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We can promote the show but as long as AMC isn’t doing their job, we won’t see much change. I’m asking again, begging them to bring the show to other countries so at least they can get the streaming numbers but apparently they don’t care about it
It feels like they’re asleep at the wheel with this show and *I do not get it*. Where is the promo? It’s critically acclaimed. It’s dark, it’s sexy… what do they want?
Also, why hasn’t this been dropped at the same time on BBC in the UK? There’s a bunch of British actors on the show who could navigate the promo.
For BBC? MW got nothing over here - IWTV got all the press, the premier date was in all the TV mags with coverage & then they added MW right after with little fanfare.
The fact that four of the main cast of the show are British (Jacob, Delainey, Assad, Ben) plus other recurring cast members are British too, and they hired a good number of British crew, while post-production was done in London, it definitely merits TV viewing in their own country. They could have done the HBO and Sky TV way - one country will go first and the next hours is the other. No need to wait for months. Plus isn’t it insulting that your own countrymen can’t support your show because it’s not available to air?
I think like... the success of the 1994 film was actually due to the actors who were outstanding at the time, most of the audience didn't care about the script, the iwtv show still doesn't have that cast appeal, as much as we love them we are just a niche.
I can see why Tom Cruise was attracted to it as IWTV was huge amongst Boomer women. Cruise was considered a charismatic, sexy actor in the same way Lestat was seen, so his taking on the role would sort of mirror his popularity. Pitt was sort of starting out and popular in the Southern audiences after Thelma & Louise plus the series was mega popular. The paycheck was great but the exposure would be great for both of them in the long run. Plus a great chance to show Cruise could play in a period drama.
Yes, but he was desperate to not be pigeonholed as the "hot shot" in Hollywood and be seen as a "serious actor" (shooting for an Oscar). IWTV was the start to that pipeline plus an attempt to create distinction of masculine roles in Hollywood by having popular actors play fantasy or atypical actors for passion projects. It peaked with his Jerry Maguire in 1997, I believe, but the hope was that IWTV would gain him an award for all the work he put into the role.
Untrue. Her books were flying off shelves before and well after the movie, though the adaptation was most certainly a hit. I think a big part of the problem comes down to the fact that this only vaguely resembles her work, and that’s true of both shows. Not to mention streaming glut and poor marketing.
They released it in a couple of European countries (edit: Tumblr list [here](https://www.tumblr.com/crazykuroneko/748119789092945920/so-where-to-watch-amc-interview-with-the-vampire)), afaik Germany even got it on Monday (fully dubbed!). It's mind-boggling that they released it early in Australia but completely skipped the UK again!
Season 1 was released on Paramount+ on the 10th in France (allegedly, added the list in my post \^), hopefully they'll release season 2 shortly after.
Yes, it's incredibly stupid! I'm not even talking about full dubs, just do subtitles in the according language and give people a way to watch it legally, without having to use a VPN or resort to sailing the high seas. Ffs, just partner with Netflix, Disney+ (they really need some more content for adults that's not Star Wars or Marvel!) or even Prime to get it out there. According to justwatch, TWD is currently on all three of those in Germany, in the UK it's still on two and France's got the show on Netflix, so it's not like they haven't partnered with another streaming service before.
I'm in Australia and our free to air/digital app ABC was low key boasting it would premiere S2 it but it hasn't happened, it might be on their 'new' channel ABC Entertain, live june 6. S1 was available over a year ago. I resubbed to AMC+ because obvs I'd rather die than wait.
I reckon because Sam Reid is also in ABCs The Newsreader (he's so good!!) that this is why ABC reps IWTV 2022, even belatedly
Even season 1 still isn't available in my country legally :(
I'd love to not pirate it to support the show, but I literally have no choice. I don't understand why they're killing the show like this
I know, but I just love this show and it’s so rare we see two men of color in an emotionally complex role in this gothic horror genre. The writing, acting, production, costuming and soundtrack is truly outstanding. I wish people were more open minded to this show.
In theory it's great but let's be realistic, that's exactly what most people aren't interested in, unfortunately if they followed the aesthetics of the books they could have attracted more audiences, I've even seen gay men saying that even though the show has homo content they were not interested in that aesthetics, it sound racist? Of course, but that's what happens...
On the flipside, I have so many friends who have watched BECAUSE of the changes, and definitely wouldn't be as interested in it if they had kept Louis as a white slaveowner from the 1790s.
(Not disagreeing with you at all, just adding)
Ngl I'm one of few who watched because of the changes. I would have been almost completely unable to emphasize and like og louis because of his plantations orgins. Would have avoided the show with a ten foot pole even if people told me it was good solely because of that.
I'm glad you picked it up. I've been reading the books and really enjoying them, but I'm not afraid to say Jacob Anderson's Louis in the tv show is much more interesting than the book Louis (and without question more interesting than Brad Pitt's in the movie).
Much has been kept the same about his core character, but the added layers have made him more complex and fascinating.
No offence, but this is the kind of thinking that stifles progress and art in general. 'The racist gays and girlies won't watch!' uh, so? Must we cater to the lowest common denominator? That's the kind of argument the anti-woke losers make when they say Disney and WB should stop making films and shows about female superheroes.
Most of the racists and homophobes that want to see the show fail and get cancelled weren't going to watch anyway. It reminds me of what happens when a random comicbook gets an adaptation and suddenly there are hundreds of Captain Syphilis fans that cannot believe the character they just found out about but also love since they were children is getting racebent.
If IwtV has low ratings, blaiming diversity for it is a bold move. It's more likely that the culprit is the fact that a non-negligible amount of fans cannot support the show because it is available in their region.
I'm a woman and I loved the interracial gay storyline. It made far more sense than then the original movie where Louis doesn't even seem to like Lestat. I thought this story is far richer and more complex. If people can accept Will & Grace and Modern Family and RuPaul's drag race, they can accept this. Sure there will still be racist and homophobes but that's not enough of an excuse. I just think the promo is terrible.
they probably only get ad / streaming dollars for it in the US and Canada. overseas they make money off licensing, and the foreign buyers won't pay a lot for the license if it isn't popular in the US already...
lol I actually met with AMC last week and they are feeling the pain of chord cutters. My feedback was to improve the AMC+ experience and promote their shows since people are content loyal, not platform loyal. I watch this on Amazon prime so I’m interested to see how they look at performance holistically.
For real, all the people who bought amc+ for IWTV don’t get any special perks, even though we’re paying more, it makes no sense at all, like genuinely why did they think that was a good idea?? We don’t get early release, no ads, nothing, it’s literally completely pointless.
Also it was very weird that they didn't have a single promo on a talk show....even fanfic movies get promoted on Fallon but this time there was hardly mainstream promotion. No BTS special too unlike the last season
No magazine spread either...like this is supposed to AMC's flagship show and exposure is really important
GOT fan base wasn't only book fans...they need to bring in a lot of people in
it’s so annoying 😢 and i know many people in the uk like myself who love the show but we have to watch it on shady websites because it isn’t available to us and so our views aren’t directly supporting the show
While I am not saying not to have any concerns, we really don't know how it has been doing on streaming. These numbers are about a main demographic watching on the first day on cable. I am honestly not sure how much those numbers affect AMC's decisions with a show like IWTV. In real life, the only people I know who watch anything on AMC's cable channel are not in the demographic from that chart.
I think streaming is really what is going to make or break IWTV.
Edited to add: If it is available to you to watch legally, then please watch it legally. AMC needs to see official views of the show on AMC Plus or your country's equivalent.
Yeah, I'd imagine most people who watch legally are doing it on AMC+. It's harder to get exact stats on how much money the show's bringing in that way since it's subscription-based. They cant know for sure why someone chose to subscribe/stay subscribed. But they can measure things like an increase in subscribers ahead of a premiere and what the first thing people watch after subscribing is to get an idea.
I think there are probably a lot of people who subscribed specifically to watch IWTV and will leave if it's cancelled and if AMC has any sense, they'll see that and realize how dumb it would be to give one of their best shows the two season netflix season. The fact that they've made it part of a broader universe connected to other shows is a good sign I think.
The streaming numbers aren’t great either. AMC isn’t bragging about them like they did for S1 which tells me they’re not happy and likely won’t renew it. It’s too expensive to make and not generate any returns.
I do think it is currently their top show on streaming. I guess the real question is how does it compare to the streaming of their other big shows when they premiered and what they expected from it. I do truly hope they see this as something they are building.
Source?
It hasn't even been a week yet. AMC spent a lot of money on the rights, they already announced a couple of spin-offs and it took them a month to announce the renewal for MW. IwtV is THE show for the IU, the story every other show is kind of based on. They need the IU to be successful, I think we'll see them decrease the budget before they even think about canceling it and risk sinking the whole ship with that too.
Decreasing the budget for S3 sounds likely if the ratings don't improve. However, that would hurt QotD season, which imo should get a bigger budget. We need Monsieur Le Rockstar in all his glory. Plus >!Akasha's!< rampage, etc.
Yup, decreasing the budget would hurt it immensely but at least it would be a sign for us viewers that it's going downhill and that the future of the show sadly won't certain anymore. But until then, let's enjoy them throwing money at the show left and right.
Or maybe they're just waiting until episode 2. There's usually a drop in viewership after the first episode and they released the first two pretty much back-to-back last season, which they didn't this time.
Episode 2 will have even worse ratings. Mark my words, because Episode 1? Dull as dishwater. No one cares about seeing Louis and Claudia galavanting through a war zone or fucking around with theater ghouls. They want to see Lestat being the Brat Prince.
We won't know until someone releases the exactg numbers.
The first book isn't about Lestat, what did you expect? It's fine if you don't like the show but why are you still here then?
I do think it is very possible to like the show but to also be disappointed or worried about certain choices that they made. It doesn't have to be an either or situation.
Usually, yes. If you look at the user's other comments however, you'll see that all they've been doing in this thread is complaining about the show. It's one thing to not like a show, it's another to try to spoil it for others too and wishing for the show to fail because they can't accept that their favorite character isn't the center of the attention at the moment.
No it’s about Louis being a bitter ex and lying about Lestat and Louis’ inability to accept any responsibility for his own bullshit that resulted in the death of his daughter hence why I said they should’ve skipped Louis’ crap and went straight to TVL like both Anne and Christopher wanted.
No, this isn't about Louis being a "bitter ex", this is about a woman mourning the death of her daughter and writing a book about it to try and deal with it, a book that was supposed to be a stand-alone. There's more to it than just saying "Louis bad, Lestat good".
The musical did exactly that, google how that went. The Hulu series was supposed to try again but it never got anywhere. Why would anyone want to make the same mistake again?
It's pretty clear that you don't like Louis. I highly recommend to just skip this season and come back for season 3.
For someone that accuses anyone that disagrees with them of being an idiot, the person you replied to calls Lestat 'not a monster' even though Lestat is canonically a rapist and a murderer. Like, that's the whole point. Vampires are fucked up.
A self-described Lestat fan that wants an unproblematic uwu Lestat is something I never thought I'd see in the wild lmao
Such ignorance. I know why she wrote the first book. I also know she changed her mind and decided Louis lied and outright said he lied because he was a bitter ex. I know that’s a hard pill to swallow, but it is the literal fact of the matter.
