A Proper X-Files Replacement Show Finally Exists - Thanks to Anne Rice
If you've been missing that weekly chill of a flashlight beam cutting through the dark (movies and tv series) - the hunch, the weird case, the bigger conspiracy humming in the background - AMC just dropped something that scratches that itch. Anne Rice (movies and tv series)'s Talamasca: The Secret Order isn't trying to be The X-Files. But it lands close enough that you'll feel that old pulse again.
And here's the surprise: it works because it's personal. It's a show about people trying to make sense of the impossible, one investigation at a time, while a much larger story keeps tugging at the edges.
So, what is Talamasca: The Secret Order?
The series plants us inside a secret, very well-funded society that tracks the unnatural - witches, vampires, werewolves, and whatever else the night is hiding. Our way in is Guy Anatole, a young lawyer with a secret he's tried to bury: he can read minds. The Talamasca sees potential; Guy sees trouble. You can guess which side wins.
Making Guy an original character (he's not from Anne Rice's books) is a smart move. We learn this shadowy operation the way he does - awkwardly, skeptically, then all at once. Nicholas Denton (movies and tv series)'s performance keeps it grounded; he plays the shock and curiosity like a guy who's both in over his head and too stubborn to back out.
And because this lives inside Anne Rice's "Immortal" universe, the connections start early. Jason Schwartzman (movies and tv series) shows up as Burton, a vampire stirred up by the book Daniel Molloy wrote in Interview with the Vampire. Eric Bogosian (movies and tv series) even returns as Molloy - changed, and now offering Guy the kind of advice you only accept if you're out of options. It's a neat thread that ties the universe without turning the show into homework.
Why X-Files fans will feel at home
At its core, Talamasca is an investigation show. Strange deaths. Old legends with real teeth. Places you don't linger in after dark. Sure, The X-Files leaned harder into aliens, but both shows ask the same question: what's really out there, and who's quietly keeping score?
There's also that familiar institutional chill. The Talamasca runs on secrets - files, protocols, loyalties that don't always line up. If you lived for the Cigarette Smoking Man era of paranoia, this gives you a flavor of that: the sense that the people (movies and tv series) in charge know more than they let on, and they're not going to tell you why.
- Investigations with teeth - the occult, the paranormal, the myths that won't stay myths.
- A tight-knit, secretive organization calling the shots and bending the rules.
- Stand-alone cases threaded into a bigger mythology that actually matters.
Right now, Talamasca leans more serialized than full "monster-of-the-week." That said, you can feel how easily it could tip into that rhythm in a second season - and honestly, that might be the sweet spot.
How it expands Anne Rice's Immortal universe
You don't need to watch Interview with the Vampire or Mayfair Witches to follow what's happening here. If anything, Talamasca might be the cleanest entry point yet. You get the stakes fast. You get the rules as they break.
The show's already teasing a wider supernatural map: werewolves and ghosts are on deck. If you know the books, you also know there's more on the table - Taltos, angels, demons. The Talamasca gives the franchise a believable way to bring those beings in quickly, case-first, lore-second.
Here's what that could mean: a steady pipeline of new creatures and one-off mysteries, folded into a longer arc about who the Talamasca really serves - and what that costs the people doing the work.
The early read - and what comes next
The early episodes move with purpose and keep the tension tight. The crossovers land like rewards, not interruptions. And the audience is showing up - strong enough that AMC's internal numbers put it near the top of their current slate, which says a lot about where this universe is headed.
Meanwhile, X-Files fans are still waiting to see what Ryan Coogler (movies and tv series)'s reboot looks like. Maybe that becomes the next big thing. For now, Talamasca feels like the show you watch week to week, the one (movies and tv series) that keeps you up late thinking about a tiny clue from two episodes back. That's a good sign.
Bottom line
If you miss the old "weird case, bigger myth" groove, this is probably your next watch. It's textured, it's moody, and it respects your curiosity. And if it leans a little more episodic in season two? Don't be surprised if a lot of us start calling it the heir apparent - quietly, the way fans do when they've found their show.
