AMC+’s Mayfair Witches cast and crew held a press conference at New York Comic Con, and I must admit they were quite cagey regarding all of the twists and turns the audience will experience while watching the upcoming third season, titled ‘Salem Coven’.
Embracing “Batshit Crazy”: NYCC 2026 Press Conference & Panel Overview
So far, it is confirmed that Anne Rice’s Mayfair Witches: Salem Coven will premiere on Wednesday, December 30th, and chronicle the rise in power Rowan has acquired after Lasher’s demise in season two.
The shift from New Orleans to Salem, Massachusetts, introduces new Mayfair witches and key characters Katherine and Jessica, and brings back Ciprien “Sip” Grieve, Cortland/Julien Mayfair, and Moira Mayfair.
While the cast did allow a few tidbits to slide during the ‘AMC+ Spotlight’ panel and press conference, the overall theme (and cast mantra) seemed to be “embracing batshit crazy”, as new avenues of this witchy story and its deeply-seated lore are explored.
Alexandra Daddario (Rowan Mayfair), Betsy Brandt (Katherine), Eliza Scanlen (Jessica), Esta Spalding (co-showrunner & EP), Harry Hamlin (Cortland/Julien Mayfair), Tongayi Chirisa (Ciprien “Sip” Grieve), and Thomas Schnauz (co-showrunner & EP) were in attendance for Anne Rice’s Mayfair Witches: Salem Coven press conference at New York Comic Con.
Leaving NOLA Behind: Why Season 3 Moves the Coven to Salem
This article will be a mixture of the ‘AMC+ Spotlight’ panel and the press conference in an attempt to glean all of the insight we can about the upcoming third season of Mayfair Witches. The responses have been lightly edited and truncated for clarity and brevity.
Rowan’s Power Stage & Historic Salem Mystery
“Something happened in Salem long ago related to witches, which relates to our story” joked co-showrunner and EP, Thomas Schnauz during the AMC+ Spotlight panel.
“Rowan has all of this incredible power now,” continued co-showrunner and EP, Esta Spalding. “She has every bit of power that Lasher gave her, and she’s got that blood that she drank, and she is just getting stronger and stronger and stronger as a result. And so, we wanted to take Rowan out of just her interior journey as a witch and then her journey within the family, and set her into more of a world stage.”
It was Rowan’s character growth that inspired Spalding and Schnauz’s decision to set the third season, Mayfair Witches: Salem Coven, in Salem, Massachusetts.
There is a vast mystery surrounding this historic location, where “witches get stuck”, and Rowan finds herself stuck and needing to navigate away from this place, while pondering if she should save others who may also be trapped in Salem.
Rowan & Jessica: A Powerful New Dynamic in Salem
Alexandra Daddario drew inspiration for Rowan Mayfair’s character in the upcoming season by reflecting on her own mentality of growing older and now having a child of her own, stating during the panel “…You get a little bit looser. You don’t care as much. So, I got to put a little bit of that into the character, and I think that’s where she [Rowan] is. She’s been dealing with this for a long time. And now she’s like, ‘What is this now? You’re telling me I’m trapped here? I’m getting out of here.’”
Esta Spalding commented on Rowan’s growth as a character and the introduction of the new character Jessica, a witch unknowingly trapped whom Rowan develops almost a ‘buddy-cop’ relationship with while in Salem.
“We felt like we wanted to see her much more badass than she’d ever been before… And one of the ways that she could be her great witchy self, and powerful and…be funnier and looser was to have more people she could play off of. So, bringing in the character of Jessica, who is a witch who doesn’t know that she’s trapped in Salem, she’s grown up there…
She just thinks that’s where she lives, and she hasn’t ever left. And having somebody who Alex could play off of who’s really comic and full of heart let Rowan be much more commanding and sometimes make the wrong decision, which is really fun, or make an angry decision…” remarked Spalding.
Daddario expressed that her character is going with the flow of an ever-changing daily life as the ‘chosen’ 13th generation Mayfair witch, stating “Well, I think we’ve chosen to just really lean into batshit crazy. We’re just using that phrase…” to encapsulate the added humor and dynamics that hinge on different stakes and surprises not present in previous seasons of the show.
Cortland vs. Julien: Harry Hamlin on Duality & Possession
While we are on the topic of ‘embracing batshit crazy’, the duality of Harry Hamlin portraying both his own character, Cortland, and a twisted, possessed version of his father Julien’s soul was an interesting internal tug-of-war to watch on screen during Mayfair Witches season two.
When asked during the ‘AMC+ Spotlight’ panel what he took from the original portrayal of Julien Mayfair (Ted Levine) in season two, Hamlin expressed an interest in separating the performances due to the change in cast synergy, vibe, and overall tone in the new season.