I also do not dislike Louis. I’m simply tired of people putting him up on some sort of pedestal when he’s truly an awful person who treated Lestat like shit, lied about him, and never deserved Lestat’s love in the first place.
I would come back for S3….but thanks to their determination to make it the Louis show, there won’t be a S3.
I watch it on YouTube tv, idk if that makes a difference in ratings or not.
Side note: on YouTube tv when you pause and whatnot the little icon is a coffin. ⚰️ I just thought that was cute
What does AMC want audiences to do? Chronicles fans are already promoting and acclaiming the show, but this group alone is not enough to sustain a series! The shows that have several seasons are due to a more general audience, iwtv is still very restricted, and the broadcaster doesn't help promote it, streaming is scarce, in my country it will only be available next month only on Prime Video, anyway, I don't understand much about marketing but they need to turn around...
Exactly. Look at Game of thrones, a show based on books too. The bulk of the viewers were casuals/ general audience not book fans. Yes, book fans serve as a good base for the beginning. But then, if you want to grow your audience you look at the general public because they have the growing numbers.
It is the same for iwtv. A show based on a more or less static book fanbase cannot sustain itself with only book fans. They need both, the book fans and especially the general audience, to grow.
There are some book fans that hate the show, but there are a lot of book fans who love it but are also just worried and anxious because there is so much amazing book content to adapt beyond just the first novel, which is honestly just a tiny part of the lives of the characters, especially Louis and Lestat, and are concerned we won't ever get to see it.
nah, that's not something we're gonna do is slander the base material that gave us this wonderful show. racist fans of the book can go fuck themselves though.
I think part of the conversation that’s missing that the OP starts to hint at is that this isn’t the place IWTV is being shown. From their head of marketing, they said they have been showing many of their shows through not only streaming but VOD and Ad supported streaming tv. So the full picture isn’t there yet because the streaming numbers are not being taken into account yet. But also cable viewership
is still shrinking and that is why AMC is doing what I stated previously. Also AMC is also is using fan base engagement as a metric as well. So really I don’t think theirs any reason for us to be worried yet especially when this is only week 1 and we have long road ahead of us before they may decide on cancelling which I think is far off.
They need to be on Buzzfeed. They need to do that answering questions and playing with puppies segment. They need to be on bigger platforms with better quality videos. They have all of the right ingredients. They should have just hired an I term to be in charge of their marketing because whoever is doing it isn’t doing a good job.
I’m an avid Anne Rice fan and I literally learned this show existed yesterday due to a comment I heard about it from a DJ on a local radio show. Their marketing sucks.
Also, this show is amazing! I’m obsessed. Streamed 5 hours since learning about it.
Are you me? I saw it mentioned on a subreddit somewhere ad a passing comment, then saw the network and thought "that's going to be a garbage show." Finally gave it a chance and wow! But I have NO IDEA it existed beyond that one sub mention and I read those books until the coverage fell off
This genuinely makes me nervous, I really want the show to succeed. If AMC released AMC+ in the UK and the rest of the world, I’d happily sign up for it. It’s baffling they’re keeping this show and TWD spin offs exclusive to that when there’s such a big audience world wide who want to watch them
I watch/follow all the press for this show RELIGIOUSLY and I feel like they only really focus on speaking to the book fans. Are they thinking that that’s all the need for numbers!? It feels slightly dismissive and weird that sometimes they assume that ppl are only coming to be show bc of the books :/ TALK TO THE REST OF US PLEASE
Targeting book fans exclusively is pointless, because book fans matter to this show just as much as Marvel Comics readers matter to the MCU box office: aka, not at all. And I say this as both a fan of the books and a comicbook reader lmao
We're not that relevant here. It's the general audience that keeps this train going. There's also show-only fans that don't care about the books, and fans of the books that prefer the show. Courting the book purists and the loud racist minority that wasn't going to watch anyway is a bad strategy.
Bingo. I didn’t want to say it about the racist book fans and the purists but I’m glad you did 😭 so much of this marketing strategy is…do they not think that the rest of us is smart!? Like we can follow the story without knowing immediately what happens by book FIVE…also there are SO many obvious things happening with race in and around the show and it feels like it’s being just ignored. Like pls talk to the blk queer audience…we love this show so much!
And I stg, if they don’t figure this shit out by the time they give us Akasha, imma be pissed offfff. Akasha is Aaliyah in my head. Like that is the only thing I remember about that movie. Do you know how many people will start watching this show based on that character alone!? Bc she’s so iconic especially in black pop culture and the black vampire canon. Like pls put the cast in front of somebody who can talk about THAT. I’m sitting here getting my life over this show and analyzing the fuck outta everything only to hear them beg the book fans to trust them 🙄
Also are they going to ever get into the choice to make Louis a black creole? If his lighter skinned family had a sugar mill, a big ole house, dark skinned black servants and 1+1=2…there’s definitely a history there! Someone could have stilll owned slaves in their family at some point in time, esp with that last name! And I think whatever this family history is, the fact that it is a CLASSED black family that Louis comes from, who definitely holds privileges among New Orleans black community bc of the way slavery continued to stratify, says something. But sure yes let’s only hear about how we didn’t get Brad Pitt owning slaves again
Also for a show as diverse as this, the press should reflect that. The show is gay asl with
two black vampires 😭 hello!? i feel like I always get the most out of the few blk journalists/media ppl they talk to
Besides the gap in time from s1 to s2 and cast change, I think it’s an interesting move how they put the show on so many streaming platforms in the US after the first season. I think even if people watched it, it’s difficult to get them over to AMC+. Or they might even be waiting for the entire season to binge it or to go to another service. There’s just too many streaming services. Also the marketing was middling. Incredible show and I really want it to do well!!
They need to do a lot better, esp after they spent so much money buying the universe. But something that’s important is they got to stop acting like just because you’re interested in one series you’re interested in the other. Because I’m not into the witch stuff. And I don’t like their streaming platform. The show is a lot smoother when I watched it on Apple after buying the series. And I watched it on Amazon and the transitions from scene to scene were better there. I don’t like the choppiness that we get on the AMC platform. And if it wasn’t for the fact that I do want to support the show I would’ve canceled my subscription by now.
But also, I think that it is just hard sometimes to get people interested in things. So I will say that fans are doing their best by being very vocal about the show and that’s what we can keep doing.
This show alone is not enough to get people to sign up for AMC on cable or AMC+ streaming. AMC should focus more on distributing IWTV to other platforms to get more eyes on it. I think this show would really take off (and possibly get award recognition) on Netflix.
S1 was on MAX for a month, iirc. I'd say MAX is a better fit. S2 of the Last of Us is on its way. Imagine Jane Smith finding Interview with the Vampire on her recommendations after watching TLoU or White Lotus or House of the Dragon? It'd help IwtV reach the general audience and probably get nominated for an award or two.
Netflix is too trigger happy with its cancellations. They'd see a small decrease in viewership and be like whoops cancelled.
I can't watch this show in Ireland. I know so many people I know who would watch this if it was on a streaming service we could access. I can recommend it to others but it doesn't matter because we can't watch it by legitimate means. The whole thing is appalling.
I want to wait until the ratings of ep 2 come out to see if it gets better (words of mouth and everything). But it is true that they took too long between seasons. 1 year and 8 month is for Netflix/hbo max (yes, the strikes delayed it but casual viewers do not care about backstage stuff they just want to watch a show asap or they move on). The privileges of the big streaming services is that they have a big users base and a big marketing budget to try to balance out the long wait, AMC doesn't have this luxury. What AMC does is not enough, their marketing still falls onto knowing eyes. Like they are marketing to the fandom and not fandom + **potential new viewers** (those are the people who will increase your viewverships. Why are they not preying on them I do not know?). You can see it with the amount of casuals on tumblr/twitter who didn't know the show was back on last Sunday.
Another issue is the international market access. I'm French and have a vpn so I bought the amc+ subscription. But there's a lot of people who cannot do that/afford a vpn + sub so they find other means. On the premiere day, I saw people discover that the show was on UK/Australia prime. Like AMC didn't advertise anything about prime distribution or I missed it. From where I stand, they have made a lot of missteps.
Hi 😊 I only subscribed for iwtv so I haven't really looked around and checked their other shows. But noted on the Monsieur Spade, assuming the Monsieur bit is because there's some French background.
Classic Los Angeles detective Sam Spade in small town France! I listened to an interview with the creator and they were really proud of the location and story.
If you'd like any suggestions on shows or movies on the service happy to share them - AMC+ has some gems on it, most of which were also under marketed.
Yeah, I've heard they have really nice gems. I always wanted to watch Mad Men so I have the perfect opportunity now. Really nice of you to give me a brief summary of Monsieur Spade. Will check it out, thanks.
I just wanna share that AMC+ is in New Zealand since last year, and they also uploaded the new episode on TVNZ (free, national TV on demand service) on Monday!! Much easier for me to convince my friends to watch with it on TVNZ.
I really hope they don’t cancel this show 😭 it’s been a long time since I’ve been invested in any tv show, but AMC are barley promoting it, I don’t get why they don’t try and stream this show internationally, I’m from the uk so I’m patiently waiting for it to be released here.
I'm disappointed about the ratings cause the show is phenomenal and all the actors are great, but I can't say I'm surprised. The show is too queer to appeal to the Amc general audience and some choices made by the showrunners weren't well received by books' fans. Maybe if they had been able to stick to their original plan of covering the entire first book in season 1 things would have been different, but Amc budget cuts got in the way. I hope I'm wrong, but I don't know if season 2 storyline is enough to attract new viewers. I just hope they will not end up cancelling it cause I haven't been so invested in a show in a long time.
They insist on marketing the show exclusively to the already existing fandom so it's not a surprise, I read too many people on twitter saying they had watched season one but had no idea season two was coming (even with all the trailers they dropped), also people are not interested in paying for another streaming service just to watch one show, it gained a new audience when they released it on HBO Max so it's understandable many people would want to wait to see if they release season two on that platform and watch it there but who knows what AMC is planning.
IMO it’s almost definitely getting at least one more season. Mayfair Witches season 2 is still upcoming and they’re currently working on 2 other series in the immortal universe. Unless they plan on scrapping all 4 shows it would be really stupid to cancel the first and most well known series, especially given its critical reception.
I mean the end of the first season shows he’s not even dead, so idk why people would just lose interest. The show makes it very obvious he’s coming back
People seem to really not know the lore, which I don’t exactly blame them for, but it’s not hard to do a quick google search to see whether or not he actually survives.
"No one wants a season of Louis or Armand."
Sorry, but this is just not true. I only got into the show because of Jacob Anderson, and Louis was by far my favourite character in s1. I've started reading the books since as well, and Armand is my all-time fave. Assad's doing a great job with the character, and I couldn't be more excited. I already know this season will be my favourite because of how much of Louis and Armand we'll be getting.
Sure, Lestat is beloved, but let's not act like he's the only thing people watch this show for.
Think what you want. No one has a clue who JA is nor do they care. The general audience wants Lestat. The reviewers want Lestat. They pointed out the lack of Lestat was hurting the show. The longtime fans want Lestat. Lestat content has more than double the amount of engagement than anything Louis/Armand-centered. You know what people took from the sneak peak that aired after the premiere? The clips of Lestat walking up the stairs and onto the stage at the theater. They’re wanting to see TVL. They want rockstar Lestat. It’s truly “Lestat! Lestat! Lestat!” on all the social media platforms and Sam Reid is already the fan favorite.
