If you’ve just finished watching the eight-episode season 1 of Anne Rice’s Mayfair Witches on AMC+, then you’re probably wondering whether the series is returning for a season 2. Well, we’ve got the answer for you! Below is everything we know about the fate of the supernatural drama.
Is Mayfair Witches coming back for a season 2?
Yes. Mayfair Witches is returning for a sophomore run. AMC announced the show’s season 2 renewal on February 3rd, 2023 — five days after the series dropped its fourth episode on January 29th.
How many episodes does Mayfair Witches season 2 have?
In an interview with Variety published right after the February 26th, 2023 broadcast of the show’s season 1 finale, series co-creator Esta Spalding confirmed that Mayfair Witches season 2 will also have eight episodes, just like its freshman run.
What is Mayfair Witches about?
For the uninitiated, Mayfair Witches is based on the novel trilogy Lives of the Mayfair Witches by Anne Rice. The novel series began in 1990 with The Witching Hour, which was followed by the sequels Lasher and Taltos, which were released in 1993 and 1994, respectively.
The TV adaptation stars Alexandra Daddario as Rowan Fielding, an intuitive young neurosurgeon 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.
In addition to Daddario, the show’s main cast also includes Tongayi Chirisa as Ciprien “Cip” Grieve, Jack Huston as Lasher, and Harry Hamlin as Cortland Mayfair.
Mayfair Witches premiered on January 8th, 2023, and is the second television series in Anne Rice’s Immortal Universe on AMC Networks, following Interview with the Vampire, which debuted on October 2nd, 2022.
“We are thrilled with the reaction to this series, especially in the wake of the incredibly strong reception to Interview, and can’t wait to bring the fans second seasons of both series in this rich, vibrant and expanding universe based on the works of Anne Rice,” said Dan McDermott, president of entertainment and AMC Studios for AMC Networks, in a statement announcing the season 2 renewal of Mayfair Witches. “In a business in which ‘nobody knows anything,’ we knew what we were hoping for in terms of building a television franchise around these remarkable characters and stories, and to see these shows arrive and captivate viewers in the way they have is so gratifying and energizing for everyone involved, and there is so much yet to come.”
Mayfair Witches season 2 release date
Mayfair Witches season 2 doesn’t have a release date yet, but production on the new season is expected to begin later this 2023 in New Orleans. When asked by Variety where they were at season 2 in February 2023, Spalding said that were still “fully immersing” themselves in the second book of the Lives of the Mayfair Witches novel trilogy and “drawing out” its richness. Spalding added that the upcoming season will introduce new characters, and at the time, they were busy “figuring out who they are and soaking it all up.”
What happened in the season 1 finale of Mayfair Witches?
In the final episode of Mayfair Witches, Rowan (Alexandra Daddario) finally embraced her witch powers and gave birth to a baby, who is now possessed by her demonic lover, Lasher (Jack Huston).
According to a centuries-old prophecy, Lasher will enter the real world through Rowan, who is the 13th Mayfair designee. And Lasher’s gateway to the real world was revealed to be the baby Rowan conceived with Cip (Tongayi Chirisa). When Lasher successfully seduced Rowan into embracing her powers and consummating their dark bond, her pregnancy was put into hyperdrive, resulting in her giving birth about eight and a half months early and Lasher possessing the newborn child.
Rowan initially refused to accept her child/lover, but her maternal instincts kicked in and ultimately protected him from Cortland (Harry Hamlin), who was revealed to be her father through rape; and Cip, who intended to hand him over to his bosses at the corrupt Talamasca agency.
What will happen in Mayfair Witches season 2?
Without giving away too much information, series co-creator Esta Spalding told Variety that Mayfair Witches season 2 will be about whether or not Rowan (Alexandra Daddario) will use her power differently as she had said from the start of the TV series. “The promise of season 2 is to see if she will do what she said. Does she use this power well and wisely, or does she make terrible choices?” Spalding teased.
“Or does she do both?” added series co-creator Michelle Ashford. “This is a very, very interesting topic right now. If you have seen [2022 film] Tár, this is very much about the idea of what women do when they get huge amounts of power. It is out there in the zeitgeist, this notion of whether power is essentially corrupting no matter your gender. Or do women bring something different to being in charge? It is a very fun, deep topic.”
In addition to the questions surrounding how Rowan will use her powers, Spalding and Ashford also said that Mayfair Witches season 2 will see what kind of mother Rowan is.
“That is also a topic that is very front and center lately — the honest and complicated feelings that come with motherhood,” Ashford said. “It can make for some uncomfortable feelings like you saw in the [2021] movie The Lost Daughter. But people find it very refreshing when you are really honest about how complicated the process and experience of motherhood is. We have a protagonist that is a complicated, smart, ambitious woman, and what will that mean when you have an infant and a child as difficult as hers?”
Spalding added: “It is so fun to play with the genre of horror as well. To take the idea of what it is to be a mother, where there will definitely be wonderful and beautiful things. But to make this child a demon allows us to take on motherhood as a really extraordinary metaphor. And as with Anne Rice’s book, that motherhood phase doesn’t last very long for Rowan.”
Where can I see Mayfair Witches?
As of March 2023, the complete first season of Mayfair Witches is streaming on AMC+, The Roku Channel, DirecTV, and Spectrum on Demand.
Haven’t seen Mayfair Witches yet? You can check out the show’s season 1 trailer below:
Will Mayfair Witches be on regular AMC?
Some fans, especially those who watched Mayfair Witches on AMC+, didn’t know that the show was also broadcast on AMC. Mayfair Witches season 1 actually aired on AMC at 9 p.m. ET every Sunday, beginning January 8th, 2023 until February 26th, 2022. The episodes, however, dropped on AMC+ 18 hours earlier than their cable broadcast. While it hasn’t been announced yet, it’s likely that season 2 episodes will be released in the same way.
Is Mayfair Witches worth watching?
On Rotten Tomatoes, season 1 of Mayfair Witches holds a 46% approval rating with an average rating of 5.8/10, based on 28 critic reviews. It received mixed reviews from critics, who, in general, praised the show’s stunning visuals, while pointing out the show’s failure to capture the magic of Anne Rice’s novels. While some viewers love the show, others find the storytelling boring and the casting unimpressive.