What We Do in the Shadows (Spoiler-Free) Review

Back in the winter of 2015, I went with a group of friends to see a mockumentary film from a couple of guys from New Zealand about vampires. While several of my friends were already fans of Jermaine Clement and Taika Waititi (years before Waititi would snag an Oscar and become a celebrated MCU director) from Flight of the Conchords, I admit to being completely unaware of their brand of comedy and their considerable artistic chops. By the end of the film (which I highly recommend you watch, even if you don’t end up watching the television series), I was a convert to their brilliance. So, when I heard last year that Clement and Waititi were developing a television series based on the film, I was excited but nervous. After all, where would they find the time to star in the series? Well, it turned out the show would follow another group of the undead, although the duo would write and direct throughout the first season. Reviews for the initial run of ten episodes were mixed, so I sat that round out. However, as TV Critic Twitter began to sing the praises of season two over the past month I figured it might be time to give the series a look. And I’m happy to report it was worth my while – and it would be worth yours as well.

Much like the film, the series follows three rather clueless vampires – Nandor, Laszlo, and Nadja – as they navigate death within a major metropolis. Throughout season one, much of the story is rather paint-by-number and the show’s three leads, Kayvan Novak, Matt Berry, and Natasia Demetriou, aren’t given a chance to really dive into their quirky, albeit rather neutered, characters. However, once season two hits, all three are given a chance to shine, as the focus of the series becomes less about exploring the characters’ lack of modern understanding and more about understanding each character. While Novak, Berry, and Demetriou are all great, the show’s real star is Harvey Guillén as Guillermo, Nandor’s seemingly meek and very put-upon familiar. Serving as an audience surrogate of sorts (as one of the few humans on the series), Guillermo desperately wants to become a vampire (something that Nandor has promised him for ten long years), but finds himself pulled more and more away from the world of the undead as the series plays out. Guillén is spectacular as Guillermo and it’s fitting that he’s also given the show’s most sweeping character arc. While the vampires are fun (there’s also Mark Proksch as Collin Robinson, an energy vampire whose shtick gets a bit dull after awhile), it’s the human who turns out to be the most compelling character on the show.

What We Do in the Shadows is a comedy that is more interested in absurdist humor than in mining easy laughs. It’s certainly funny, and occasionally laugh out loud funny, but it’s more concerned with building a narrative that is supported by the jokes and gags and not simply a joke delivery device. Which, personally, is my favorite brand of comedy. While season one is a bit on the weak side when compared to season two, I think a large part of that disconnect comes from season one needing to both serve as an extension of the film and an entry point for those who might not have seen it. The competing narrative functions clash more than they would if the series was wholly original. Once the exposition of season one is out of the way, season two is able to settle into the characters and trust them to do the heavy lifting, making for a much more fun and enjoyable watch. There’s also a host of wonderful guest stars that add to the vibrancy of the series (you can watch Waititi’s cultural influence grow by the number of famous faces that show up as the series advances).

So, if you’re running out of things to watch during the pandemic – and you have the stomach to handle some gore – give What We Do in the Shadows a look (both the film and the series). While the series airs on FX, season two recently ended and the series and film can now be streamed on Hulu.