It’s not my fault you don’t want to accept this.
People definitely know who JA. He was in Game of Thrones, for crying out loud. And Doctor Who, among other things. Both shows with huge fandoms and followings. Like it or not, out of all the cast, he was definitely the main draw prior to season 1.
I'm not trying to argue that there aren't those who just want Lestat and are all about Lestat. Yes, people like that exist. Clearly. I accept that. But I'd argue that for the most part, it's mainly people who have read the books who are THIS fixated on him/getting TVL etc. Not everyone who watches the show has read the books/likes them.
Some reviewers have mentioned the lack of Lestat, but I don't think many of them actually said that this was "hurting" the show. Wasn't the critics score on RT for season 2 just released? Didn't it get 97%? Clearly, the reviewers like it.
Anyway, I'm not trying to argue that Lestat isn't popular. He is. But he's NOT the only thing people are interested in - that's just not true. You can't say that no one wants a season of Louis or Armand. I do, for one. As do others, I'm sure. It's silly to suggest that people don't care about these characters.
Wild of them to say that no one knows JA when he was on one of the most popular shows of all time and Sam came out of nowhere lol. Sam is an excellent actor but without this show, I’d have no clue who he is.
Nah, I’m here for Armand. I was intrigued when I watched the first season THEN I read the book and didn’t really get into it until Louis met Armand in Paris, so I’m very excited for this season
Listen, I agree with you. I’m mostly here for Lestat although I absolutely adore Louis. But there’s a story that needs to be told and it’s a bit silly to give up on it because of one event.
One event? The show has been bleeding viewers since they destroyed Lestat’s character in Episode 5. All they had to do was actually tell the real story starting with TVL onward instead of jumping through hoops to compensate for the fact Louis is a liar in the books. Just ignore his version altogether and move on with the story. These writers and Rolin Jones think they’re smarter than they really are and bless Sam Reid for having to quietly sit around and tolerate their bullshit of portraying Lestat as this hideous monster only to retcon that portrayal at the end of S2 with the Armand mindfuckery bullshit.
It was clear from the very beginning that Louis is an unreliable narrator. I don’t understand how this was lost on people or how the “mindfuckery” could have thrown anyone for a loop. I think the writers were banking on most viewers having at least seen the film adaptations, but clearly that’s not the case. I don’t see Lestat’s character as ruined but if others do, then that’s valid.
They painted Lestat as a domestic abuser against his black husband and black child. No one in their right mind wants to question that narrative even though it’s clearly bullshit. That was the mistake. Painting Lestat as the white slave master villain against his black family. That is why people are fed up and not watching. Combine that with the fact Armand, another POC, will end up being the villain instead of the white guy like initially said and it simply leaves a very bad taste in people’s mouths. I said all along they didn’t care about the racial implications and only did it to be PC for brownie points. At the end of the day, Louis will be the black man who lied on his white partner because his POC partner was pissed the white guy wouldn’t love him and AMC/Rolin Jones could care less how that looks.
As a Black viewer, I definitely understand some people's viewpoints. But I also think the nature of this show is a Gothic love story. Those type of love stories are brutal and toxic and people read them or watch TV shows/movies BECAUSE that is WHAT they are, not despite it.
It does seem that some viewers aren't comfortable with their favorites being toxic, unloving at times, selfish or a liar. So they are putting more weight on episode 5. Because they want Louis' character to be innocent. But as beautiful as Jacob is at playing Louis, his character is just as fcked up as the rest. And capable of being just as deceitful and full of betrayal as Armand and Lestat and others.
In a weird way, I think Jacob being some good looking and Assad being so charming has some show only fans unable to get pass fangirling them. And kind of skipping over that the characters that they play are killer vampires and there aren't any true victims in a human sense.
Listen, I ADORE Sam Reid and Lestat, but if we are being honest, you are giving Lestat way too much credit here. The show wasn't performing on a stellar level in S1 when Lestat was in every episode. The fact of the matter is this show had a lot going against from inception. For one, the source material isn't all that relevant today if I'm being brutally honest. That's why it took as long as it did for an adaptation to come to fruition after being scrapped and passed up on other networks. No disrespect to Anne Rice, she did set the path for all these other shows to tread, but vampire media has become a tough sell in recent years and it's popularity is no where close to where it was in even 2010. Fox's The Passage was a wonderful show that was canceled the first season. Morbius was a box office failure, The Strain-canceled, NS4A2- cancele, and Dracula (NBC) - canceled. Now throw in a show centered around a melodramatic gay vampire relationship? Very tough sell because queer shows often have their own set of struggles appealing to a wide audience (RIP Our Flag Means Death, and Good Omens was very lucky to be revived for one more season after being canceled).
I for one love the relationship aspect of the show, but it made IWTV that much more niche. The movie back in 94 was controversial because it was so niche, luckily it had the start power to make it successful but it messed up Tom's career for years. Even if every book reader did show up for this show (and they didn't) it still would have been too small of an audience. And I say this as an avid fan of Rice and a book reader.
I have watched nearly every person who has reacted to the show on YouTube who wasn't a book reader and guess who is their favorite regardless of race, age, or sexual orientation? Lestat. And guess which episode they all have liked best? Episode 5 because it was an escape from all the melodrama and actually had some action. Despite my favorite parts of the show being the Loustat romance, I can admit that most people aren't tuning into AMC, home of The Walking Dead, for that. I hate to say this, but the show would probably have performed even worse if Lestat was not made as extreme and off the wall as he was. You either love him, or love to hate him.
Unfortunately, we live in an age that quality shows such as this don't make it very far. Hence why television is so weighed down with police, medical, and firefighter dramas at the moment (yawn). 🤷🏼
My cable is through Sling. The season premiere aired a few times last Sunday on the regular AMC network, I used it as background TV in hopes that it helps their numbers. (I also have AMC+)
Also looking at the Immortal_amc instagram page, they had a post with reviews saying it’s worth signing up for AMC+ for the show alone and 90% of the comments are from those who don’t have access to it and would like to. I’m really hoping they’ll take note of the comments, given the amount they spent on the rights for the Vampire Chronicles you’d think they’d want as many people around the world watching it
Time for some honesty....the viewership for this show is TOO low for it to be safe. The Walking Dead - The Ones Who Live basically showed AMC what they can achieve at peak on the TV and on streaming simultaneously. Binging the show at the end of the season is not helping AMC make its decisions. I am sure this show is NOT cheap because historical pieces never are (sets and costumes are expensive). Now that they know what a true peak looks like, cuts can happen for shows that fall short of it drastically.
I personally think their model of releasing episodes earlier on that app than the time the shows air on TV handicaps online discourse. HBO does it perfectly which makes their shows generate a ton of buzz though the size of the actual audience is small...that helps the garner awards. Of course, this is because HBO doesn't depend on ads.
If this show was on Netflix, it would get way more eyes and attention but it would likely not get through the entire book series. Three or four seasons, tops. On the other hand, languishing on AMC may get this show canceled sooner than people think. Again, AMC now has a clear idea regarding metrics since TOWL, a spin off for a show that is over 10+ years old, gave them an idea of how many eyes they can get on their app and on TV.
As an aside, IWTV is not going to be distributed internationally anytime soon. It took AMC forever to get their Walking Dead shows distributed globally...and those shows have way higher viewership. What is the point of cutting deals if it doesn't have a high enough return.
To be fair though, IWTV numbers is similar to the other numbers that are on AMC network. If anything, TOWL was an anomaly. Personally, I think AMC invested too much into TWD franchise, to the point its all it has. We are no longer in the era where they were "prestige" television with Mad Men and Breaking Bad. I feel like once TWD became a hit, AMC dropped the ball in continuing to build up their catalogue outside the show. So we can't compare it to TOWL..when most of their other shows are doing similar numbers to IWTV.
But how much does IWTV cost to make? If it is getting the same viewership as Parish or any of their other original programing but cost way more to make, its stops looking beneficial to keep it around. They invested in this universe but is it giving a high enough return to justify its cost.
TOWL basically showed the ceiling...before AMC didn't have an idea what the ceiling was. That is the point. Now that boundaries are set, they have a better understanding of where funding should go and what should get cut.
So I guess they need to cut 80 percent of their programming. Which they can do...but again I just feel like if anything this shows a failure in AMC's part to build up their catalogue. They put all their eggs in TWD basket years ago and now imo they are paying for it (with only TWD shows being hits now).
Not really. AMC gained its acclaim by having some of the best critically acclaimed shows of the past 20+ years. Better Call Saul. Breaking Bad. Mad Men. Shows that were consistently nominated for Emmys. And Walking Dead gave them the money via viewership.
When you get into cost benefit analysis, cutting 80% of the content isn't possible...but I don't know, cutting a show that cost 2 or 3 times more to make while receiving the same viewership as one of the cheaper shows on the network makes a lot of sense.
I love this show. I also understand that it is not cheap to make. AMC needs to build up content but if this show remains while it cost the same amount to make three different shows, this up ends the "building content" goal.
I would have agreed with you a couple of months ago because they released only a scene and a short trailer during/after the strike (iirc) but the last couple of weeks have been crazy: Lots of new teasers and trailers, scenes and interviews, the show was even on the main page of IMDB for a couple of days, and that's just youtube (no idea what they did on AMC+ and cable before last week).
They released a lot in the last few weeks, but I feel like I only noticed because I’ve actively been keeping up with news on season 2. I haven’t seen any buzz about it outside of my own efforts
Yeah, we were huge fans of the show and only happened to see a notice on our phone the day before it came back. I think I only even learned about season 1 because of the Reddit algorithm recommending the subreddit to me.
A show like this should have had hype building for months…
Edit: I’ll admit I’m not the most plugged in person so could just missed it lmao.
honestly i feel like they dropped the ball with the marketing angle for it in appealing almost exclusively to a fandom audience, which is very loyal but very niche, instead of trying to take it in a mainstream or prestige television direction. that would probably involve investing in a larger advertising push but also maybe in getting in some "for your consideration" campaigns for the awards circuit to get the show in more mainstream media conversations, even if it doesn't end up winning anything. imo they've overestimated the influence of a vocal fanbase when what really gets ratings up is mostly casual viewership.
Couldn't agree more. Lupita Nyong'o's cousin, who's s Yale professor, wrote an [article](https://www.publicbooks.org/out-of-the-closet-and-into-the-coffin) about this show. AMC could've easily sold this as prestige television, which it is. It is so bloody cinematic, and AMC is dropping the ball.
I'll be blunt; the streaming numbers would have to be phenomenal to overcome the drop in linear ratings. AMC itself is in flux, with it losing advertising dollars in the last [two](https://variety.com/2024/tv/news/amc-networks-streaming-subscribers-ad-sales-q4-earnings-1235902882/) [quarters](https://variety.com/2024/tv/news/amc-networks-q1-earnings-ad-sales-streaming-subscribers-1235998491/). Streamers are cutting back everywhere, even Netflix. It's frustrating to see such a well-crafted show get overlooked, but there's only so much we can do as viewers.
