What We Do in the Shadows (TV series)
What We Do in the Shadows | |
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![]() Promotional poster | |
Genre | |
Created by | Jemaine Clement |
Based on | |
Starring |
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Composer | Mark Mothersbaugh |
Country of origin | United States |
Original language | English |
No. of seasons | 1 |
No. of episodes | 1 (list of episodes) |
Production | |
Executive producers |
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Producer | Joanne Toll |
Production locations | Toronto, Ontario |
Running time | 28 minutes |
Production companies |
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Original release | |
Network | FX |
Release | March 27, 2019 present | –
What We Do in the Shadows is an American comedy horror television series, based on the 2014 film of the same name written by Jemaine Clement and Taika Waititi, that premiered on March 27, 2019, on FX. The series follows three vampire roommates living in New York City and it stars Kayvan Novak, Matt Berry, Natasia Demetriou, Harvey Guillen, and Mark Proksch.
Premise
What We Do in the Shadows is set in Staten Island and follows "three vampires who have been roommates for hundreds and hundreds of years". After an unexpected visit from their ancient Master of the old country, they must find a way to conquer Staten Island for the vampire race before he awakens from his slumber.[1]
Cast and characters
Main
- Kayvan Novak as Nandor, a vampire who was once part of the Ottoman Empire. He thinks of himself as the leader of the group.
- Matt Berry as Laszlo, an English nobleman vampire who was bitten by Nadja and as of now is her lover.
- Natasia Demetriou as Nadja, a female vampire and Laszlo's lover. She is secretly seeing a mortal man who she believes is her last lover reincarnated.
- Harvey Guillen as Guillermo, Nandor's familiar. He has served his master for 10 years in order to become a vampire just like the fictional vampire Armand.
- Mark Proksch as Colin Robinson, an energy vampire. He will drain humans (and vampires) of their energy by boring or enraging them. He'll sometimes uses his workplace as a "Hunting Ground" to replenish his hunger. He is also a daywalker, which makes him free to roam at day-time and night-time.[2]
Recurring
- Doug Jones as Baron Afanas, an ancient vampire from the Old Country who wants vampires to rule the world. Both Nadja and Laszlo (who share the same secret) had a sexual affair with The Baron. He now sleeps in the trio's attic and shall awake when they succeed on their mission.
- Beanie Feldstein as Jenna and Hayden Szeto as Jonathan, two LARPer friends that Guillermo lured for the vampires to feast on. However, Colin beat them by draining all of their energy, making both of their blood taste bitter.
- Jake McDorman as Jeff Suckler, a mortal man Nadja secretly sees without Laszlo's knowledge. She believes that he might be her reincarnated lover Gregor, who she accidentally decapitated during their last encounter.
Episodes
No. | Title [3] | Directed by | Written by | Original air date [3] | Prod. code | U.S. viewers (millions) |
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1 | "Pilot" | Taika Waititi | Jemaine Clement | March 27, 2019 | XWS01001 | 0.617[4] |
2 | "City Council"[5] | Jemaine Clement | Paul Simms | April 3, 2019 | XWS01002 | N/A |
3 | "Werewolf Feud"[6] | Jemaine Clement | Josh Lieb | April 10, 2019 | XWS01004 | N/A |
4 | "Manhattan Night Club"[7] | Jemaine Clement | Tom Scharpling | April 17, 2019 | XWS01003 | N/A |
5 | "Animal Control"[8] | Jackie van Beek | Duncan Sarkies | April 24, 2019 | XWS01008 | N/A |
Production
Development
On January 22, 2018, it was announced that FX had given the production a pilot order. The pilot was written by Jemaine Clement and directed by Taika Waititi both of whom are also executive produces alongside Scott Rudin, Paul Simms, Garrett Basch, and Eli Bush.[9] On May 3, 2018, it was announced that FX had given the production a series order for a first season consisting of ten episodes, planned to premiere in 2019.[1] On February 4, 2019, it was announced during the Television Critics Association's annual winter press tour that the series would premiere on March 27, 2019.[2]
Casting
Alongside the pilot order announcement, it was confirmed that Kayvan Novak, Matt Berry, Natasia Demetriou, and Harvey Guillen would star in the pilot.[9] On February 7, 2018, it was announced that Doug Jones, Beanie Feldstein, Jake McDorman, and Mark Proksch had been cast in the pilot in roles that had the potential to recur should the production receive a series order.[10] On April 11, 2018, it was reported that Hayden Szeto had been cast in the pilot.[11]
