What We Do In The Shadows is peak Vampire TV
The mythical vampire has always been cool. Cloaks, eternal youth, the ability to brood while still looking attractive.
Enter What We Do in the Shadows—a show that, instead of making vampires look mysterious and seductive, turns them into bickering, dysfunctional roommates who can’t figure out Wi-Fi.
As a fan of supernatural shenanigans, occasional gore, and clever comedy, I knew I’d be a fan. I also like most of Taiki Waititi’s stuff and all of Jemaine Clement’s (check out Flight of The Concords, too), so I had high hopes for this.
What We Do in the Shadows is a delightfully twisted mockumentary about four vampires (and one eager but desperate familiar) trying to live an average life in Staten Island like ordinary people. Except, of course, nothing about them is remotely average, and that’s where all the magic happens.
The main characters are superb
Like all fiction, the characters are the show. And they are all great, especially once you get to know them.
First up, Nandor the Relentless—a former bloodthirsty warlord whose most brutal fight these days is with the grocery store cashier. His grandiosity, paired with a complete lack of understanding of the 21st century, is an absolute goldmine for comedy. Watching Nandor try to navigate modern life is like watching an older relative grapple with software installation. But with more fangs and a much darker backstory full of pillaging.
Nandor is played by British actor and comedian Kayvan Novak. If you’re British, you might remember him from Fonejacker back in the day.
Then we have Laszlo, a vampire who thinks he’s the sexy, brooding type, but is actually more like an 18th-century horny dude who manages to turn every situation into a sexual innuendo. Matt Berry plays him, so if you have seen the IT Crowd, Toast, or a ton of other superb Berry shows, you know what to expect. But in vampire form. His love for Nadja, his equally ancient vampire wife, is both touching and ridiculous.
Nadja herself is a force—wise, fierce, and endlessly exasperated by the incompetence of the men around her. Think of her as the immortal goth version of your friend who’s always five steps ahead of everyone but has to watch them bumble around. She’s played by Natasha Demetriou, who I recognised from Steth Lets Flats (also worth checking out).
I don’t know why there are so many Brits in the lead roles, but it makes me proud. I guess we make a good vampire.
Finally, there’s the brilliant Colin Robinson. Colin’s an energy vampire, which means he doesn’t suck blood—he drains your will to live by boring or frustrating you to death. Office small talk? He thrives on it. Lengthy, unnecessary PowerPoint presentations? He’s feasting. We’ve all met a Colin Robinson at some point, whether it’s that co-worker who always corners you with endless complaints about everything or the friend who bangs on about a hobby everyone finds tedious.
At first, I thought Colin Robinson was just a throwaway idea, but he actually develops in a really interesting and highly disturbing way. He’s played by American actor Mark Proksch, who was in The Office and Better Call Saul.
And then there’s Guillermo—Nandor’s long-suffering familiar. Guillermo really just wants to be a vampire but ends up being their live-in maid / odd-job guy instead. He lives in a tiny room and spends his time cleaning up centuries-old dust, feeding stray werewolves, burying bodies, and procuring victims – aka food – for years. Virgins are the tastiest. But there’s a twist: Guillermo is secretly a descendant of Van Helsing, the OG vampire hunter. American Javier “Harvey” Guillén plays him and the character is the viewers’ gateway to the vampire world.
Vampire comedy at its finest
The genius of What We Do in the Shadows is how it balances supernatural absurdity with mundane, everyday struggles. It’s a show where vampires squabble over chore charts and dinner parties but also decapitate people and eat local virgins. It’s a perfect blend of witty dialogue and comedy, with a dash of violence and gothic horror.
It’s also very much a Waititi-Clement production, with their signature blend of dry, deadpan humour and a kind of goofy, off-kilter absurdity. The series is based on the film of the same name, and both of them have cameos here. If you know their work, you know what to expect.
I’m not saying What We Do in the Shadows is the only good vampire show out there – hi Buffy – but it’s definitely the most fun. There’s something endlessly refreshing about watching a bunch of immortals argue about who left blood in the fridge or why they can’t hypnotize city council members to approve their local vampire nightclub.
In conclusion, do yourself a favour and watch it. I promise you’ll laugh, cringe occasionally, and almost definitely relate to one of these hapless vampires. They are superb characters, and despite the fact they kill a LOT of people, they are incredibly likeable. I still have the most recent series to watch, and I can’t wait.
You can check out What We Do In The Shadows here. (That’s an affiliate link, but you can read the reviews there.)