The first season ofAnne Rice’s Mayfair Witcheshas already deviated quite dramatically from the book it’s based on, with changes ranging from subtle to totally transformative. Set inthe new Immortal Universebased off of Anne Rice’s iconic work that began with 2022’sInterview with a Vampire, Anne Rice’s Mayfair Witchesadapts the first tome of Rice’sMayfair Witchesbook trilogy,The Witching Hour.Showrunners Esta Spalding and Michelle Ashford has already taken some extreme liberties with the source material.
At over 1,000 pages long, it’s no wonder that an 8-episode series had to make such sweeping changes in their adaptation of the story. Just like in the book, the first season follows brilliant neurosurgeon Dr. Rowan Mayfair as she learns about her true heritage as a magical witch, born into the mysterious Mayfair clan of spellcasters. However, the first season has already created some dramatic differences from Anne Rice’s original work by the timeseason 2 ofMayfair Witcheswill release.
10Michael Curry And Aaron Lightner Become Ciprien Grieve
The show combines two book characters into one
The most obvious and perhaps story-affecting change toThe Witching Houris easily the consolidation of two important characters into a single man to save time. Rowan’s love interest in the novels is Michael Curry, a man who suffers from a near-death experience only to gain psychic abilities upon being revived. Guiding him in the politics of the Mayfair family is Aaron Lightner, an old Englishman who becomes something of a father figure to Rowan.
In the show, both of these characters are combined into Ciprien Grieve, streamlining the story at the cost of conflating Rowan’s love interest with her father figure. Born with Michael’s magical powers, Ciprien is a member ofThe Order of the Talamasca, a shadowy organization tasked with keeping tabs on the various supernatural creatures in Anne Rice’s world. Ciprien mixes business with pleasure when he falls for Rowan while assigned to investigate her and her family.
9Cortland And Carlotta Mayfair Are Brother And Sister
The family drama is kept much tighter
Another big change when it comes to character relationships in the original story is the familial relationship between Cortland and Carlotta Mayfair. InThe Witching Hour, Cortland and Carlotta are an entire generation apart, representing the different levels of power the Mayfair family has held over the ages. Esta Spalding’s show, however, posits them as siblings no more than a few years apart, putting them much closer in terms of magical power and influence.
Allegedly, this change was made in the spirit of narrative heft. As showrunner Michelle Ashford explains, “You say brother or sister and immediately the audience has a visceral reaction, like oh, I know what that’s like,” (ViaMovieWeb). This is a fair enough justification for making the discrepancy, but it does coincide with the series poising Carlotta into far more of an antagonistic role than she was in the original novel.
8Alexandra Daddario Looks Nothing Like Dr. Rowan
Rowan’s look is altered pretty heavily
Dr. Rowan is the latest TV character in the esteemedfilmography of Alexandra Daddario, making for one of her most well-known roles yet. For whatever differences the first season ofMayfair Witchesmay have from the books, it’s hard to argue that Daddario isn’t great as the steely-minded Dr. Rowan Mayfair. However, one minor detail in the adaptation is the physical differences between the two women.
In the books, Rowan is described as having platinum blonde hair and piercing gray eyes, a far cry from the brunette Alexandra Daddario with her bright baby blue peepers. In truth, this minor deviation doesn’t have much affect on the story, but it is worth mentioning as a tell that the series wasn’t overly concerned with staying faithful to the source material as far as character descriptions were concerned. The addition of Criprien Grieve should be proof enough of that.
7The Diversity Of The Cast Is Updated
Anne Rice’s novels show their age in some areas
One refreshing change made to the overall cast ofAnne Rice’s Mayfair Witchesis the overall diversity of its characters. Granted, the members of the Mayfair family themselves remain white, as they are in the books, making sense considering they can so clearly trace their lineage back to Scotland. But the series updates some supporting characters with a much-needed boost of ethnic variety, including the brand-new character Ciprien Grieve.
In the original books, Anne Rice has some awkward descriptions of race as it applies to the nameless staff of the Mayfairs' vast estate. Rice frequently describes such characters with one-note descriptors of their blackness, establishing a link between their race and their servile status. If there was only one change the TV series could make in adapting the novels, this would be the one to keep.
6Lasher Is More Of A Charmer
The entity moves far differently in the show
In bothAnne Rice’s Mayfair WitchesandThe Witching Hour,the antagonist of primary concern is none other than the being known as Lasher. A supernatural being first summoned in 17th century Scotland by Suzanne Mayfair, Lasher has been a steadfast presence in the Mayfair family for generations, laying claim to a female member of the family from each to impose his own will on in exchange for magical and monetary power. In the book, Lasher is a malicious presence in Rowan’s life, essentially psychologically torturing her for days on end.