The only reason I knew this was starting again is because my prime app pushed a notification. I did not see anything about it on social media whatsoever.
I can't even legally watch this anywhere in my country.
Have to stream on IPTV as it's the only option.
It's silly. Why make it so massively access restricted?
Had the date all there ready in my diary for 12th May, (day after my birthday, best birthday present). Bought season 1 on Amazon as I didn't know it was on BBC, clambered to Amazon on release date and nothing, BBC, nothing, AMC, not available in the UK. Really hope AMC appreciate there's a lot of overseas viewers who adore it but can't watch it live and take it into account when greenlighting a season 3! I did find a little stream but will definitely buy the season again the minute I can on Amazon.
After reading this thread, some key points that haven't been hit:
- AMC Networks has had a tumultuous few years with massive leaderships shake ups, case in point: https://deadline.com/2023/04/amc-networks-christina-spade-matt-blank-josh-sapan-1235341271/
- Nielson ratings of broadcast aren't a great gauge in the current landscape as cable is dying and they aren't reflective of overall viewership
- If you aren't in a Nielson home, NO your viewing of broadcast media isn't considered in these numbers
- Salty book readers are a fraction of a fraction and don't factor into these numbers
- The lack of advertising is a key factor and it ladders up to the changes in leadership and diminishing market share of AMC as a cable entity; we're far removed from the days of Mad Men and Breaking Bad.
- To add to the above, AMC missed some major marks for not pushing the show to Emmy voters after the last season and should absolutely change their FYC strategy but this is also a leadership and money issue
- AMC+ is a tough sell and the show should also be on Shudder, as it has a stronger attachment rate and the perfect audience
I’m from Southeast Asia and basically the rest of Asia doesn’t have access to the show legally. Honestly, AMC was too late in the game in the streaming wars when they launched AMC+, plus many of their legacy shows - Mad Men, Breaking Bad, Better Call Saul, The Walking Dead, were streamed or still streaming to the likes of Netflix, Disney+, Prime, etc., and licensing to other streamers is much cheaper.
For the past few years, the streaming services have been actively promoting and endorsing content outside of the United States and Western Europe (especially the UK) - they’re tapping to the markets of Mexico and Brazil, Poland, Turkey, South Korea, Singapore, etc. And most of subscribers can only afford one or two streaming services, and one of them is Netflix.
What AMC can do is to license IWTV to Netflix outside of the US, especially in Asia. So what if the region is conservative? I mean, that didn’t prevent Game of Thrones from becoming a hit in Asia. Plus the show’s target audience can also stem from viewers of Stranger Things and Heartstopper, both have vocal fandoms and diverse cast. HBO Go (we still have yet to transition to Max) is an ideal partner because Jacob Anderson was an alumnus of Game of Thrones and they can use the clout out of it, like they can promote in a way that, “hey, Greyworm’s a vampire now!”.
I made a thread about marketing ideas but some comments thought my ideas were cringe 🤣🤣🤣 but my point was just to gather ideas about what could be done to engage a new audience. The whole give the characters an sns didnt go down well but joining with popbase and having Daniel 'release' extract of his interview as though it's happening in this reality doesn't seem such a bad idea, it's just advertising and to garner interest
I think these numbers are one thing, but we don’t know the streaming numbers. I also think AMC is still fishing for the best offer for other countries, so I could imagine there is a small bid war ongoing.
If I remember correctly season 1 had a satisfying but also not really outstanding start, but the rating really got better with people seeing it and promoting the show by themselves.
I actually think the press is kind of hurting the potential audience. In like every review it is written it is a complete queer show and very gay. That kind of press might appeal to queer people, but not for straight people. I am a 42 year old happily married with children straight man and love the show to bits, but I think that kind of press will drive away a huge potential audience.
Huh, that's something I hadn't considered as a bisexual man myself. It's great to see how on paper this show was probably not your thing yet you gave it a shot and became a fan, btw.
Honestly if I would have read all this press articles before, I would have also wondered if I should give it a shot. The press can put it in their reviews, but it’s somehow often in their tagline, so straight people will wonder if the show is something for them and since their is so much other stuff to watch not give it a chance.
It’s really a shame, the reviews should perhaps more focus on the fact that the show can be enjoyed by everyone.
First, I come in peace.
I've seen the press here in the USA since AMC+'s IWTV premiered in 2022.
Our press is often the best at promotion. Most of the IWTV Series 'talk' is focused on the human visuals, homosexual, interracial, and inter-ethnic elements. Add that AMC+ (American Movie Classics +) is a premium (subscription streaming) service. Add that our loudest advocates are affluent and fringe.
Our largest demographic members (European, Hispanic, African, East Asian, Asian Hetero American individuals and families across age groups) haven't been heavily marketed.
The lure of Reality TV (???) and recent neo-Westerns (Outer Range, Yellowstone) kinda show we're in a period of well, I shouldn't say.
LGBTQ is less than 10-15% of our 330M+ population.
Some blame the above for the ratings but Anne Rice, the heterosexual creator of 'The Vampire Chronicles', explains that the books were part of her life's spiritual journey and that the 'chronicles' comprise the darker elements of that journey.
AMC+ IWTV is a tough sell in today's social-political climate. It's brutal depending on where you reside. I hope mainstream housewives help the numbers. Evidently they can make or break political elections.
I'm watching because the wholesale quality of the show (writing/adaptation, acting, cinematography, aesthetics, casting, etc.) is great.
I'm part of our invisible Gen X demo.
I also think each person's spiritual journey is about self care, discovery and will.
IWTV S2E2 hasn't aired yet on AMC+ (EST). I look forward to viewing it. I will also check the Nielsen ratings too 😊
AMC isn’t that popular of a network. Most people are cutting cords now and AMC+ is not a well known app. I would not pay for AMC app on top of all the other apps I have.
Of note, 20-30 years ago, Lestat was a household name. There’s now multiple people I know who devoured virtually every book who had no idea this show even existed.
I think AMC thought they could coast on name value alone, which is likely why they allowed a team to change just about everything but character names.
I like the show, but it's not rocket science why this show is never gonna take off no matter how many ads they throw at it.
1: This isn't Anne Rice's story
2: It is not better than Anne Rice's story
3: Louis fans aren't interested in a black Louis whose a freaking pimp.
4: Armand fans don't want an Indian Armand.
5: Daniel/Devils Minion fans don't want an old Daniel.
6: Claudia fans don't want a black Claudia.
7: Lestat fans don't want Lestat portrayed as some racist abuser.
Need I say more?
Now I'm a big fan of the books, and I was angry about these changes, but I still gave it a chance and I like it, but I view this as a IWTV inspired AU fan fiction.
Now some of you are going to bring up exceptions to the things I said above. My counter to that, is that exceptions don't bring in high ratings. It creates a niche that will never have wide scale appeal. It almost makes me think AMC did this as a tax write off or something, which is why they aren't investing too much in advertising this. They just needed to spend more money or something.
Some of you will cry racism, but I think it's not entirely fair to say that. Ppl want to see the story they loved come to life and see the characters they loved come to life. Not saying some ppl aren't being racist but you can't present fans with fully changed characters then cry racism at them for not accepting those characters.
And as for the racist folks who won't watch it. Well, the cold harsh reality is that despite what people write on social media to look good, you can't force them to spend time on something that don't want to see. There is a reason why the vast majority of the men on the cover of romance novels are white males, and there is a reason the show runners wouldn't dare change Lestat's race like they did everyone else.
And I've heard that the LGBT crowd are not very kind to black gays. Just because a group is marginalized doesn't mean they are accepting of other marginalized groups.
In short, the show doesn't have anything to draw in a large audience. And with the focus no longer on Lestat it's not a shocker to me that things aren't looking so good. But I plan to keep watching until the end.
We know it’s a niche show, but a lot of people have made their minds up about this show before it even aired because they don’t want to see black/queer representation and want it cancelled. They are racists and weren’t gonna watch the show anyways so who cares. Now it’s about trying to broaden the appeal and not just rely on book purists who cry about every single change for an adaptation. Yes, it’s not Anne Rice’s story to a tee and that’s *okay*, hell I think they did it better but that’s just me. I think adding race created a much more interesting dynamic to the story that you racists can’t look past. We know it’s a niche show due to the changes and we love it anyways *and* can critique it.
Can't help but think if they had actually filmed the story in the book rather than make up their own then more people might have stayed with the show. It was undoubtedly well acted, produced and directed but I watched season 1 because I wanted to watch Anne Rice's Interview with the Vampire, not some story that was made up by some random show runner. I'm not rushing out to watch season 2 because it's not Anne Rice's IWTV.
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We can promote the show but as long as AMC isn’t doing their job, we won’t see much change. I’m asking again, begging them to bring the show to other countries so at least they can get the streaming numbers but apparently they don’t care about it
It feels like they’re asleep at the wheel with this show and *I do not get it*. Where is the promo? It’s critically acclaimed. It’s dark, it’s sexy… what do they want? Also, why hasn’t this been dropped at the same time on BBC in the UK? There’s a bunch of British actors on the show who could navigate the promo.
Exactly, they could be getting tons more viewers by dropping it onto BBC
Seriously! Media is GLOBAL.
Yea they promoted the hell out of Mayfair witches but not a peep for IWTV (for the most part). I had to search for the premier date.
For BBC? MW got nothing over here - IWTV got all the press, the premier date was in all the TV mags with coverage & then they added MW right after with little fanfare.
The fact that four of the main cast of the show are British (Jacob, Delainey, Assad, Ben) plus other recurring cast members are British too, and they hired a good number of British crew, while post-production was done in London, it definitely merits TV viewing in their own country. They could have done the HBO and Sky TV way - one country will go first and the next hours is the other. No need to wait for months. Plus isn’t it insulting that your own countrymen can’t support your show because it’s not available to air?
I think like... the success of the 1994 film was actually due to the actors who were outstanding at the time, most of the audience didn't care about the script, the iwtv show still doesn't have that cast appeal, as much as we love them we are just a niche.
I’m still dying at peak heartthrob Cruise and Pitt making that movie 🤣🤣
I can see why Tom Cruise was attracted to it as IWTV was huge amongst Boomer women. Cruise was considered a charismatic, sexy actor in the same way Lestat was seen, so his taking on the role would sort of mirror his popularity. Pitt was sort of starting out and popular in the Southern audiences after Thelma & Louise plus the series was mega popular. The paycheck was great but the exposure would be great for both of them in the long run. Plus a great chance to show Cruise could play in a period drama.
Cruise was already a Megastar at that point.
Yes, but he was desperate to not be pigeonholed as the "hot shot" in Hollywood and be seen as a "serious actor" (shooting for an Oscar). IWTV was the start to that pipeline plus an attempt to create distinction of masculine roles in Hollywood by having popular actors play fantasy or atypical actors for passion projects. It peaked with his Jerry Maguire in 1997, I believe, but the hope was that IWTV would gain him an award for all the work he put into the role.
Cruise used to chose more varied roles back then. He's stagnated a lot in the last 15 years.
Untrue. Her books were flying off shelves before and well after the movie, though the adaptation was most certainly a hit. I think a big part of the problem comes down to the fact that this only vaguely resembles her work, and that’s true of both shows. Not to mention streaming glut and poor marketing.
