Anne Rice’s Talamasca: The Secret Order Season 1 – Review
By Karl Hornsey
The Immortal Universe created by Anne Rice reaches its third incarnation with this six-part series Talamasca: The Secret Order, building on Interview with a Vampire and Mayfair Witches, and this is sure to delight fans of those, as well as helping to set the scene for more. The description of ‘spy thriller meets gothic horror’ might be an odd one to get your head round, and one I’ve never come across before, but it’s the perfect way of introducing the members of the Talamasca, a secret society that watches over paranormal beings.
Previous knowledge of Rice’s creations and universe is desirable, but not essential, although some crossover characters do appear, as this series is strong enough to stand on its own two feet, and it’s refreshing to watch something with such original ideas and a series that genuinely defies pigeonholing into one genre or another. There’s no doubt it’s a slow-burner, but one that is very much worth persevering with and binging in order to really dive into the world created and to get to know the characters well, especially as there’ll clearly be more to come in the future in some shape or form.
“Appeal to fans”
The lead role falls to relatively unknown Australian actor Nicholas Denton, whose previous breakout part was in the TV series of Dangerous Liaisons, and he portrays Guy Anatole, who is approached to join the Talamasca secret society, who have watched his movements since he was a youngster. While that must have come as something of a shock to Anatole, he’s soon knee deep in a world where humans and superhumans seem almost inseparable, and it’s great fun almost to see how he acclimatizes and immerses himself in such a fantasy world. Denton is supported by Celine Buckens, William Fichtner, Maisie Richardson-Sellers and Elizabeth McGovern in leading roles, as well as Eric Bogosian, who fans of Interview with a Vampire will be familiar with, and the ever-reliable Jason Schwartzman.
Filmed on location in Manchester, this is a quality production and, importantly, proves utterly believable, which isn’t always the case with fantasy worlds that can end up being too complicated for their own good. The casting certainly helps, with all of the main characters just ‘right’ for their roles, which again will help appeal to fans of Rice’s worlds, who feel so invested in the stories and can be ultra critical. That this series has garnered very decent reviews elsewhere, and is whetting the appetite for what else is to come, says an awful lot about another quality production to be released by Acorn.
Anne Rice’s Talamasca: The Secret Order Season 1 is on Blu-ray and DVD from 2 March
Karl’s love of writing was piqued at the age of eight, when he won a Blue Peter badge in an essay-writing competition. The location of said badge might be a mystery now, but the memory never fades. Hours spent writing about sport as a teenager, in pre-internet years when you had to make your entertainment, honed his skills, and Karl has worked in TV and radio listings at PA Media for 28 years, and the age of hybrid working means 50% of that can be at home listening to Classic FM and thinking about his next visit to his beloved Yorkshire Dales.
@KarlHornsey, hornskar
