Mayfair Witches has debuted to impressive numbers for AMC, whose gamble adapting the works of famed Gothic writer Anne Rice is paying off better with witches than its treatment of a more-famous vampire property.
The first episode of Anne Rice's Mayfair Witches garnered more viewers during its first five days of availability on the streaming platform AMC+ than Anne Rice's Interview with the Vampire (the previous record holder) had over the same window of time after its Oct. 2 premiere, reports Variety. The new series debuted at 9 p.m. Jan. 8 on AMC and AMC+, along with a multi-network simulcast across BBC America, IFC, SundanceTV and WE TV, all affiliated with AMC Networks. The comparison is apples-to-apples since Interview with the Vampire premiered under similar conditions.
Mayfair Witches Debut Numbers
Regarding linear ratings, Mayfair Witches premiere drew 1.7 million viewers, per Nielsen's Live+3 day data, which takes into account DVR viewing for the first three days after airing. This makes the newest Rice adaptation a top 10 cable drama among adults aged 18-49 and 25-54 for the 2022-2023 television season. It also emerged as the "most social entertainment show" on Sunday, according to the network, "with hundreds of thousands of interactions," driving "the most social activity of any new cable series premiere" during the in-progress television season. AMC attributed that in part to the "significant social reach" of the show's star Alexandra Daddario, whose stock rose significantly with HBO's hit satire The White Lotus.
"What a start to our Anne Rice Immortal Universe, with two series that are driving cultural conversation, attracting significant linear viewership and now stand as the top two new series in the history of AMC+," commented Dan McDermott, president of entertainment and AMC Studios for AMC Networks. "We are grateful for the way fans have responded to these shows and to the creative teams that delivered on the promise of these stories and characters in new and highly engaging ways."
The Rocky Road of Anne Rice Adaptations
The works of Rice had a rocky relationship with screen adaptations. Her break-out novel Interview with the Vampire was adapted into a successful film in 1994, although the casting of Tom Cruise in the iconic role of the undead rock star Lestat caused controversy at the time. Indeed, the author herself had envisioned Rutger Hauer for the part (although she later expressed admiration for Cruise's performance). A quasi-sequel emerged in 2002 with Queen of the Damned, starring the singer Aaliyah, who was tragically killed in a plane crash months before its release. However, the film bore little resemblance to its source and had no connection to its predecessor, leaving it dismissed by fans and critics.
Afterwards, decades' worth of attempts to bring the novels of the Vampire Chronicles to the small screen failed. Even after Rice regained the rights in 2016, the project went through several changes, production companies and distributors before landing at AMC, where the material was expanded and modernized and tied up with Mayfair Witches. Unfortunately, Rice would not get to see this work come to fruition since she passed away back in December 2021 at the age of 80.
Mayfair Witches premieres new episodes Sundays on AMC, preceded by streaming debuts three days earlier on AMC+.
Source: Variety