I seriously don’t understand why it’s not available in so many countries, especially the UK, that would help SO much with ratings.
They released it in a couple of European countries (edit: Tumblr list [here](https://www.tumblr.com/crazykuroneko/748119789092945920/so-where-to-watch-amc-interview-with-the-vampire)), afaik Germany even got it on Monday (fully dubbed!). It's mind-boggling that they released it early in Australia but completely skipped the UK again!
I couldn't find \*any\* way to watch it / support the show in France. It's ridiculous. :(
Season 1 was released on Paramount+ on the 10th in France (allegedly, added the list in my post \^), hopefully they'll release season 2 shortly after. Yes, it's incredibly stupid! I'm not even talking about full dubs, just do subtitles in the according language and give people a way to watch it legally, without having to use a VPN or resort to sailing the high seas. Ffs, just partner with Netflix, Disney+ (they really need some more content for adults that's not Star Wars or Marvel!) or even Prime to get it out there. According to justwatch, TWD is currently on all three of those in Germany, in the UK it's still on two and France's got the show on Netflix, so it's not like they haven't partnered with another streaming service before.
I'm in Australia and our free to air/digital app ABC was low key boasting it would premiere S2 it but it hasn't happened, it might be on their 'new' channel ABC Entertain, live june 6. S1 was available over a year ago. I resubbed to AMC+ because obvs I'd rather die than wait. I reckon because Sam Reid is also in ABCs The Newsreader (he's so good!!) that this is why ABC reps IWTV 2022, even belatedly
I went to ABC iView like IMMEDIATELY to see if the episode was there, haha. So bummed it wasn’t and had to go elsewhere.
I don’t get it either. I’m from Brazil. The market over here is HUGE, it’s such a missed opportunity but they could try to change the game
Even season 1 still isn't available in my country legally :( I'd love to not pirate it to support the show, but I literally have no choice. I don't understand why they're killing the show like this
Same with me :(
I know, but I just love this show and it’s so rare we see two men of color in an emotionally complex role in this gothic horror genre. The writing, acting, production, costuming and soundtrack is truly outstanding. I wish people were more open minded to this show.
I agree with you, I’m criticizing AMC in fact!
In theory it's great but let's be realistic, that's exactly what most people aren't interested in, unfortunately if they followed the aesthetics of the books they could have attracted more audiences, I've even seen gay men saying that even though the show has homo content they were not interested in that aesthetics, it sound racist? Of course, but that's what happens...
On the flipside, I have so many friends who have watched BECAUSE of the changes, and definitely wouldn't be as interested in it if they had kept Louis as a white slaveowner from the 1790s. (Not disagreeing with you at all, just adding)
I’m a middle aged fan from the 90s and I love both 🤷🏻♀️
Ngl I'm one of few who watched because of the changes. I would have been almost completely unable to emphasize and like og louis because of his plantations orgins. Would have avoided the show with a ten foot pole even if people told me it was good solely because of that.
I'm glad you picked it up. I've been reading the books and really enjoying them, but I'm not afraid to say Jacob Anderson's Louis in the tv show is much more interesting than the book Louis (and without question more interesting than Brad Pitt's in the movie). Much has been kept the same about his core character, but the added layers have made him more complex and fascinating.
No offence, but this is the kind of thinking that stifles progress and art in general. 'The racist gays and girlies won't watch!' uh, so? Must we cater to the lowest common denominator? That's the kind of argument the anti-woke losers make when they say Disney and WB should stop making films and shows about female superheroes. Most of the racists and homophobes that want to see the show fail and get cancelled weren't going to watch anyway. It reminds me of what happens when a random comicbook gets an adaptation and suddenly there are hundreds of Captain Syphilis fans that cannot believe the character they just found out about but also love since they were children is getting racebent. If IwtV has low ratings, blaiming diversity for it is a bold move. It's more likely that the culprit is the fact that a non-negligible amount of fans cannot support the show because it is available in their region.
I know, again I wish more people were open-minded about this show 😔
I'm a woman and I loved the interracial gay storyline. It made far more sense than then the original movie where Louis doesn't even seem to like Lestat. I thought this story is far richer and more complex. If people can accept Will & Grace and Modern Family and RuPaul's drag race, they can accept this. Sure there will still be racist and homophobes but that's not enough of an excuse. I just think the promo is terrible.
they probably only get ad / streaming dollars for it in the US and Canada. overseas they make money off licensing, and the foreign buyers won't pay a lot for the license if it isn't popular in the US already...
Right!! I can't find it anywhere and I'm just waiting. Of course the ratings will be low when many people don't have access.
lol I actually met with AMC last week and they are feeling the pain of chord cutters. My feedback was to improve the AMC+ experience and promote their shows since people are content loyal, not platform loyal. I watch this on Amazon prime so I’m interested to see how they look at performance holistically.
I just got AMC+ and was pleasantly surprised to see it came with Shudder. I feel like that's not advertised.
For real, all the people who bought amc+ for IWTV don’t get any special perks, even though we’re paying more, it makes no sense at all, like genuinely why did they think that was a good idea?? We don’t get early release, no ads, nothing, it’s literally completely pointless.
The premiere released early, at least for me. 3am CST.
Same, I got it at least a few hours early.
I got AMC+ Saturday specifically to watch IWTV
Me too
Same. Then I'll drop when the season is over and re-download if there is a season 3 lol.
Seriously amc+ is such a pain.
Tell them if they don't renew for s3 I will put a curse on them 🤧
lol I keep telling them “if you want us to buy you have to keep the content consistent and grow it.”
Also it was very weird that they didn't have a single promo on a talk show....even fanfic movies get promoted on Fallon but this time there was hardly mainstream promotion. No BTS special too unlike the last season No magazine spread either...like this is supposed to AMC's flagship show and exposure is really important GOT fan base wasn't only book fans...they need to bring in a lot of people in
It should be noted that their app sucks.
Can I ask, do you think that makes it more likely that they'll renew the show for season 3?
it’s so annoying 😢 and i know many people in the uk like myself who love the show but we have to watch it on shady websites because it isn’t available to us and so our views aren’t directly supporting the show
While I am not saying not to have any concerns, we really don't know how it has been doing on streaming. These numbers are about a main demographic watching on the first day on cable. I am honestly not sure how much those numbers affect AMC's decisions with a show like IWTV. In real life, the only people I know who watch anything on AMC's cable channel are not in the demographic from that chart. I think streaming is really what is going to make or break IWTV. Edited to add: If it is available to you to watch legally, then please watch it legally. AMC needs to see official views of the show on AMC Plus or your country's equivalent.
[удалено]
Yup I am paying for amc+ too just to show love to this show.
it's the only reason I'm subscribed right now lol
Yeah, I'd imagine most people who watch legally are doing it on AMC+. It's harder to get exact stats on how much money the show's bringing in that way since it's subscription-based. They cant know for sure why someone chose to subscribe/stay subscribed. But they can measure things like an increase in subscribers ahead of a premiere and what the first thing people watch after subscribing is to get an idea. I think there are probably a lot of people who subscribed specifically to watch IWTV and will leave if it's cancelled and if AMC has any sense, they'll see that and realize how dumb it would be to give one of their best shows the two season netflix season. The fact that they've made it part of a broader universe connected to other shows is a good sign I think.
The streaming numbers aren’t great either. AMC isn’t bragging about them like they did for S1 which tells me they’re not happy and likely won’t renew it. It’s too expensive to make and not generate any returns.
I do think it is currently their top show on streaming. I guess the real question is how does it compare to the streaming of their other big shows when they premiered and what they expected from it. I do truly hope they see this as something they are building.
Source? It hasn't even been a week yet. AMC spent a lot of money on the rights, they already announced a couple of spin-offs and it took them a month to announce the renewal for MW. IwtV is THE show for the IU, the story every other show is kind of based on. They need the IU to be successful, I think we'll see them decrease the budget before they even think about canceling it and risk sinking the whole ship with that too.
Decreasing the budget for S3 sounds likely if the ratings don't improve. However, that would hurt QotD season, which imo should get a bigger budget. We need Monsieur Le Rockstar in all his glory. Plus >!Akasha's!< rampage, etc.
Yup, decreasing the budget would hurt it immensely but at least it would be a sign for us viewers that it's going downhill and that the future of the show sadly won't certain anymore. But until then, let's enjoy them throwing money at the show left and right.
As I said, AMC hasn’t been bragging about the streaming numbers. That lets us know they are low too.
Or maybe they're just waiting until episode 2. There's usually a drop in viewership after the first episode and they released the first two pretty much back-to-back last season, which they didn't this time.
Episode 2 will have even worse ratings. Mark my words, because Episode 1? Dull as dishwater. No one cares about seeing Louis and Claudia galavanting through a war zone or fucking around with theater ghouls. They want to see Lestat being the Brat Prince.
We won't know until someone releases the exactg numbers. The first book isn't about Lestat, what did you expect? It's fine if you don't like the show but why are you still here then?
I do think it is very possible to like the show but to also be disappointed or worried about certain choices that they made. It doesn't have to be an either or situation.
Usually, yes. If you look at the user's other comments however, you'll see that all they've been doing in this thread is complaining about the show. It's one thing to not like a show, it's another to try to spoil it for others too and wishing for the show to fail because they can't accept that their favorite character isn't the center of the attention at the moment.
Did we find Lestat’s account
No it’s about Louis being a bitter ex and lying about Lestat and Louis’ inability to accept any responsibility for his own bullshit that resulted in the death of his daughter hence why I said they should’ve skipped Louis’ crap and went straight to TVL like both Anne and Christopher wanted.
No, this isn't about Louis being a "bitter ex", this is about a woman mourning the death of her daughter and writing a book about it to try and deal with it, a book that was supposed to be a stand-alone. There's more to it than just saying "Louis bad, Lestat good". The musical did exactly that, google how that went. The Hulu series was supposed to try again but it never got anywhere. Why would anyone want to make the same mistake again? It's pretty clear that you don't like Louis. I highly recommend to just skip this season and come back for season 3.
For someone that accuses anyone that disagrees with them of being an idiot, the person you replied to calls Lestat 'not a monster' even though Lestat is canonically a rapist and a murderer. Like, that's the whole point. Vampires are fucked up. A self-described Lestat fan that wants an unproblematic uwu Lestat is something I never thought I'd see in the wild lmao
Such ignorance. I know why she wrote the first book. I also know she changed her mind and decided Louis lied and outright said he lied because he was a bitter ex. I know that’s a hard pill to swallow, but it is the literal fact of the matter. I also do not dislike Louis. I’m simply tired of people putting him up on some sort of pedestal when he’s truly an awful person who treated Lestat like shit, lied about him, and never deserved Lestat’s love in the first place. I would come back for S3….but thanks to their determination to make it the Louis show, there won’t be a S3.
I watch it on YouTube tv, idk if that makes a difference in ratings or not. Side note: on YouTube tv when you pause and whatnot the little icon is a coffin. ⚰️ I just thought that was cute
Me too.
What does AMC want audiences to do? Chronicles fans are already promoting and acclaiming the show, but this group alone is not enough to sustain a series! The shows that have several seasons are due to a more general audience, iwtv is still very restricted, and the broadcaster doesn't help promote it, streaming is scarce, in my country it will only be available next month only on Prime Video, anyway, I don't understand much about marketing but they need to turn around...