“…We didn’t really have the same vibe in season two…I didn’t want to keep too much from season two. I wanted to embrace batshit crazy, right?” Hamlin remarked when asked about the direction of his performance.
During the press conference, Hamlin was again complimented on the duality of his performance of estranged father and son at odds, and asked how the cast and crew potentially play off of, or even altered their performances to match his synergy within that dichotomy.
“Well, I embrace batshit crazy,” Hamlin began, “ And I’m so happy that that’s the term tossed around about this season. Cortland is always a little bit underwater, and Julian is always above water. Julian knows how to swim; Cortland’s got to keep paddling around.”
Hamlin finished by expressing the creative fulfilment that comes with portraying two characters on screen, stating, “I just love the fact that I get to play with two characters…”.
Secrets of the Talamasca: Ciprien’s Power Struggle
Cortland and Julien Mayfair were not the only show-stealers last season, as Tongayi Chirisa’s character Ciprien “Sip” Grieve ends the season by inheriting control of the Talamasca New Orleans division and Mother House through manipulation after Albrech’s treachery against the organization is exposed.
Despite being a mashup of characteristics and personalities from the characters of Aaron Lightner and Michael Curry found within Anne Rice’s Lives of the Mayfair Witches novels, on screen Sip remains a very mysterious character who has seemingly been just a pawn in a silent war between Lasher, Julien, and the Talamasca organization.
Thankfully, we may finally have a glimpse at what truly drives Ciprien in Salem Coven.
During the press conference, Chirisa was asked what his character might be hiding that the audience has not yet been shown.
“Sip is somebody that reads everybody’s secrets, right? What’s he hiding that maybe we have not been shown?”
“ I can’t tell you that! That’s my secret. If you’ve got my powers, you come and read me!” Chirisa responded in humor before elaborating more on where Ciprien’s tumultuous path with the Talamasca may lead in the upcoming season.
“Good question. I think there’s a lot that we still need to explore about Sip. Right now, it’s still very much all business. There’s a lot that is going on within the Talamasca organization…but getting that job is opening a whole bunch of other fires…and so, he’s still trying to figure out how to deal with that and then, with the last season, with Julien coming…”
Ultimately expressing that Julien’s unexpected arrival via the possession of Cortland’s body throws one too many wrenches into Ciprien’s ascension plans within the Talamasca. Not to mention Rowan’s disappearance in Salem adds to the growing list of ‘fires’ that Sip must put out.
When asked about Ciprien’s leadership of the New Orleans Mother House, Chirisa details some of the mess Cip is dealing with during the ‘AMC+ Spotlight’ panel.
“I think there’s a lot that the Talamasca has kept from him and he needs to clean house, but as soon as he walks in, it’s like a chasm of more mystery. And to a certain degree, I feel like it [the NOLA Mother House] was kind of just given to shut him up.
That’s how I interpret it, because now, as he is dealing with the Julien situation from season two, something else happens, and Salem becomes this unexpected issue that he now has to deal with, when he has to figure out and fix what’s going on with the Talamasca in New Orleans…”.
Staying Faithful to the Lore: How Showrunners Honor Anne Rice’s Novels
While there are a lot of changes in Mayfair Witches: Salem Coven, the showrunners would like fans to know that at its core, this is still a show that fans of Anne Rice’s novels can enjoy.
“…I would say this is really inspired by the books. Like they’re still all of our beloved characters, and we meet some new Mayfairs this season who are very much inspired by the books, but we’re not working off of exact story from the books anymore,” Spalding said during the ‘AMC+ Spotlight’ panel.
Schnauz agreed, stating “I think there was just an urge to shake it up and do something different, and that’s why getting out of New Orleans and going to Salem felt like the right move to do under these circumstances.”
Anne Rice’s Mayfair Witches: Salem Coven will premiere on Wednesday, December 30th, 2026, on AMC and AMC+.
🕸️Explore More from the Anne Rice & Immortal Universe Archives
- The Great Work: Anne Rice’s Mayfair Witches Season 1 Review – Revisit where Rowan Mayfair’s dark journey began, from her initial power discovery to the arrival of Lasher in New Orleans.
- How Do Witches with Extra Chromosomes Birth Supernatural Offspring? – A deep dive into the genetic lore, science, and dark biology behind the 13th generation Mayfair witch genetics.
- The Watchers’ War: Declassifying Talamasca: The Secret Order’s Occult Spy DNA – Uncover the history, rules, and secrets of the Talamasca Mother Houses before Season 3 changes everything.
- Rock Star, Relatable Monster: Cast & Creators on Lestat’s Transformation – Read our NYCC talent insights into the expanding Anne Rice TV universe.
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