One of the best shows that has ever been on television just ended its run and the world hardly noticed.
What We Do in the Shadows is the ultimate “If you know, you know” and, for those of us who watched and loved the show, we will miss it terribly and appreciated every second of its brilliant existence. And, for those of you who don’t know it—yet—there is still time to discover this strange, weird, dark, bonkers and insanely genius show made by some of the most creative, talented, imaginative and twisted artists working today.
Please don’t be put off by the premise: four vampires share a house in Staten Island. Sounds weird, right? Sounds dark and twisted, right? Sounds like Taika Waititi, right? Right on all 
counts. The show was co-created by Jermaine Clement and Waititi, based on their 2014 film of the same name. In adapting the film into a series, they add the familiar (and overused?) trope of having the story be filmed by a documentary crew, the same narrative trick (crutch?) used by shows like The Office and Modern Family, which allows the audience to get an outsider’s point-of-view of the characters and the stories.
Unlike The Office and Modern Family, however, WWDITS actually leans into the documentary trope much more, even carrying it through to the very end, wrapping it up in the finale incredibly poignantly, using it to simultaneously highlight the series’ warmth and heart along with its total meaninglessness. It’s a brilliant juxtaposition only WWDITS could pull off.
But, long before it ends, the series gave us six glorious seasons of that meaningless warmth, of stupidity, of dark comedy, of twisted, narcissistic and clueless characters doing hilarious things, of brilliant actors finding new levels of nuance and writing that soars to new heights of the bizarre, the bold, the insanely dumb, and the so-funny-it-hurts magic.
There is so much to say about this show, from the best-looking and detailed sets you can imagine, to the Emmy-winning costume design, to all the crazy guest stars that pop up, to the special effects and stunts that look so expensive that you cannot believe are happening in a half-hour comedy on Hulu. But, please….if you choose to ignore all of that, which I find impossible to do, what you absolutely cannot ignore with What We Do in the Shadows are the performances.
Matt Berry, Kayvan Novak, Natasia Demetriou, Mark Proksch and Harvey Guillen deliver performances that defy the brain they are so brilliant, funny and textured. If you love actors, if you love comedy, you must appreciate what these actors do on this show, their total commitment to the bit is astounding and it pays of every single time. It all works only because of how they play off each other. Guillen deserves much of the praise for being the glue that holds it all together. The show could easily spiral into camp without his earnestness and his character’s warmth and heart. He allows the other actors to swirl around him and key into their finest comedy stylings, and Guillen brings the entire chorus together.
It saddens me to know there will be no more new episodes of What We Do in the Shadows. But I will do all I can to spread the word and get new fans of this show wherever I can. The premise is a tough sell, people don’t like dark comedies about vampires, I get it. But, seriously, when a show is this good, you just may have to overlook little things like plot, story and subject matter.
What We Do in the Shadows. All six seasons are now streaming on Hulu. You are out of excuses.