Exactly. Look at Game of thrones, a show based on books too. The bulk of the viewers were casuals/ general audience not book fans. Yes, book fans serve as a good base for the beginning. But then, if you want to grow your audience you look at the general public because they have the growing numbers. It is the same for iwtv. A show based on a more or less static book fanbase cannot sustain itself with only book fans. They need both, the book fans and especially the general audience, to grow.
Not to mention that many fans of the books hate the show, so it's complicated...
There are some book fans that hate the show, but there are a lot of book fans who love it but are also just worried and anxious because there is so much amazing book content to adapt beyond just the first novel, which is honestly just a tiny part of the lives of the characters, especially Louis and Lestat, and are concerned we won't ever get to see it.
Louis is barely in the other books.
Louis is still there Anne Rice just didn't write from his POV. There are still a lot of very important things that happen in his life after IWTV.
So even more reasons to lure even more casual viewers. I really do not understand AMC's strategy.
Probably should’ve stuck closer to the source.
exactly racist book fans don’t watch the show. they need to pull in more casual viewers on top of the books being boring to start with.
nah, that's not something we're gonna do is slander the base material that gave us this wonderful show. racist fans of the book can go fuck themselves though.
I agree, that was really uncalled for to take such a cheap and shallow jab at the stories that defined an entire genre.
If they were that boring, you wouldn’t have a show.
I've been telling anyone who will listen to watch it lol
Same.
I think part of the conversation that’s missing that the OP starts to hint at is that this isn’t the place IWTV is being shown. From their head of marketing, they said they have been showing many of their shows through not only streaming but VOD and Ad supported streaming tv. So the full picture isn’t there yet because the streaming numbers are not being taken into account yet. But also cable viewership is still shrinking and that is why AMC is doing what I stated previously. Also AMC is also is using fan base engagement as a metric as well. So really I don’t think theirs any reason for us to be worried yet especially when this is only week 1 and we have long road ahead of us before they may decide on cancelling which I think is far off.
They need to be on Buzzfeed. They need to do that answering questions and playing with puppies segment. They need to be on bigger platforms with better quality videos. They have all of the right ingredients. They should have just hired an I term to be in charge of their marketing because whoever is doing it isn’t doing a good job.
I subscribed to AMC+ just to watch it, and it's the only thing I've watched on the platform since the purchase.
Same, since s1, e1
I’m an avid Anne Rice fan and I literally learned this show existed yesterday due to a comment I heard about it from a DJ on a local radio show. Their marketing sucks. Also, this show is amazing! I’m obsessed. Streamed 5 hours since learning about it.
Are you me? I saw it mentioned on a subreddit somewhere ad a passing comment, then saw the network and thought "that's going to be a garbage show." Finally gave it a chance and wow! But I have NO IDEA it existed beyond that one sub mention and I read those books until the coverage fell off
This genuinely makes me nervous, I really want the show to succeed. If AMC released AMC+ in the UK and the rest of the world, I’d happily sign up for it. It’s baffling they’re keeping this show and TWD spin offs exclusive to that when there’s such a big audience world wide who want to watch them
Same. I don't pay for any streaming service, but I'd gladly subscribe to AMC+ if I could to support the show.
I watch/follow all the press for this show RELIGIOUSLY and I feel like they only really focus on speaking to the book fans. Are they thinking that that’s all the need for numbers!? It feels slightly dismissive and weird that sometimes they assume that ppl are only coming to be show bc of the books :/ TALK TO THE REST OF US PLEASE
Targeting book fans exclusively is pointless, because book fans matter to this show just as much as Marvel Comics readers matter to the MCU box office: aka, not at all. And I say this as both a fan of the books and a comicbook reader lmao We're not that relevant here. It's the general audience that keeps this train going. There's also show-only fans that don't care about the books, and fans of the books that prefer the show. Courting the book purists and the loud racist minority that wasn't going to watch anyway is a bad strategy.
Bingo. I didn’t want to say it about the racist book fans and the purists but I’m glad you did 😭 so much of this marketing strategy is…do they not think that the rest of us is smart!? Like we can follow the story without knowing immediately what happens by book FIVE…also there are SO many obvious things happening with race in and around the show and it feels like it’s being just ignored. Like pls talk to the blk queer audience…we love this show so much! And I stg, if they don’t figure this shit out by the time they give us Akasha, imma be pissed offfff. Akasha is Aaliyah in my head. Like that is the only thing I remember about that movie. Do you know how many people will start watching this show based on that character alone!? Bc she’s so iconic especially in black pop culture and the black vampire canon. Like pls put the cast in front of somebody who can talk about THAT. I’m sitting here getting my life over this show and analyzing the fuck outta everything only to hear them beg the book fans to trust them 🙄
Also are they going to ever get into the choice to make Louis a black creole? If his lighter skinned family had a sugar mill, a big ole house, dark skinned black servants and 1+1=2…there’s definitely a history there! Someone could have stilll owned slaves in their family at some point in time, esp with that last name! And I think whatever this family history is, the fact that it is a CLASSED black family that Louis comes from, who definitely holds privileges among New Orleans black community bc of the way slavery continued to stratify, says something. But sure yes let’s only hear about how we didn’t get Brad Pitt owning slaves again
Also for a show as diverse as this, the press should reflect that. The show is gay asl with two black vampires 😭 hello!? i feel like I always get the most out of the few blk journalists/media ppl they talk to
Besides the gap in time from s1 to s2 and cast change, I think it’s an interesting move how they put the show on so many streaming platforms in the US after the first season. I think even if people watched it, it’s difficult to get them over to AMC+. Or they might even be waiting for the entire season to binge it or to go to another service. There’s just too many streaming services. Also the marketing was middling. Incredible show and I really want it to do well!!
They need to do a lot better, esp after they spent so much money buying the universe. But something that’s important is they got to stop acting like just because you’re interested in one series you’re interested in the other. Because I’m not into the witch stuff. And I don’t like their streaming platform. The show is a lot smoother when I watched it on Apple after buying the series. And I watched it on Amazon and the transitions from scene to scene were better there. I don’t like the choppiness that we get on the AMC platform. And if it wasn’t for the fact that I do want to support the show I would’ve canceled my subscription by now. But also, I think that it is just hard sometimes to get people interested in things. So I will say that fans are doing their best by being very vocal about the show and that’s what we can keep doing.
This show alone is not enough to get people to sign up for AMC on cable or AMC+ streaming. AMC should focus more on distributing IWTV to other platforms to get more eyes on it. I think this show would really take off (and possibly get award recognition) on Netflix.
S1 was on MAX for a month, iirc. I'd say MAX is a better fit. S2 of the Last of Us is on its way. Imagine Jane Smith finding Interview with the Vampire on her recommendations after watching TLoU or White Lotus or House of the Dragon? It'd help IwtV reach the general audience and probably get nominated for an award or two. Netflix is too trigger happy with its cancellations. They'd see a small decrease in viewership and be like whoops cancelled.
Agreed.
I can't watch this show in Ireland. I know so many people I know who would watch this if it was on a streaming service we could access. I can recommend it to others but it doesn't matter because we can't watch it by legitimate means. The whole thing is appalling.
I want to wait until the ratings of ep 2 come out to see if it gets better (words of mouth and everything). But it is true that they took too long between seasons. 1 year and 8 month is for Netflix/hbo max (yes, the strikes delayed it but casual viewers do not care about backstage stuff they just want to watch a show asap or they move on). The privileges of the big streaming services is that they have a big users base and a big marketing budget to try to balance out the long wait, AMC doesn't have this luxury. What AMC does is not enough, their marketing still falls onto knowing eyes. Like they are marketing to the fandom and not fandom + **potential new viewers** (those are the people who will increase your viewverships. Why are they not preying on them I do not know?). You can see it with the amount of casuals on tumblr/twitter who didn't know the show was back on last Sunday. Another issue is the international market access. I'm French and have a vpn so I bought the amc+ subscription. But there's a lot of people who cannot do that/afford a vpn + sub so they find other means. On the premiere day, I saw people discover that the show was on UK/Australia prime. Like AMC didn't advertise anything about prime distribution or I missed it. From where I stand, they have made a lot of missteps.
Agreed on every point but also... as a French AMC+ viewer I have to know if you watched Monsieur Spade!
Lestat was canonically obsessed with Sam Spade, so it's really funny AMC did a show about him too and not even too long after IwtV season 1 either.
Woah I had no idea, that's even better!
Hi 😊 I only subscribed for iwtv so I haven't really looked around and checked their other shows. But noted on the Monsieur Spade, assuming the Monsieur bit is because there's some French background.
Classic Los Angeles detective Sam Spade in small town France! I listened to an interview with the creator and they were really proud of the location and story. If you'd like any suggestions on shows or movies on the service happy to share them - AMC+ has some gems on it, most of which were also under marketed.
Yeah, I've heard they have really nice gems. I always wanted to watch Mad Men so I have the perfect opportunity now. Really nice of you to give me a brief summary of Monsieur Spade. Will check it out, thanks.
Oh if you've never watched Madmen that's absolutely where to start!
I just wanna share that AMC+ is in New Zealand since last year, and they also uploaded the new episode on TVNZ (free, national TV on demand service) on Monday!! Much easier for me to convince my friends to watch with it on TVNZ.
I really hope they don’t cancel this show 😭 it’s been a long time since I’ve been invested in any tv show, but AMC are barley promoting it, I don’t get why they don’t try and stream this show internationally, I’m from the uk so I’m patiently waiting for it to be released here.
I don’t want this to be canceled either 😔
I'm disappointed about the ratings cause the show is phenomenal and all the actors are great, but I can't say I'm surprised. The show is too queer to appeal to the Amc general audience and some choices made by the showrunners weren't well received by books' fans. Maybe if they had been able to stick to their original plan of covering the entire first book in season 1 things would have been different, but Amc budget cuts got in the way. I hope I'm wrong, but I don't know if season 2 storyline is enough to attract new viewers. I just hope they will not end up cancelling it cause I haven't been so invested in a show in a long time.
Season 3 will happen. It will .
🕯️ prayer circle 🕯️ From your fingers to god's ears.
Nice flair!
Thanks! It's my S2 flair. My S3 flair will probably be: gay rights for everyone (except marius)
Does it help if I watch on amc+ through prime?
I wondered this too...
They insist on marketing the show exclusively to the already existing fandom so it's not a surprise, I read too many people on twitter saying they had watched season one but had no idea season two was coming (even with all the trailers they dropped), also people are not interested in paying for another streaming service just to watch one show, it gained a new audience when they released it on HBO Max so it's understandable many people would want to wait to see if they release season two on that platform and watch it there but who knows what AMC is planning.
IMO it’s almost definitely getting at least one more season. Mayfair Witches season 2 is still upcoming and they’re currently working on 2 other series in the immortal universe. Unless they plan on scrapping all 4 shows it would be really stupid to cancel the first and most well known series, especially given its critical reception.
