Anne Rice's Mayfair Witches Trailer: Another Gruesome Gothic Romance From AMC

The Anne Rice television universe is expanding. "Anne Rice's Mayfair Witches" will be joining the critically-beloved "Anne Rice's Interview with the Vampire" on AMC, and they've just released the first trailer for the upcoming series. While "Interview with the Vampire" mostly takes place in the distant past, the story of the Mayfair witches was always meant to be a more contemporary one. The first season of the series will likely focus mostly on the events of Rice's novel "The Witching Hour," which introduced the world to the Mayfair family and their bizarre connection to a powerful spirit back in 1990. If the series does well, there are two more novels to draw from, "Lasher," and "Taltos," plus a few crossover books that take place during the later portion of Rice's "The Vampire Chronicles," which begins with "Interview." 

"Anne Rice's Mayfair Witches" stars Alexandria Daddario as a young neurosurgeon, Dr. Rowan Mayfair, who learns that she is actually the heir to a family of witches. She is the last of the Mayfair witches, for now, and she has to figure out how to control her newfound powers and take her rightful place in the family line, all while wrapping her mind around the fact that witches, spirits, and other things that go bump in the night are truly real.

Rice's "Lives of the Mayfair Witches" trilogy never got quite the attention that her vampire novels did, though they share a universe and occasionally cross over. The story of the Mayfair witches goes back centuries, though given the framing of this trailer, I imagine most of the history will be told through flashbacks and Rowan learning about her family's past. There's also a teeny tiny sneak peek at Lasher, the powerful, shapeshifting being who is bound to the Mayfair family forever, though we don't get a chance to see his face. He's set to be played by "Boardwalk Empire" star Jack Huston, and I'm deeply curious to see how they make one of Rice's most controversial characters work in live-action. Seriously, if you thought Lestat was a brat ... well, he's got nothing on Lasher. 

Here's the official synopsis for the series:

Based on Anne Rice's Lives of the Mayfair Witches, Mayfair Witches is an exploration of female power and the mortal implications of our decisions. Mayfair Witches focuses on an intuitive young neurosurgeon (Alexandra Daddario) who discovers that she is the unlikely heir to a family of witches. As she grapples with her newfound powers, she must contend with a sinister presence that has haunted her family for generations. 

"Anne Rice's Mayfair Witches" will premiere on AMC and AMC+ on January 8, 2023.