The novel series had previously been adapted into Interview with the Vampire, starring Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt, in 1994 and the less commercially successful 2002 sequel, Queen of the Damned.

[32] The project paused until November 26, 2016, when Anne Rice had regained the rights to the franchise with the intention to develop the novels into a television series, where she and her son would serve as executive producers.

[38] On May 13, 2020, it was announced that AMC Networks had purchased the rights to the intellectual property encompassing 18 novels and the possibility to develop feature films and television series from the deal.

[42][47] Among the significant changes is Louis' background, which shifted from a white planter and African slave owner in the late 1700s to a mixed-race Creole pimp in Storyville, a red light district in early 20th-century New Orleans.

[49] On the relationship between the two lead characters, Jones stated that the show is a gothic romance and that he wanted to "write a very excitable, aggressive, toxic, beautiful love story".

[7][6] Two months later, Bailey Bass joined the cast in a starring role as Claudia,[10] whose age was changed from five-year-old in the novel to fourteen-year-old to avoid Louisiana's child labor law.

[16] Anderson, Reid, Bogosian, and Zaman reprised their roles in the second season,[52] while Delainey Hayles replaced Bass as Claudia due to "a variety of unforeseen circumstances".

[56][57] The second season officially began filming on April 3, 2023, and was expected to end on August 31, with most of the shoot taking place in Prague, which will stand for Paris, including Barrandov Studios.

[40][79] In 2023, the series was aired on BBC Two in the United Kingdom, ABC Television in Australia, and Sky in Germany,[80][81][82] alongside a digital release on their respective streaming services.

[89] RLJE Films released the first season on DVD and Blu-ray in region A on September 26, 2023,[90] which includes French and Spanish dub as well as the series' panel at the 2022 San Diego Comic-Con.

The website's critics consensus reads, "With a playful tone and an expansive sweep that allows Anne Rice's gothic opus to mull like a chalice of blood, Interview with the Vampire puts a stake through concerns that this story couldn't be successfully resurrected.

[96] Giving a score of 8.9 out of 10, Allison Piccuro of TV Guide wrote: "The series successfully breathes new life into an old story, shifting gracefully out of the film's shadow and showing willingness to go there in ways many adaptations are often too beholden to the original text to do.

"[97] Judy Berman of Time named Interview "the season's best fantasy franchise reboot", despite House of the Dragon and The Rings of Power debuting in the same period.

[98] Matthew Gilbert of The Boston Globe explained that "the show alter[ed] specifics of the novel's story line in ways that wind up working spectacularly well, and that will surprise fans of the book, even while they may frustrate purists".

[48] Giving the series an "A-", she also attributed its success to the show's "gothic melodrama vibe", adding that it had the appeal of Rice's work, which is "smart, thoughtful writing with a heaping helping of Harlequin paperback camp".

[48] Brian Tallerico from The Playlist noted how the show found a balance between "the Southern Gothic escapism of something like True Blood with the rich cultural commentary of Hannibal".

[100] In an article highlighting race change in TV adaptations, Kelly Lawler for USA Today stated that Interview is "a story that is very Black and very gay, and it never feels like either of these choices is tokenism".

[101] Meanwhile, on the change to the framing device through Daniel Molloy, Darrin Franich for Entertainment Weekly opined that "there's a legacy-sequel quality to [it], a sense that all parties need to re-examine their lore".

[102] Meanwhile, Charles Bramesco of The Guardian argued that the show's choice to be explicitly queer felt like it's "catering to a viewership that's been made to wait too long to see the objects of their affections get it on" and gave the series three out of five.

[99][48][106] Scherer noted that Anderson proved he was "more and ready" to lead his own series, stating: "He believably plays all the stages of Louis' life, as he moves from dissatisfied human to wide-eyed young vampire to jaded, extravagant immortal.

"[108] Anderson and Reid were listed together by several critics,[109][110][111] with TV Guide praising: "Their sizzling chemistry and wholehearted commitment [...] is what makes [sic] Interview with the Vampire work.

[158] Interview with the Vampire has its own set of related media within the Anne Rice's Immortal Universe franchise, including an insider podcast and an after-show special.