Fans of AMC’s Anne Rice’s Immortal Universe (myself included) have been thirsting for updates about where this gothic series is headed next. Between the new spinoff Talamasca: The Secret Order (2025-) and the rebranding of Interview with the Vampire (2022-) into The Vampire Lestat, there’s been equal parts excitement and anxiety over what the future of this universe may bring.
Luckily, this year’s New York Comic Con offered a little bit of both clarity and comfort. Through both shows’ panels and press conferences, the Immortal Universe reminded fans that beneath the elusive spies and flamboyant rockstars, the core of this world hasn’t changed.
What I and so many others find so moving about the Immortal Universe is its exploration of what it means to exist, and all the messy, beautiful contradictions that entail. For me, this weekend at NYCC proved that this journey of understanding is the consistent narrative thread that binds this universe to continue.
With the secretive world of the Talamasca beginning to take shape—and literally pitting humans against supernatural beings—the universe seems ready to dig even deeper into that central question: what does it mean to be human, even when you’re not? This longing for understanding—for ourselves and the world around us—anchors the journeys of every character across the Immortal Universe. Rather mortal or immortal, each is driven by the same impulse: to uncover who they are, and what their existence means in this heightened world that constantly blurs the line between the monstrous and human.
In Talamasca: The Secret Order, the search for understanding takes center stage through its protagonist, Guy Anatole (Nicholas Denton). Guy is a law student whose life takes a sharp turn when he’s recruited into an organization known as the Talamasca, one that is tasked with monitoring supernatural beings.
Talamasca introduces viewers to a world that, as showrunner John Lee Hancock described to Paste Magazine during the show’s press conference, would feel like “if John le Carré made a movie with the supernatural and vampires in it.” For all its shadows and secrets, I find the real intrigue lies in Guy’s inner unraveling. The organization may know more about him than he realizes, and as he’s pulled deeper into their world of lies, he’s forced to confront not only the secrets surrounding him but the ones buried within himself.
During the show’s press conference, Denton described Guy’s journey as one rooted in identity, telling Nerdist, “A lot of people have been in situations where they’ve existed in stories that aren’t necessarily their own… Guy has been in that situation his whole life, and all he wants to know is, ‘Who am I?’”
Denton acknowledged that this is a sentiment that echoes across the Immortal Universe and its morally ambiguous characters, stating, “You see this side to all of the characters—they have their own wants and needs in this world.”
In the Interview with the Vampire world, we are now entering a new world told from a new perspective—Lestat de Lioncourt (Sam Reid)—and thus witness how he, too, will grapple with the same daunting question of self.
Show writer Hannah Moscovitch explains that the new season will force Lestat to confront himself and his past, telling reporter Kaiya Shunyata, “If you’ve lived this life for 265 years and you’ve gone relentlessly forward, but there’s been all this horror in your life and you’ve never examined it at all, and then suddenly you start to…sing songs about yourself, all sorts of fucked-up things are going to happen—and that’s what this season is about.”
The show is creating new, inventive ways to explore identity. And, while there may not be an actual interview with a vampire this season, a major takeaway for me this past weekend is that Louis de Pointe du Lac’s (Jacob Anderson) journey is far from over.
After ending season two on an empowering statement of “I own the night,” it seemed that Louis’ character arc had come to a close. This, as well as the switch to Lestat’s story, the lack of Louis’ presence in the novel season three will be adapted, and the media-trained-king-of-no-spoilers Anderson’s evasiveness when answering questions about Louis, was a main source of concern for fans. Everyone wanted to know what was happening with this beloved character.
Moscovitch relieved some concerns by sharing, “Let’s say your daughter dies and you put a yellow dress up on the wall to honor her. That’s not actually going to fix it…he has to figure out a whole pile of shit.”
Moscovitch and Reid emphasized that Louis’ interview in season two unfolded in just eleven days, and his “whole life has been broken up.” He has much to process, and it seems like this season will see Louis navigating that aftermath.
Anderson echoed this sentiment, emphasizing that Louis’s “whole world fell apart. Now his life has been broken.” He contrasts Louis’ journey with the lives of those (and teasingly includes himself) who can claim, “my life is fixed; I’ve found this, I’m doing this thing now,” only to later crash out. For Louis, as it is for all living and unliving beings, grief and self-discovery are not linear.
“The truth comes to light and it comes to get you,” Anderson adds, highlighting the long, ongoing process of healing.
This exploration of self—of recognizing the parts of ourselves we despise and learning when to accept or change them—is a hallmark of what makes the show so special. In the extended first look, Louis reflects, “I didn’t like me in it” in regards to a new book detailing his interview from seasons one and two. The season continues to ask: how do we coexist with ourselves across immortality? These are questions the show wrestles with, often through heightened, vampiric circumstances, yet they remain deeply relatable.
What stands out to me most is the emphasis on healing as a process, this journey that each character goes through to self-acceptance, whether in the world of spies or rock and roll, is not about a quick fix or a light switch; it’s about the ongoing struggle to find humanity in others and ourselves. Moscovitch acknowledges this, conveying that the process “comes in waves.”
This is an aspect I, as well as other viewers of this show, I imagine, can relate to. How can I learn to live with myself? How can I accept who I am?
Louis tells Lestat in the show’s season two finale, “I came to thank you for the gift you offered me—the gift I denied—the nights in front of me where I might learn to live honestly” and I find myself thinking of this often, of the days where I am grateful to still be alive, and to remember this on the days that I am not so grateful.
While Anderson may be reluctant to dedicate a Raleigh Ritchie (Anderson’s music alter-ego) song to Lestat, telling a reporter that the songs are “so personal,” This is certainly true and I did find myself cringing slightly at the question, however, as writing this piece, the lyrics to Raleigh Ritchie’s song I’m Not Okay But I Know I’m Going To Be resound in my head.
Much like the song, the Immortal Universe encapsulates the ongoing journey of grief, acceptance, and resilience, whether human or mortal. These narrative threads enrich the shows, making them compelling whether you’re drawn to spies, rock stars, or simply old men conversing on a couch.
The Immortal Universe’s time at New York Comic Con underscored why this universe resonates so profoundly. It balances the fantastical with the deeply human, using immortal characters to explore timeless struggles of identity, trauma, and healing. Even with eternity to live, the path to understanding oneself—and to finding grace along the way—is never complete, but it does make for some excellent television.
Recap and Analysis Courtesy of Kam Ryan
Feature Image Credit via AMC Networks