always thought Armand kept Lestat chained up! If there's one thing Lestat will do, it's fight, and Armand knows it. I can't imagine a moment when Lestat wouldn't try to escape. Maybe he didn't chain him up right away, but once Lestat realized he wasn't going to cure him, he tried to escape, and that's when Armand did it. I've been thinking that Lestat didn't know anything about the trial until the day before it took place, just like in the book, Armand takes him to the theater and tells him to rehearse to testify against his husband and daughter.

We now know that iron weakens vampires, but since Lestat has ancient blood in his veins, he will need more than just iron. We have seen how affected he is after using the mind gift, but Lestat is known for his physical strength. What if the coven drained him? Or Armand?

(x)

I figured he was imprisoned and likely tied up from the bruises we can see at the trial, but I'd been assuming they'd keep it similar to the book in Lestat being fed the corpse blood to keep him weak and generally unwell, so the lore about iron being introduced is super interesting! The Coven or Armand might drain him as well - as you said, Lestat really is very powerful - but I think in some ways a lot of it will depend on when he got there and how weakened he still was from being killed.

I do hope they'll keep the corpse blood in the mix though because I really do like that as a part of the vampiric lore and it feels like it could be adapted to screen in a way that's super visceral and terrifying in a way that iron shackles maybe wouldn't be so much? Although shackling Lestat in his rapist's tower brings it's own horror, of course. I think the corpse blood is also probably narratively important for the show to be clear about that as something Lestat didn't lie about in trying to teach Louis and Claudia vampirism in s1, and that seeing the result of it kind of circles us back to those themes around how they feed and who they can feed on.

But yes! The timeline of it all is really the big question to me right now. I agree that I don't think he'll have a ton of notice that the trial's happening though, as is the case in the book, but beyond that, I really have no idea at this point. I do suspect he's going to have been in Paris a while though - as I've said before, I think there's just so much opportunity writing-wise if Lestat's even partially being kept in the theatre while Claudia's working there - but it really is anyone's guess.

[pynkhues]

Talamsca arrived on Netflix so quickly — especially compared with the longer windows for other Immortal Universe series. looking back, it does make me wonder whether AMC already had doubts about its potential to drive ads or subscriptions.

Oh, I didn't realise that it had gone so quickly to Netflix! That is really interesting. It was a Stan Exclusive here, which is how I watched it, and that flagged a little for me too given both IWTV and Mayfair Witches aired on ABC, both on-TV and via their streaming app (Stan's just a streamer). It made me wonder if ABC had said no to it? Although AMC does seem to split their distribution in Australia between ABC and Stan - Stan gets all The Walking Dead spinoffs for instance. It does make me wonder if they were trying to position it differently though from Interview and Mayfair, because it feels odd to have those two shows with a broadcaster, and then Talamasca streaming only (and I love Stan, but it's definitely more commercial and less prestigious than ABC).

It definitely feels a little more loaded though now that it's been cancelled.

[pynkhues]

https://variety.com/2025/tv/reviews/anne-rice-talmasca-review-amc-1236561145/

I hope I end up enjoying Talamasca a bit more than this person did, and that it does well at least with viewers (seems better for IWTV the better all the immortal universe shows do, I guess?), but I do love seeing Variety praise IWTV (and talk about TVL) that much in a review that's not even about IWTV lol

‘Anne Rice’s Talamasca’ Is Another Disappointing Entry in AMC’s Immortal Universe: TV Review

The third installment in AMC's Immortal Universe, based on the works of Anne Rice, 'Talamasca' is a disappointment.

I love that IWTV is getting the praise it deserves too, anon, but honestly, reviews like this kind of bum me out. Not letting a story exist on its own within a broader universe (and honestly, the connections to IWTV so far in terms of both character and plot have been very light outside of Daniel's book signing) and using those comparisons as a barometer of quality when it's frankly clear that the shows are doing very different things I just don't think is very fair?

Look, you won't get any argument from me that IWTV is the better show by far, but Talamasca (and, honestly, Mayfair Witches) isn't trying to be IWTV, nor should it be. Talamasca is not a queer gothic melodrama, it's a pulpy spy thriller, and and to compare them I think is like comparing a younger sibling who just won an inter-school robotics competition to an older sibling that just got into like - - the national youth orchestra. It's not that you can't compare them - they're related, after all - but at the same time, what's the point? They're different creatures, with different interests, even if they've got the same parents.

For the record though, I did watch the second episode of Talamasca tonight, and I have my fair share of criticisms of the show so far (it definitely feels old fashioned to me, and you can really tell the creative team was all men lol), but I think it has its moments and understands its own genre in a way that I unfortunately don't think Mayfair Witches does. It reminds me a lot actually of the old pulpy spy paperbacks my grandma used to read to me, and personally, I appreciate that, haha. Talamasca is also something I probably won't re-watch though, even as I'm enjoying watching it, so take that as you will. I do think that review is pretty unnecessarily harsh though.