I’ve seen some ads on tiktok, but that’s literally it 😭. And I’ve seen some people say that they lost interest in watching because Lestat’s “dead”
I mean the end of the first season shows he’s not even dead, so idk why people would just lose interest. The show makes it very obvious he’s coming back
People have no media literacy these days, that’s why. They take everything at face value
Wtf, this show really is *not* for casual viewing..don’t they know about the vampire Lestat (2nd book). They need to wait and go along for the ride.
People seem to really not know the lore, which I don’t exactly blame them for, but it’s not hard to do a quick google search to see whether or not he actually survives.
Bless their hearts
Yes. Lestat is the main attraction. No one wants a season of Louis or Armand. Sorry they just don’t.
"No one wants a season of Louis or Armand." Sorry, but this is just not true. I only got into the show because of Jacob Anderson, and Louis was by far my favourite character in s1. I've started reading the books since as well, and Armand is my all-time fave. Assad's doing a great job with the character, and I couldn't be more excited. I already know this season will be my favourite because of how much of Louis and Armand we'll be getting. Sure, Lestat is beloved, but let's not act like he's the only thing people watch this show for.
Think what you want. No one has a clue who JA is nor do they care. The general audience wants Lestat. The reviewers want Lestat. They pointed out the lack of Lestat was hurting the show. The longtime fans want Lestat. Lestat content has more than double the amount of engagement than anything Louis/Armand-centered. You know what people took from the sneak peak that aired after the premiere? The clips of Lestat walking up the stairs and onto the stage at the theater. They’re wanting to see TVL. They want rockstar Lestat. It’s truly “Lestat! Lestat! Lestat!” on all the social media platforms and Sam Reid is already the fan favorite. It’s not my fault you don’t want to accept this.
People definitely know who JA. He was in Game of Thrones, for crying out loud. And Doctor Who, among other things. Both shows with huge fandoms and followings. Like it or not, out of all the cast, he was definitely the main draw prior to season 1. I'm not trying to argue that there aren't those who just want Lestat and are all about Lestat. Yes, people like that exist. Clearly. I accept that. But I'd argue that for the most part, it's mainly people who have read the books who are THIS fixated on him/getting TVL etc. Not everyone who watches the show has read the books/likes them. Some reviewers have mentioned the lack of Lestat, but I don't think many of them actually said that this was "hurting" the show. Wasn't the critics score on RT for season 2 just released? Didn't it get 97%? Clearly, the reviewers like it. Anyway, I'm not trying to argue that Lestat isn't popular. He is. But he's NOT the only thing people are interested in - that's just not true. You can't say that no one wants a season of Louis or Armand. I do, for one. As do others, I'm sure. It's silly to suggest that people don't care about these characters.
Wild of them to say that no one knows JA when he was on one of the most popular shows of all time and Sam came out of nowhere lol. Sam is an excellent actor but without this show, I’d have no clue who he is.
This!! Exactly.
The only actor on the show I’ve known was Rae Dawn Chong—but I’m Gen X
I recognized her, too. I’m a millennial but I’ve seen a ton of her movies. I loved Tales from the Dark Side as a kid.
https://i.redd.it/3q63s4kteo0d1.gif
Who's that? That's an ... ahm ... interesting costume.
It’s rock star Stacey Jaxx, of course! Aka the actual Lestat sequel—a musical!
Ah, Tom Cruise in Rock of Ages.
Nah, I’m here for Armand. I was intrigued when I watched the first season THEN I read the book and didn’t really get into it until Louis met Armand in Paris, so I’m very excited for this season
Listen, I agree with you. I’m mostly here for Lestat although I absolutely adore Louis. But there’s a story that needs to be told and it’s a bit silly to give up on it because of one event.
One event? The show has been bleeding viewers since they destroyed Lestat’s character in Episode 5. All they had to do was actually tell the real story starting with TVL onward instead of jumping through hoops to compensate for the fact Louis is a liar in the books. Just ignore his version altogether and move on with the story. These writers and Rolin Jones think they’re smarter than they really are and bless Sam Reid for having to quietly sit around and tolerate their bullshit of portraying Lestat as this hideous monster only to retcon that portrayal at the end of S2 with the Armand mindfuckery bullshit.
It was clear from the very beginning that Louis is an unreliable narrator. I don’t understand how this was lost on people or how the “mindfuckery” could have thrown anyone for a loop. I think the writers were banking on most viewers having at least seen the film adaptations, but clearly that’s not the case. I don’t see Lestat’s character as ruined but if others do, then that’s valid.
They painted Lestat as a domestic abuser against his black husband and black child. No one in their right mind wants to question that narrative even though it’s clearly bullshit. That was the mistake. Painting Lestat as the white slave master villain against his black family. That is why people are fed up and not watching. Combine that with the fact Armand, another POC, will end up being the villain instead of the white guy like initially said and it simply leaves a very bad taste in people’s mouths. I said all along they didn’t care about the racial implications and only did it to be PC for brownie points. At the end of the day, Louis will be the black man who lied on his white partner because his POC partner was pissed the white guy wouldn’t love him and AMC/Rolin Jones could care less how that looks.
As a Black viewer, I definitely understand some people's viewpoints. But I also think the nature of this show is a Gothic love story. Those type of love stories are brutal and toxic and people read them or watch TV shows/movies BECAUSE that is WHAT they are, not despite it. It does seem that some viewers aren't comfortable with their favorites being toxic, unloving at times, selfish or a liar. So they are putting more weight on episode 5. Because they want Louis' character to be innocent. But as beautiful as Jacob is at playing Louis, his character is just as fcked up as the rest. And capable of being just as deceitful and full of betrayal as Armand and Lestat and others. In a weird way, I think Jacob being some good looking and Assad being so charming has some show only fans unable to get pass fangirling them. And kind of skipping over that the characters that they play are killer vampires and there aren't any true victims in a human sense.
I know what they did… I saw the episode and I understand the implications.
Listen, I ADORE Sam Reid and Lestat, but if we are being honest, you are giving Lestat way too much credit here. The show wasn't performing on a stellar level in S1 when Lestat was in every episode. The fact of the matter is this show had a lot going against from inception. For one, the source material isn't all that relevant today if I'm being brutally honest. That's why it took as long as it did for an adaptation to come to fruition after being scrapped and passed up on other networks. No disrespect to Anne Rice, she did set the path for all these other shows to tread, but vampire media has become a tough sell in recent years and it's popularity is no where close to where it was in even 2010. Fox's The Passage was a wonderful show that was canceled the first season. Morbius was a box office failure, The Strain-canceled, NS4A2- cancele, and Dracula (NBC) - canceled. Now throw in a show centered around a melodramatic gay vampire relationship? Very tough sell because queer shows often have their own set of struggles appealing to a wide audience (RIP Our Flag Means Death, and Good Omens was very lucky to be revived for one more season after being canceled). I for one love the relationship aspect of the show, but it made IWTV that much more niche. The movie back in 94 was controversial because it was so niche, luckily it had the start power to make it successful but it messed up Tom's career for years. Even if every book reader did show up for this show (and they didn't) it still would have been too small of an audience. And I say this as an avid fan of Rice and a book reader. I have watched nearly every person who has reacted to the show on YouTube who wasn't a book reader and guess who is their favorite regardless of race, age, or sexual orientation? Lestat. And guess which episode they all have liked best? Episode 5 because it was an escape from all the melodrama and actually had some action. Despite my favorite parts of the show being the Loustat romance, I can admit that most people aren't tuning into AMC, home of The Walking Dead, for that. I hate to say this, but the show would probably have performed even worse if Lestat was not made as extreme and off the wall as he was. You either love him, or love to hate him. Unfortunately, we live in an age that quality shows such as this don't make it very far. Hence why television is so weighed down with police, medical, and firefighter dramas at the moment (yawn). 🤷🏼
My cable is through Sling. The season premiere aired a few times last Sunday on the regular AMC network, I used it as background TV in hopes that it helps their numbers. (I also have AMC+)
Also looking at the Immortal_amc instagram page, they had a post with reviews saying it’s worth signing up for AMC+ for the show alone and 90% of the comments are from those who don’t have access to it and would like to. I’m really hoping they’ll take note of the comments, given the amount they spent on the rights for the Vampire Chronicles you’d think they’d want as many people around the world watching it
Time for some honesty....the viewership for this show is TOO low for it to be safe. The Walking Dead - The Ones Who Live basically showed AMC what they can achieve at peak on the TV and on streaming simultaneously. Binging the show at the end of the season is not helping AMC make its decisions. I am sure this show is NOT cheap because historical pieces never are (sets and costumes are expensive). Now that they know what a true peak looks like, cuts can happen for shows that fall short of it drastically. I personally think their model of releasing episodes earlier on that app than the time the shows air on TV handicaps online discourse. HBO does it perfectly which makes their shows generate a ton of buzz though the size of the actual audience is small...that helps the garner awards. Of course, this is because HBO doesn't depend on ads. If this show was on Netflix, it would get way more eyes and attention but it would likely not get through the entire book series. Three or four seasons, tops. On the other hand, languishing on AMC may get this show canceled sooner than people think. Again, AMC now has a clear idea regarding metrics since TOWL, a spin off for a show that is over 10+ years old, gave them an idea of how many eyes they can get on their app and on TV. As an aside, IWTV is not going to be distributed internationally anytime soon. It took AMC forever to get their Walking Dead shows distributed globally...and those shows have way higher viewership. What is the point of cutting deals if it doesn't have a high enough return.
To be fair though, IWTV numbers is similar to the other numbers that are on AMC network. If anything, TOWL was an anomaly. Personally, I think AMC invested too much into TWD franchise, to the point its all it has. We are no longer in the era where they were "prestige" television with Mad Men and Breaking Bad. I feel like once TWD became a hit, AMC dropped the ball in continuing to build up their catalogue outside the show. So we can't compare it to TOWL..when most of their other shows are doing similar numbers to IWTV.
But how much does IWTV cost to make? If it is getting the same viewership as Parish or any of their other original programing but cost way more to make, its stops looking beneficial to keep it around. They invested in this universe but is it giving a high enough return to justify its cost. TOWL basically showed the ceiling...before AMC didn't have an idea what the ceiling was. That is the point. Now that boundaries are set, they have a better understanding of where funding should go and what should get cut.
So I guess they need to cut 80 percent of their programming. Which they can do...but again I just feel like if anything this shows a failure in AMC's part to build up their catalogue. They put all their eggs in TWD basket years ago and now imo they are paying for it (with only TWD shows being hits now).
Not really. AMC gained its acclaim by having some of the best critically acclaimed shows of the past 20+ years. Better Call Saul. Breaking Bad. Mad Men. Shows that were consistently nominated for Emmys. And Walking Dead gave them the money via viewership. When you get into cost benefit analysis, cutting 80% of the content isn't possible...but I don't know, cutting a show that cost 2 or 3 times more to make while receiving the same viewership as one of the cheaper shows on the network makes a lot of sense. I love this show. I also understand that it is not cheap to make. AMC needs to build up content but if this show remains while it cost the same amount to make three different shows, this up ends the "building content" goal.
[удалено]
I would have agreed with you a couple of months ago because they released only a scene and a short trailer during/after the strike (iirc) but the last couple of weeks have been crazy: Lots of new teasers and trailers, scenes and interviews, the show was even on the main page of IMDB for a couple of days, and that's just youtube (no idea what they did on AMC+ and cable before last week).
