Released in 2014, Jemaine Clement and Taika Waititi’s vampire mockumentary, What We Do in the Shadows, is one of the wittiest horror/comedies to hit the genre. The film follows four vampires in Wellington, New Zealand, as they deal with modern life in the 21st century, humans, feeding, and social interactions. In addition to an announced sequel that focuses on werewolves, a TV series adaptation of What We Do in the Shadows has been picked up by FX. The pilot had its world premiere at the 2019 South by Southwest (SXSW) Film Festival.
Using the same mockumentary style, the series is set in New York City’s Staten Island and follows three vampires who have been roommates for well over a century. The pilot episode was written by Jemaine Clement and directed by Taika Waititi, however the show takes on a new cast of vamps and stars Kayvan Novak as Nandor “the Relentless,” Natasia Demetriou as Nadja, and Matt Berry as Laszlo. The trio have another roommate, Colin (Mark Proksch), who is instead an energy vampire who has the power to, well, bore you to death. We all have a few of those in our lives, eh? As with the film, there is a familiar (human servant) to help with daytime chores and feeding, Guillermo (Harvey Guillén). The first episode focuses on Guillermo’s tenth anniversary of servitude to his master, Nandor, and his hopes of finally being turned into a vampire, as well as the great immortal Baron Afanas (Doug Jones), who pays them a visit to discuss why they haven’t conquered the New World yet.
FX’s What We Do in the Shadows had some big shoes to fill, and having Clement and Waititi at the helm, as well as a great comedic cast ensured that the pilot hit the mark. Despite having a new cast and setting, the show feels like a natural extension of the much beloved movie. Fans of the film should have no issues falling in love with the series from episode 1.
What We Do in the Shadows premiered on FX March 27th with episode 2, “City Council,” debuting on April 3rd.
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