The Allure of the Mayfair Witch Series: How Anne Rice Expertly Blends Love and the Supernatural

The Mayfair Witch Series is a collection of novels written by American author Anne Rice. The series consists of three books: The Witching Hour, Lasher, and Taltos. It spans several generations and tells the story of the Mayfair family, a powerful and wealthy family in New Orleans who are descended from a long line of witches. The main idea behind The Mayfair Witch Series is the exploration of the supernatural and the intertwining of dark forces with the lives of the Mayfair family. The series delves into themes of witchcraft, the occult, and the consequences of wielding such power. The series begins with The Witching Hour, which introduces the reader to the Mayfair family and their mysterious powers.

The series begins with The Witching Hour, which introduces the reader to the Mayfair family and their mysterious powers. The family's history is revealed through the use of a Talamasca, a secret society that studies the supernatural. The main character, Rowan Mayfair, is a neurosurgeon who discovers her own ties to the family's supernatural legacy.

Mayfair Witches showrunners explain book to show changes: 'We had to make hard choices'

Esta Spalding and Michelle Ashford tell EW why they combined two beloved book characters into one, how their Lasher was inspired by rock stars, and more.

Calie Schepp is an editorial assistant at Entertainment Weekly, where she writes the script for EW's daily What to Watch podcast and covers a plethora of pop culture. She graduated from Indiana University with a bachelor's degree in journalism.

Warning: This post contains spoilers from Mayfair Witches episodes 1-4.

Adapting a beloved book for TV can be a tough task, but adapting one that's almost 1,000 pages is a whole other story. When showrunners and executive producers Esta Spalding and Michelle Ashford set out to adapt Anne Rice's Lives of the Mayfair Witches for AMC, they knew they had a lot of material to draw inspiration from but little time to do it in. "We were given eight episodes for a one thousand page book," Spalding says, referring to The Witching Hour, the first book in the three-part series. "It's an absolute cornucopia of deliciousness and we had to make hard choices."

Mayfair Witches details neurosurgeon Dr. Rowan Fielding's (Alexandra Daddario) discovery that she's a witch with deadly powers and a twisted family tree. Ahead of Friday morning's announcement that the series has been renewed for season 2, EW spoke with Spalding and Ashford about how they made those hard choices (and made changes to beloved characters from the novels) and to preview a bit of what's to come in the final half of the season.

Michael + Aaron = Ciprien

In episode 1, we meet Ciprien Grieve (Tongayi Chirisa), a Talamasca agent who harnesses psychic abilities by touching people or objects. The Talamasca, comparable to the Illuminati, is a secret organization within Anne Rice's The Vampire Chronicles and Lives of the Mayfair Witches book series whose members keep watch on paranormal activity. Cip, as he's called in the show, is assigned to protect Rowan from any harm. Even though Rowan's skeptical of him at first meeting, a romance eventually blossoms.

Spalding and Ashford modeled Cip after two characters from the novel: Aaron Lightner, a member of the Talamasca, and Michael Curry, a civilian from New Orleans who falls in love with Rowan. Spalding explained that with the addition of the all-knowing spirit Lasher (Jack Huston), three male characters orbiting Rowan in the show would've been one too many.

"In a story that's eight [episodes] where you have to streamline, we really wanted Rowan to have agency," Spalding says. "And we debated long and hard whether or not to call the character Michael, because the character had so many attributes of Michael Curry." "And we didn't wanna call him Aaron, obviously," Ashford says. "So it seemed like, in a weird way, the most respectful way to proceed was to combine them and make him his own original character."

Cip wears a pair of gloves, similar to Michael in the books, to protect himself from being inundated with intense visions. "That that act of touching something and seeing memories gives real empathy to a character," Spalding says. "He has to wear the gloves because the world is so present. Touching things floods him with all kinds of people's pain, sorrow, and sadness."

Rowan rocks blonde hair and grey eyes in the books

Rowan, the 13th Mayfair witch, leaves her job as a neurosurgeon, discovers she's a witch, meets her birth mother for the first time and then watches her die right before her eyes — all within the first half of the season. Spalding and Ashford say that staying true to the color of Rowans hair and eyes was not a priority when casting the role.

"Our job was to make sure that we get the best Rowan possible," Ashford says. "For us, the requirements for Rowan we felt were much bigger than that. It had to be someone who was smart enough to be a surgeon and had a sort of mysterious quality that you would really believe that that woman would find out that she's a witch. Alex, obviously being incredibly beautiful, but also just incredibly magnetic physically, we felt like this was a great choice."

Sibling Switch: In the books, Cortland and Carlotta are a generation apart

Harry Hamlin as Cortland Mayfair and Beth Grant as Carlotta Mayfair in 'Mayfair Witches'. Alfonso Bresciani/AMC (2)

The TV series introduces Cortland Mayfair (Harry Hamlin) and Carlotta Mayfair (Beth Grant) as brother and sister, when in the books they're a generation apart. Similar to the condensing of Michael and Aaron into Ciprien, Ashford says that making the family as concentrated and tight as possible seemed to work best dramatically.

"You say brother or sister and immediately the audience has a visceral reaction, like oh, I know what that's like," she explains. "The notion that Anne created this family that was so complicated and so far reaching, twisted and sort of incestuous in so many ways, it is our job to make sure that the thing has as much sort of dramatic heft as possible."

Spalding adds, "And the primal relationships that exist between siblings, the rivalry, jealousies, and so on. We are trying to find ways to make these connections between characters."

