History repeats itself: like The Walking Dead, Interview with the Vampire gets Emmy snub

When Interview with the Vampire debuted in October 2022, paired with the first episode of The Walking Dead’s final season, the premiere boosted AMC Plus to its highest two-day viewership numbers. Certified Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes with a critics score of 99%, the Anne Rice series deserved at least one Emmy nomination, so naturally it was a huge disappointment when the show was snubbed in all Emmy categories. As was the case with The Walking Dead, history seems to be repeating itself. 

The Walking Dead quietly premiered on Halloween night in 2010. The cast and crew gathered at Long Beach Comic Con to celebrate the premiere with fans who were largely either familiar with the popular comic books already or fans of the talented cast. No one expected that a show about survivors of a zombie apocalypse would become a ratings juggernaut. 

Arguably in the footsteps of The Walking Dead, Game of Thrones debuted the following year and suddenly this niche genre of television dominated primetime. However, there was one big difference: Game of Thrones was consistently recognized by the Emmys while The Walking Dead was snubbed year after year. Now it seems that Interview with the Vampire is following in those very same footsteps. 

With so many popular series in the 2022-2023 Emmys race — including the final seasons of Succession and Better Call Saul, The White Lotus season 2 and The Last of Us  season 1 — the field of competition was crowded in the show and acting categories. With its high production design value and beautiful costumes, it seems like an even bigger travesty that Interview with the Vampire was snubbed in those categories as well. 

While it feels like the Emmys snub is a big punch in the gut for Interview with the Vampire fans, there is some hope. While never nominated for major Emmy awards, The Walking Dead had a total of 16 Emmy nominations for special effects and prosthetic makeup over the course of its 11 season run, and it took home two statues (2011, 2013) for Outstanding Prosthetic Makeup for a Series, Miniseries, Movie or a Special.

On a bright note, Interview with the Vampire was nominated for Best Cable Drama Series by the Hollywood Critics Association on July 11.

Interview with the Vampire is just getting started. AMC and the production team envision a vast franchise with these characters and that means there’s hope for Emmy nominations in the future.