Filming
Principal photography for the series took place from October 22 to December 18, 2018 in Toronto, Ontario.[12]
Release
Marketing
On October 31, 2018, a series of teaser trailers for the series were released.[13] On January 10, 2019, another teaser trailer was released.[14] On February 4, 2019, the official trailer for the series was released.[2]
Premiere
On October 7, 2018, the series held a panel at the annual New York Comic Con moderated by Rolling Stone's Alan Sepinwall and featuring co-creators Taika Waititi and Jemaine Clement, along with fellow executive producer Paul Simms. Before the panel began, the first episode of the series was screened for the audience.[15] The world premiere for the series was screened during the 2019 South by Southwest film festival in Austin, Texas as a part of the festival's "Episodic Premieres" series.[16]
Reception
Critical response
On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the series has an approval rating of 94%, based on 49 reviews, with an average rating of 7.78/10. The website's critical consensus reads, "Delightfully absurd and ridiculously fun, What We Do in the Shadows expands on the film's vampiric lore and finds fresh perspective in its charming, off-kilter cast to create a mockumentary series worth sinking your teeth into."[17] On Metacritic, it has a weighted average score of 80 out of 100, based on 28 critics, indicating "generally favorable review".[18]
Ratings
No. | Title | Air date | Rating (18–49) |
Viewers (millions) |
DVR (18–49) |
DVR viewers (millions) |
Total (18–49) |
Total viewers (millions) |
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1 | "Pilot" | March 27, 2019 | 0.2 | 0.617[4] | TBD | TBD | TBD | TBD |
References
- ^ a b Andreeva, Nellie; Petski, Denise (May 3, 2018). "'What We Do In The Shadows' Reboot From Jemaine Clement & Taika Waititi Gets FX Series Order". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved May 3, 2018.
- ^ a b c Petski, Denise (February 4, 2019). "'What We Do In The Shadows': FX Vampire Comedy Series Unveils Trailer, Sets Premiere Date -TCA". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved February 4, 2019.
- ^ a b "What We Do in the Shadows – Listings". The Futon Critic. Retrieved March 9, 2019.
- ^ a b Metcalf, Mitch (March 28, 2019). "SHOWBUZZDAILY's Top 150 Thursday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 3.27.2019". Showbuzz Daily. Retrieved March 28, 2019.
- ^ "(#102) "City Council"". The Futon Critic. Retrieved March 9, 2019.
- ^ "(#104) "Werewolf Feud"". The Futon Critic. Retrieved March 21, 2019.
- ^ "(#103) "Manhattan Night Club"". The Futon Critic. Retrieved March 21, 2019.
- ^ "(#108) "Animal Control"". The Futon Critic. Retrieved March 26, 2019.
- ^ a b Andreeva, Nellie (January 22, 2018). "'What We Do In The Shadows' TV Series Reboot From Jemaine Clement & Taika Waititi Gets FX Pilot Order, Sets Cast". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved May 3, 2018.
- ^ Otterson, Joe (February 7, 2018). "Doug Jones Among Four Cast in 'What We Do in The Shadows' Pilot at FX (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved August 30, 2018.
- ^ Foutch, Haleigh (April 11, 2018). "Hayden Szeto on FX's 'What We Do in the Shadows' Pilot & Improvising with Taika Waititi". Collider. Retrieved August 30, 2018.
- ^ "Current Productions | IATSE 873". IATSE 873. Archived from the original on January 29, 2019. Retrieved January 29, 2019.
- ^ Romano, Nick (October 31, 2018). "FX's 'What We Do in the Shadows' teasers reveal Taika Waititi TV series". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved January 16, 2019.
- ^ Collis, Clark (January 10, 2019). "'What We Do in the Shadows' TV show premiering in March". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved January 16, 2019.
- ^ Holub, Christian (October 7, 2018). "'What We Do in the Shadows' TV series premieres first episode at New York Comic Con". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved October 8, 2018.
- ^ N'Duka, Amanda (January 16, 2019). "SXSW: Seth Rogen/Charlize Theron Comedy, Matthew McConaughey's 'The Beach Bum' Among 2019 Feature Lineup". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved January 18, 2019.
- ^ "What We Do in the Shadows: Season 1 (2019)". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved March 29, 2019.
- ^ "What We Do in the Shadows (2019): Season 1". Metacritic. CBS. Retrieved March 27, 2019.