Meanwhile, Jack Huston’s Lasher is a far more smooth operator, having a sort of rock-star energy that updates his seductive nature with a modern flair. Admittedly, this makes him a little bit less of a threat in the grand scheme of the narrative, particularly in regards to how theending ofMayfair Witchesseason 1changes his plans. Though he bears the same name, Jack Huston’s Lasher feels far more reasonable and even downright helpful at times, differing immensely from Rice’s original.
5The Mayfair Emerald Works Differently
The magical MacGuffin of the story serves a different purpose
The most important object in theMayfair Witchestrilogy, at least early on in the story, is the magical jewel known as the Mayfair Emerald. In the books, the emerald is a symbol of Lasher’s control over his chosen Mayfair daughter, a sort of brand that forever signifies his dominance of the family, particularly his chosen cohorts. The show updates this necklace to be a much more literal avenue of influence for Lasher to use, with the mere act of wearing it equating to a signature on a contract with the demonic entity.
The power Lasher is able to wield through the Mayfair Emerald is proven when he forces a poor maid to bash her own skull in upon being tricked into wearing it, proving its influence isn’t limited to Mayfair witches specifically. The show also specifies that the pendant takes the shape of a key in which the jewel is set, giving it yet another purpose altogether. What the key itself actually unlocks remains a mystery, but it would be remiss of the show to fashion the deadly piece of jewelry in such a shape with no plans to use it.
4The Mayfair Witches Get Less History
The files of the Mayfairs remain fairly unexplored
One interesting aspect ofThe Witching Hourtragically lost in the brisk adaptation of a 1,000 page novel into just 8 episodes of TV is the expanded lore and history of the Mayfairs themselves. The text goes through great lengths to describe a detailed history of the Mayfair witches from essentially the family’s ancient formation to its present-day status. This might seem like a dry subject to have so much of the original book devoted to, but Rice’s use of eyewitness accounts and personalized primary sources makes for some of the most gripping prose of the whole story.
Much of this history sadly has to be overlooked for the TV show, with only the briefest of glimpses into the Mayfairs' past being provided. This is a shame considering how important such information is tothe 13th Mayfair witch prophecydriving much of the upcoming action. Perhaps future seasons will double back onto the first book to get these segments of the timeline across.
3The Witch Hunters Are A Show Creation
Parts of the story have gotten a modern update
Considering how much content fromThe Witching HourthatAnne Rice’s Mayfair Witcheshad to cut out of its first season, it seems shocking that the show would go to such great lengths to introduce an entirely new manufactured plotline. Yet this is exactly what happens with the introduction of the Witch Hunters, a group of fearful misogynists who seek to destroy any and all witches they come across. This group is clearly written to be a reflection of toxic modern male subcultures, such as the incel community.
It’s no secret that Anne Rice’s work, particularly in regard to the Mayfair witches, has deep roots in themes that explore gender norms and sexual relationships. It makes sense that the series would want to expand on her ideas in ways that apply more topically to the current social climate of gender relations. However, it’s worth mentioning that the witch hunter subplot does detract quite a significant amount of time from the first season that could’ve otherwise been spent on the Mayfairs' history.
2The Circumstances Of Rowan’s Pregnancy Are Different
The show gives Rowan far more agency
One of the most shocking and unsettling passages to read inThe Witching Houris the climactic culmination of Lasher’s meddling with Rowan’s life. By manipulating events so that Rowan and Michael fall in love, Lasher ensures that they conceive a child that can serve as his physical avatar in the mortal world. Rowan gives birth to her child, watching horrified as her infant son grows into a full-bodied man in the space of a day, clearly beingthe manifestation of Lasher.
Meanwhile,Anne Rice’s Mayfair Witcheskeeps Rowan’s pregnancy more mundane, giving birth to a normal baby that does grow quickly, but slows down at around one year of age rather than making a beeline to manhood. The identity of the father is also a bit more up in the air, with Michael surrogate Ciprien being told the child is his even if he doesn’t believe it. This change to Rowan’s pregnancy gives her far greater agency over the narrative, less of Lasher’s puppet and more of her own self-determined supernatural mastermind.
1Tessa Is A New Mayfair Witch
But is still no replacement for Mona
One of the more tragic characters inAnne Rice’s Mayfair Witchesis Tessa Mayfair, a young, naive member of the Wayfair witch clan. Sadly kidnapped and killed by witch hunters, Tessa’s death unlocks the worst of Rowan’s wrath. Tessa Mayfair is a completely original character in the show. However, Tessa’s initial role in the story led many to speculate that she was meant to be a replacement for Mona, a popular witch who only becomes a major player in the plot later on in the trilogy.
In truth, the creators have since stressed the importance of Tessa being Mona’s sister rather than Mona herself, wishing to distinguish the two characters. But it’s hard to deny the similarities between Tessa and her sister, who is an only child in the books. This addition is an underrated but huge change to the originalMayfair Witchesbook series.
