Need a laugh? Watch “What We Do in the Shadows”
My new favourite comedy. 🦇
A comedy series about vampires never appealed to me upon hearing about it for the first time. After watching some Twilight movies plus other vampire shows with the stereotypically seductive and attractive males and females along with unnecessary love triangles, I subconsciously made the decision to avoid all vampire related media. However, I stumbled upon a trailer for the first season of What We Do in the Shadows a while back and made a mental note to check it out sometime. A couple years passed and I still hadn’t seen the show. Shortly after seeing that it was nominated at the Emmy’s for Outstanding Comedy Series alongside some of my other favourites, The Good Place, & Schitt’s Creek, I finally decided to give it a shot.
What We Do in the Shadows is a television adaptation from the 2014 movie of the same name created by Taika Waititi and Jemaine Clement. It follows the nightly lives of four vampires roommates Nandor (Kayvan Novak), Nadja (Natasia Demetriou), Laszlo (Matt Berry), Colin Robinson (Mark Proksch) who have lived together for centuries and their human familiar of ten years, Guillermo (Harvey Guillen). The show is filmed in the mockumentary format which was used most prominently in popular shows such as, The Office, and Modern Family. Personally, I have never been a huge fan of characters breaking the fourth wall and the “shaky camera” effect. However, this format works so well in What We Do in the Shadows because it gives the audience insight and a deeper understanding of these strange immortal beings. The supernatural aspect greatly juxtaposes the grounded nature of the format. It also helps that the show consistently acknowledges the human camera crew and the fact that they are often placed in dangerous situations while filming the vampires’ adventures. No spoilers here but there have been multiple occasions where I laughed out loud because of the series’ camera crew awareness.
Speaking of laughing out loud, the whole show is extremely funny. I have never genuinely laughed so much at a television sitcom as I did with this show. In the current comedy television landscape, it seems as if “dramedies” are the new comedies. Shows such as Barry and The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel seem to mix heavy themes with humor and often try to push the boundaries of what comedy should be. Others try to add a deeper meaning and gravitate towards heartwarming positivity, such as Ted Lasso and The Good Place. Of course, there is nothing wrong with that; however, sometimes I just want to watch a funny show that has no deeper meaning. What We Do in the Shadows is exactly that––it’s just really hilarious, silly, and absurd.
Each character has their own distinct personality and moments of absurdity. They are all so great that—for the first time, I can’t even pick a favourite character. Nandor, Laszlo, and Nadja are the series’ classic vampires that have fangs, drink blood, and wear old-school costumes. They are (presumably) the oldest in the group, yet they are far from the wisest. Colin Robinson is an energy vampire who feeds off the “life-force” of humans as well as vampires. He will bore you to sleep with a long conversation and feel delighted by it. Lastly, the human familiar Guillermo is a shy vampire-hopeful. It’s easy to think that as the only human of the group he would be the least interesting character, but he arguably has the best character arc and storyline (so far).
What We Do in the Shadows is easily one of the funniest and most unique sitcom I’ve ever seen. The situations these main characters get into are unlike any other comedy show due to the supernatural aspect. The series has a unique blend of witty humour, over-the-top absurd sequences, physical comedy, and dry jokes, culminating in a hilarious sitcom. I also enjoy use of non-diegetic and diegetic music in a mockumentary, it adds a liveliness to the show as well as more exaggerated humor.
If you haven’t checked out this series, I highly recommend it for your next binge watch. At first glance, it may seem too weird… or maybe vampires aren’t your preference. However, I can almost guarantee it will grow on you and you’ll end up staying for the loveable characters and laughs.
Standout Episodes:
“The Curse”, “The Trial”, “On The Run”, “Baron’s Night Out”, “Colin’s Promotion”
Streaming on Disney Plus in Canada
