Whether we asked for it or not, FX chose to greenlight a television adaptation of the same name as the 2014 cult film What We Do In The Shadows. Surprisingly, dipping into the past for inspiration pays off well, especially if you found yourself a fan of its source material.
Synopsis: The vampires try to plan a lavish blood feast in honor of a visit by their ancient master from the Old Country. (IMDB)
Writers: Jermaine Clement, Stefani Robinson, and Tom Scharpling
Director: Taika Waititi
Rating: TV-MA
Running Time: 30mins
Airs: Wednesdays at 10pm on FX Canada (Canada)/FX (United States)
WWDITS follows Nando (Kayvan Novak), Nadjia (Natasia Demetriou), Laszlo (Matt Berry) and Colin Robinson (Mark Proksch), vampires who all live together. Nando is accompanied by his familiar, Guillermo (Harvey Guillén), who is tasked with assisting with the vampire’s daily routines of preying on the living at night and sleeping during the day while also cleaning the house, blacking out the windows and disposing of used bodies.
Nandor served as the faux-leader of the household, Nadjia and Laszlo have a long history as semi-lovers but the position of best vampire is reserved for Colin Robinson. Colin is a special species of vampire who possesses psychic energy that enables him to drain the life out of anyone he engages with just by talking to him. He is able to walk in the sunlight and holds a regular 9 to 5 office job which he cleverly refers to as his “hunting grounds.”
The first episode focuses on the household attempting to plan a large welcome party for a Baron from Europe who is vampire royalty. In an effort to impress him, the house is decorated and their are special virgins brought in for feeding (which Guillermo lures from a local LARP session). Upon his awakening, the Baron discovers that the vampires who were sent hundred of years ago to this place in order to conquer it have instead assimilated into its culture. The Baron’s disappointment is followed by a stern command to conquer the land that they inhabit, which is Staten Island, or else. This decree seems to be the premise for the series going forward.
Overall, there really isn’t much in the first episode of WWDITS than what has already been in the film. However, with the episodic approach it also frees up some of the more successful moments from the movie to be explored at greater lengths in the series. The series does offer some promising moments that will hopefully continue. Personally, it was easy to laugh uncontrollably at Colin Robinson who is portrayed as THAT guy from the office that almost everyone can understand. It was a clever twist to something truly haunting for anyone with an office job that can relate.
What We Do In The Shadows ultimately provides a decent pilot episode with hope for what lies ahead. As of now, WWDITS still has to more to accomplish but does have the potential for the kind of moments that will surely keep most viewers coming back.
Score: 7/10
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Trying my best to get all thoughts about TV and Film out of my head and onto the interweb.