‘Anne Rice’s Mayfair Witches’ Renewed at AMC

The Anne Rice universe at AMC will continue to grow.

The cable outlet has picked up a second season of Mayfair Witches, based on Rice’s trio of novels about a doctor (Alexandra Daddario) who discovers she is the heir to a family of witches. The renewal comes midway through the show’s first season and follows that of Interview With the Vampire, which was picked up ahead of its series debut in October.

“We are thrilled with the reaction to this series, especially in the wake of the incredibly strong reception to Interview, and can’t wait to bring the fans second seasons of both series in this rich, vibrant and expanding universe based on the works of Anne Rice,” said Dan McDermott, AMC Networks entertainment president and AMC Studios head. “In a business in which ‘nobody knows anything,’ we knew what we were hoping for in terms of building a television franchise around these remarkable characters and stories, and to see these shows arrive and captivate viewers in the way they have is so gratifying and energizing for everyone involved, and there is so much yet to come.”

Mayfair Witches has performed well for AMC, outdrawing Interview With the Vampire both on air — it averages about 560,000 viewers for initial airings, to 490,000 for Interview — and on streaming. AMC says the Mayfair had the biggest series debut to date on AMC+ and, over its first 30 days, is the most watched season of any series on the streamer (though, as usual in the streaming world, AMC doesn’t provide hard data for comparison).

“The success of both Mayfair Witches and Interview with the Vampire once again illustrates the strength and mastery of Anne Rice’s work,” said executive producer Mark Johnson, who oversees the Anne Rice IP for AMC Networks. “The fact that these first two shows are performing so splendidly with a TV audience gives us much pride in what we’ve already done and great anticipation for the storytelling opportunities yet to come.” 

Added showrunner Esta Spalding, “Anne Rice’s Lives of the Mayfair Witches is a sumptuous epic tale that we’ve only begun to explore. I’m so grateful to the fans and viewers of the show who’ve given us the chance to continue telling this story.”

Jack Huston, Tongayi Chirisa and Harry Hamlin star alongside Daddario. Spalding and Johnson executive produce with writer Michelle Ashford, director Michael Uppendahl and Jeff Freilich. Production on season two is slated to begin later in the year in New Orleans.