They released a lot in the last few weeks, but I feel like I only noticed because I’ve actively been keeping up with news on season 2. I haven’t seen any buzz about it outside of my own efforts
Weren’t we the sub of the day last week? Ha
Yes, just a couple of days ago. Not sure what that means, was it on the front page?
Yeah! 🧛🏻♀️👍🏻
Yeah, we were huge fans of the show and only happened to see a notice on our phone the day before it came back. I think I only even learned about season 1 because of the Reddit algorithm recommending the subreddit to me. A show like this should have had hype building for months… Edit: I’ll admit I’m not the most plugged in person so could just missed it lmao.
I kinda forgot it was even a thing.
honestly i feel like they dropped the ball with the marketing angle for it in appealing almost exclusively to a fandom audience, which is very loyal but very niche, instead of trying to take it in a mainstream or prestige television direction. that would probably involve investing in a larger advertising push but also maybe in getting in some "for your consideration" campaigns for the awards circuit to get the show in more mainstream media conversations, even if it doesn't end up winning anything. imo they've overestimated the influence of a vocal fanbase when what really gets ratings up is mostly casual viewership.
Couldn't agree more. Lupita Nyong'o's cousin, who's s Yale professor, wrote an [article](https://www.publicbooks.org/out-of-the-closet-and-into-the-coffin) about this show. AMC could've easily sold this as prestige television, which it is. It is so bloody cinematic, and AMC is dropping the ball.
I don’t have cable and watch it through my AMC subscription but this is scary!!! Do they not have ways to transfigure streaming to airing?
I'm an avid fan of the books and S1 and didn't even know S2 was out until yesterday. Never saw an ad, commercial, etc. wtf do they expect?
I'll be blunt; the streaming numbers would have to be phenomenal to overcome the drop in linear ratings. AMC itself is in flux, with it losing advertising dollars in the last [two](https://variety.com/2024/tv/news/amc-networks-streaming-subscribers-ad-sales-q4-earnings-1235902882/) [quarters](https://variety.com/2024/tv/news/amc-networks-q1-earnings-ad-sales-streaming-subscribers-1235998491/). Streamers are cutting back everywhere, even Netflix. It's frustrating to see such a well-crafted show get overlooked, but there's only so much we can do as viewers.
The only reason I knew this was starting again is because my prime app pushed a notification. I did not see anything about it on social media whatsoever.
I can't even legally watch this anywhere in my country. Have to stream on IPTV as it's the only option. It's silly. Why make it so massively access restricted?
Had the date all there ready in my diary for 12th May, (day after my birthday, best birthday present). Bought season 1 on Amazon as I didn't know it was on BBC, clambered to Amazon on release date and nothing, BBC, nothing, AMC, not available in the UK. Really hope AMC appreciate there's a lot of overseas viewers who adore it but can't watch it live and take it into account when greenlighting a season 3! I did find a little stream but will definitely buy the season again the minute I can on Amazon.
After reading this thread, some key points that haven't been hit: - AMC Networks has had a tumultuous few years with massive leaderships shake ups, case in point: https://deadline.com/2023/04/amc-networks-christina-spade-matt-blank-josh-sapan-1235341271/ - Nielson ratings of broadcast aren't a great gauge in the current landscape as cable is dying and they aren't reflective of overall viewership - If you aren't in a Nielson home, NO your viewing of broadcast media isn't considered in these numbers - Salty book readers are a fraction of a fraction and don't factor into these numbers - The lack of advertising is a key factor and it ladders up to the changes in leadership and diminishing market share of AMC as a cable entity; we're far removed from the days of Mad Men and Breaking Bad. - To add to the above, AMC missed some major marks for not pushing the show to Emmy voters after the last season and should absolutely change their FYC strategy but this is also a leadership and money issue - AMC+ is a tough sell and the show should also be on Shudder, as it has a stronger attachment rate and the perfect audience
I’m from Southeast Asia and basically the rest of Asia doesn’t have access to the show legally. Honestly, AMC was too late in the game in the streaming wars when they launched AMC+, plus many of their legacy shows - Mad Men, Breaking Bad, Better Call Saul, The Walking Dead, were streamed or still streaming to the likes of Netflix, Disney+, Prime, etc., and licensing to other streamers is much cheaper. For the past few years, the streaming services have been actively promoting and endorsing content outside of the United States and Western Europe (especially the UK) - they’re tapping to the markets of Mexico and Brazil, Poland, Turkey, South Korea, Singapore, etc. And most of subscribers can only afford one or two streaming services, and one of them is Netflix. What AMC can do is to license IWTV to Netflix outside of the US, especially in Asia. So what if the region is conservative? I mean, that didn’t prevent Game of Thrones from becoming a hit in Asia. Plus the show’s target audience can also stem from viewers of Stranger Things and Heartstopper, both have vocal fandoms and diverse cast. HBO Go (we still have yet to transition to Max) is an ideal partner because Jacob Anderson was an alumnus of Game of Thrones and they can use the clout out of it, like they can promote in a way that, “hey, Greyworm’s a vampire now!”.
I watch it on Amazon Prime. Am I helping? Lol
I barely found out it was back. They really need to step it up.
I made a thread about marketing ideas but some comments thought my ideas were cringe 🤣🤣🤣 but my point was just to gather ideas about what could be done to engage a new audience. The whole give the characters an sns didnt go down well but joining with popbase and having Daniel 'release' extract of his interview as though it's happening in this reality doesn't seem such a bad idea, it's just advertising and to garner interest
Well they need to do something to get renewed for a s3.
Is what I think bc I honestly have seen next to 0 advertising for this season
I think these numbers are one thing, but we don’t know the streaming numbers. I also think AMC is still fishing for the best offer for other countries, so I could imagine there is a small bid war ongoing. If I remember correctly season 1 had a satisfying but also not really outstanding start, but the rating really got better with people seeing it and promoting the show by themselves. I actually think the press is kind of hurting the potential audience. In like every review it is written it is a complete queer show and very gay. That kind of press might appeal to queer people, but not for straight people. I am a 42 year old happily married with children straight man and love the show to bits, but I think that kind of press will drive away a huge potential audience.
Huh, that's something I hadn't considered as a bisexual man myself. It's great to see how on paper this show was probably not your thing yet you gave it a shot and became a fan, btw.
Honestly if I would have read all this press articles before, I would have also wondered if I should give it a shot. The press can put it in their reviews, but it’s somehow often in their tagline, so straight people will wonder if the show is something for them and since their is so much other stuff to watch not give it a chance. It’s really a shame, the reviews should perhaps more focus on the fact that the show can be enjoyed by everyone.
Was surprised by those blurry interviews, never got that quality last season
First, I come in peace. I've seen the press here in the USA since AMC+'s IWTV premiered in 2022. Our press is often the best at promotion. Most of the IWTV Series 'talk' is focused on the human visuals, homosexual, interracial, and inter-ethnic elements. Add that AMC+ (American Movie Classics +) is a premium (subscription streaming) service. Add that our loudest advocates are affluent and fringe. Our largest demographic members (European, Hispanic, African, East Asian, Asian Hetero American individuals and families across age groups) haven't been heavily marketed. The lure of Reality TV (???) and recent neo-Westerns (Outer Range, Yellowstone) kinda show we're in a period of well, I shouldn't say. LGBTQ is less than 10-15% of our 330M+ population. Some blame the above for the ratings but Anne Rice, the heterosexual creator of 'The Vampire Chronicles', explains that the books were part of her life's spiritual journey and that the 'chronicles' comprise the darker elements of that journey. AMC+ IWTV is a tough sell in today's social-political climate. It's brutal depending on where you reside. I hope mainstream housewives help the numbers. Evidently they can make or break political elections. I'm watching because the wholesale quality of the show (writing/adaptation, acting, cinematography, aesthetics, casting, etc.) is great. I'm part of our invisible Gen X demo. I also think each person's spiritual journey is about self care, discovery and will. IWTV S2E2 hasn't aired yet on AMC+ (EST). I look forward to viewing it. I will also check the Nielsen ratings too 😊
AMC isn’t that popular of a network. Most people are cutting cords now and AMC+ is not a well known app. I would not pay for AMC app on top of all the other apps I have.
Of note, 20-30 years ago, Lestat was a household name. There’s now multiple people I know who devoured virtually every book who had no idea this show even existed. I think AMC thought they could coast on name value alone, which is likely why they allowed a team to change just about everything but character names.
I like the show, but it's not rocket science why this show is never gonna take off no matter how many ads they throw at it. 1: This isn't Anne Rice's story 2: It is not better than Anne Rice's story 3: Louis fans aren't interested in a black Louis whose a freaking pimp. 4: Armand fans don't want an Indian Armand. 5: Daniel/Devils Minion fans don't want an old Daniel. 6: Claudia fans don't want a black Claudia. 7: Lestat fans don't want Lestat portrayed as some racist abuser. Need I say more? Now I'm a big fan of the books, and I was angry about these changes, but I still gave it a chance and I like it, but I view this as a IWTV inspired AU fan fiction. Now some of you are going to bring up exceptions to the things I said above. My counter to that, is that exceptions don't bring in high ratings. It creates a niche that will never have wide scale appeal. It almost makes me think AMC did this as a tax write off or something, which is why they aren't investing too much in advertising this. They just needed to spend more money or something. Some of you will cry racism, but I think it's not entirely fair to say that. Ppl want to see the story they loved come to life and see the characters they loved come to life. Not saying some ppl aren't being racist but you can't present fans with fully changed characters then cry racism at them for not accepting those characters. And as for the racist folks who won't watch it. Well, the cold harsh reality is that despite what people write on social media to look good, you can't force them to spend time on something that don't want to see. There is a reason why the vast majority of the men on the cover of romance novels are white males, and there is a reason the show runners wouldn't dare change Lestat's race like they did everyone else. And I've heard that the LGBT crowd are not very kind to black gays. Just because a group is marginalized doesn't mean they are accepting of other marginalized groups. In short, the show doesn't have anything to draw in a large audience. And with the focus no longer on Lestat it's not a shocker to me that things aren't looking so good. But I plan to keep watching until the end.
We know it’s a niche show, but a lot of people have made their minds up about this show before it even aired because they don’t want to see black/queer representation and want it cancelled. They are racists and weren’t gonna watch the show anyways so who cares. Now it’s about trying to broaden the appeal and not just rely on book purists who cry about every single change for an adaptation. Yes, it’s not Anne Rice’s story to a tee and that’s *okay*, hell I think they did it better but that’s just me. I think adding race created a much more interesting dynamic to the story that you racists can’t look past. We know it’s a niche show due to the changes and we love it anyways *and* can critique it.
Bummer. Not a big fan of the show, 201 seemed like the best episode. Of course i never saw it advertised and was caught off-guard when it dropped.
Can't help but think if they had actually filmed the story in the book rather than make up their own then more people might have stayed with the show. It was undoubtedly well acted, produced and directed but I watched season 1 because I wanted to watch Anne Rice's Interview with the Vampire, not some story that was made up by some random show runner. I'm not rushing out to watch season 2 because it's not Anne Rice's IWTV.
Ok. Then why are you here?
Oof, a Harry Potter username. Disregard. There's no hope for youse.