‘Mayfair Witches’ Conjures Up a Multigenerational Supernatural Saga

‘Interview with the Vampire’ author Anne Rice’s other supernatural saga comes to the screen

Anne Rice may be best known for her vast series of gothic vampire novels, most recently adapted for the screen in the AMC drama Interview With the Vampire, yet that wasn’t the only horror-themed book franchise she left behind after her death in December 2021. 

AMCThis week brings another television show based on her work: Mayfair Witches. The series, like the novels, follows the journey of neurosurgeon Rowan Fielding (Alexandra Daddario of The White Lotus), who makes the shocking discovery that she is the heir to a family of powerful New Orleans witches who have been connected for generations to a malevolent spirit named Lasher (played by Jack Huston, whose credits range from Boardwalk Empire to House of Gucci).  

Lasher is a seductive, shape-shifting metaphysical entity first summoned by Scottish witch Suzanne Mayfair in the 1600s, and has been inextricably bound to the family ever since. While Lasher has brought the Mayfairs immense wealth and power, he’s also been using them for his own nefarious purposes in what appears to be a supernaturally symbiotic relationship. 

AMCThis newfound knowledge of her heritage brings Rowan into the orbit of Cortland Mayfair (Harry Hamlin), the current Mayfair patriarch, described as having “a voracious appetite for more money, more power and more life.”  

Also part of the story is Ciprien Grieve (Tongayi Chirisa), a new character (combining two from the novels) who becomes a love interest for Rowan while also sharing his considerable occult knowledge of the supernatural with her. 

Other characters in the series include Deirdre Mayfair (Annabeth Gish), Carlotta Mayfair (Beth Grant), Ellie Mayfair (Erica Gimpel) and Jojo (Jen Richards).

Mayfair Witches premieres Sunday, January 8 on AMC