Lasher, the all-knowing. rock star?

An evil spirit called Lasher has haunted the Mayfair family for generations, seducing the witches and using their powers for his own sinister motives. While not much about Lasher is really changed from book to show, Spalding revealed that they came to cast Huston because he had a certain rock 'n roll je ne sais quoi.

"How are you gonna have somebody who's both present and not present, who's seductive, but also evil? What does this person live like in a human body? And we would always talk about rock stars. The way a rockstar walks into a room and the air kind of bristles with the knowledge that that being is there, that's how Lasher would be in the Mayfair family. When we met Jack, we thought he has the most extraordinarily warm, charismatic, amazing presence, it felt like our Lasher had stepped in front of us."

Huston started his journey of transforming into Lasher by first nailing down the voice. "I think that was one of his ways into the character," Ashford says. "He found a really, very specific voice that transcends, it does feel sort of otherworldly."

Spalding reveals that we'll be hearing various accents from the dashing demon as the season progresses, including a Scottish accent that she says Huston modeled after a friend of his.

What's to come is under lock and key

The bond between Lasher and Rowan's late mother Deirdre (Annabeth Gish) is represented by a key-shaped gold necklace adorned with emeralds. The piece had been worn by generations of Mayfair witches in allegiance to Lasher, and in episode three we see Carlotta lock her maid Delphine in the basement with the necklace, only to find that Lasher kills her and gifts the necklace to Rowan. In episode 4, Carlotta sees Rowan wearing the key around her neck and sets her own dining room ablaze, locking herself and Rowan in.

The full significance of the necklace is still a mystery to viewers, but to readers of the books there's been an obvious visual change. The jewelry was originally just an emerald, not a key. When asked why the switch was made, Spalding hinted "that question will be very definitively answered in episode 6."

Until then, new episodes of Mayfair Witches stream Thursdays on AMC+ and air Sundays at 9 p.m. ET on AMC.

Sign up for Entertainment Weekly's free daily newsletter to get breaking TV news, exclusive first looks, recaps, reviews, interviews with your favorite stars, and more.

Related content:

• Mayfair Witches' Harry Hamlin admits he 'couldn't get through the whole' 50-hour audiobook
• Lives of the Mayfair Witches series brewing at AMC as part of its 'Anne Rice universe'
• See the stars get snapped in EW's New York Comic Con portrait studio

Until then, new episodes of Mayfair Witches stream Thursdays on AMC+ and air Sundays at 9 p.m. ET on AMC.

Lasher, the second book in the series, delves deeper into the dark forces that surround the Mayfair family. Lasher is an evil spirit who becomes infatuated with the Mayfair witches and manipulates them to do his bidding. The novel takes a more sinister turn as Lasher's intentions become clear and the family is forced to face the consequences of their connection to him. The final book in the series, Taltos, explores the origin of the Mayfair family's powers and introduces a new supernatural creature, the Taltos. The Taltos are a race of beings who possess immense power and are connected to the Mayfair bloodline. The novel explores the complex relationships between the Taltos, the Mayfair witches, and the mortal world. Overall, The Mayfair Witch Series is a captivating exploration of the supernatural and the impact it can have on the lives of individuals and families. Anne Rice's detailed and descriptive style of writing brings the world of the Mayfair family to life, drawing readers in with its intense storytelling and complex characters..

Reviews for "The Triumphs and Tragedies of the Mayfair Witches: Exploring the Series' Key Themes"

1. Rachel - 2 stars - I had high hopes for "The Mayfair Witch" series by Anne Rice, especially after hearing all the praise. However, I found myself struggling to get through the first few books. The pacing was incredibly slow, and there was an excessive amount of unnecessary details that didn't contribute much to the plot. The characters felt flat and lacked depth, making it difficult for me to connect with them. Overall, I found the series to be overhyped and a disappointment.

2. Jason - 1 star - I have to admit, I didn't make it past the first book of "The Mayfair Witch" series. The writing style was incredibly dense and verbose, making it hard for me to follow along. The plot seemed convoluted and confusing, and I struggled to stay interested. The characters were unrelatable and the story felt like it was going nowhere. Unfortunately, this series just wasn't for me.

3. Emily - 2 stars - I was excited to dive into "The Mayfair Witch" series, but I was left disappointed. The narrative style felt disjointed and hard to follow, with abrupt shifts in perspective that left me confused. The characters were one-dimensional, and their motivations often felt forced. Additionally, the pacing was incredibly slow, and it took a long time for the story to pick up. Overall, I found this series to be a struggle to get through and it didn't live up to my expectations.

4. Matthew - 1 star - "The Mayfair Witch" series by Anne Rice was a complete letdown for me. The plot was incredibly predictable and lacked originality. The characters felt like caricatures rather than well-developed individuals, and their actions often made no sense. The writing style was overly flowery and descriptive, bogging down the narrative. I couldn't connect with any aspect of this series and found it to be a waste of time.

5. Sarah - 2 stars - "The Mayfair Witch" series had so much potential, but it fell flat for me. The story felt unnecessarily long and drawn-out, with countless subplots that didn't add much to the overall narrative. The characters lacked depth and development, and their relationships felt forced and unrealistic. Despite the intriguing premise, the execution left a lot to be desired. Overall, I struggled to stay engaged and didn't find this series to be as captivating as I had hoped.

The Mayfair Witch Series: How Anne Rice Brings the Paranormal to Life with Vivid Imagery