Nicholas Denton as Guy Anatole in 'Talamasca: The Secret Order.' David Gennard/AMC Share on Facebook Share on X Share to Flipboard Send an Email Show additional share options Share on LinkedIn Share on Pinterest Share on Reddit Share on Tumblr Share on Whats App Print the Article Post a Comment Logo text [This story contains spoilers for the first two episodes of Talamasca: The Secret Order.] On Sunday, Anne Rice's Immortal Universe expanded with the two-episode premiere of Talamasca: The Secret Order. Following on the heels of Interview With a Vampire, which will air its anticipated third season next year, and Mayfair Witches - which was renewed for season three last spring - the third installment in AMC's adaptation of Rice's popular books follows the Talamasca, a secret society featured in both the Vampire Chronicles and Lives of the Mayfair Witches. Related Stories TV 'Talamasca: The Secret Order': When and Where to Stream New Chapter in Anne Rice's Immortal Universe TV 'Talamasca: The Secret Order' Review: AMC's New 'Interview With the Vampire' Spinoff Fails to Cast a Consistent Spell These covert, trained agents are a mix of those with and without "abilities," who operate worldwide out of "motherhouses" or bases. These anthropological detectives of sorts are charged with quietly monitoring, researching and investigating the supernatural entities that make up the Immortal Universe. Members of the Talamasca have already appeared in both Interview With a Vampire and Mayfair Witches - and characters from both are set to appear in Talamasca. But in the two-hour premiere, these familiar faces do not take center stage. Instead, audiences enter this society via a young man named Guy Anatole (Nicholas Denton), who is struggling to pay rent and desperate to score a job at a well-paying law firm. But those plans are derailed with the arrival of the Talamasca's Helen (Elizabeth McGovern). Not only does she bring to this young skeptic the very real existence of supernatural creatures, but she also carries an invitation to join the society. In the premiere's early minutes, a young woman on a mission falls prey to a vampire and his frightening creatures known as revenants, sparking Helen's decision to bring Guy into the fold. Once that door is opened, not only can't Guy turn back, but out pours a stream of shocking truths. Raised by strangers due to his mother's drug addiction, Guy has also struggled much of his life with hearing voices. But Helen reveals his voices are actually a supernatural ability that allows him to peer inside people's minds. He also discovers that Helen knew about him his entire life and set him up with his family to keep him close, if the moment called. And the moment has called, forcing Guy - a man with no passport, and virtually no training in the realm of supernatural defense - to fly from New York to London to investigate a frightening and powerful vampire named Jasper (William Fichtner) who has infiltrated the London motherhouse. But the more Guy gets embedded with the Talamasca, he faces more danger, violence and even death. By the end of episode two, yet another woman - and supernatural - is dead, forcing Guy to get answers from a number of sources. That includes his Talamasca handler Olive (Maisie Richardson-Sellers), a witch named Doris (Céline Buckens) and vampire Burton (Jason Schwartzman). The Hollywood Reporter spoke to executive producer/director/co-showrunner John Lee Hancock and EP/co-showrunner Mark Lafferty about their new series, including how they set up this world and cast of characters, how it all fits into the Immortal Universe, and where both existing fans and new audiences can expect it to go. *** Six episodes were ordered for the first season. The TV model has moved in the direction of smaller episode orders, but six is still smaller than the other Immortal Universe shows. Is this the first of many seasons or limited? And how does Talamasca fit into the larger shared universe? JOHN LEE HANCOCK Knock on wood, it goes on for other seasons. We would love that. Whenever you're writing a season one, you're already coming up with stuff that happens down the line. In terms of six episodes, we were coming up with stories and they came back and said, "We're going to follow a European model from now on, where the first season is going to be six, and then if there's a second season, we'll go to eight and contemplate from there." From the very start, I made it clear to AMC - and thankfully, they completely agreed - that I want this to be a standalone [within the universe]. Not that the other worlds don't exist. They exist alongside us, and we want to reference each other - whether it's just because we're on a time continuum that's consistent or because we see characters move from show to show. But I want it to be from the start that we have our stories to tell, with an opportunity to reference the other shows. If a character is perfect to bring into our mix, let's do that. But I