Here's Everything Fans Should Know About FX's New Series 'What We Do In The Shadows'
Time to pull the strings of garlic and wooden stakes out of storage, because vampires are back. Although, unlike Bram Stoker's Dracula or even the sparkly vampires of the Twilight series, these are some modern vampires who are of an entirely different ilk. The trailer for FX's new show What We Do In The Shadows has dropped and is already getting comedy fans excited. The series is based on the 2014 movie of the same name and is being helmed by the same movie directors, writers, and stars, Jemaine Clement and Taika Waititi. Fans have waited years for more of Clement's and Waititi's light-hearted blood-sucking characters, and luckily they won't have to wait too much longer. Along with the trailer, FX revealed when What We Do in the Shadows will premiere, and it's pretty soon. The FX series is set to premiere Wed. March 27.
The original 2014 movie stars Clement, Waititi, and Jonathan Brugh as three ancient vampires living in modern-day New Zealand and navigating life as undead roommates. It's a mockumentary-style movie that chronicles the mundane day-to-day activities of these not-so-mundane supernatural creatures. The upcoming FX series will follow the same mockumentary-style format, only this time audiences will be following three new vampires (played by Kayvan Novak, Matt Berry, and Natasia Demetriou) as they navigate life in today's New York City. You can check out the trailer below:
Now that these vampires live in a modern-day city instead of an old European castle, their problems are much more relatable to your average viewer. These vampires don't have to worry about villagers hunting them as much as they have to worry about their roommates leaving half-dead humans in the kitchen and making a huge mess or their capes getting caught in taxis. Of course, there is the human assistant (Harvey Guillen) who can try to make things easier for his vampire bosses, but there's only so much he can do.
The What We Do in the Shadows trailer also introduces a new concept called "the energy vampire." These vampires aren't looking for blood; they're more interested in boring you to the point of utter exhaustion or frustration. If this sounds exactly like the boring guy in the cubicle next to you at your office, you're exactly right. The trailer shows a mopey energy vampire dragging his feet through a typical office, and putting his coworkers to sleep, just like an average coworker might... only this guy is apparently a vampire. It's the perfect example of the mix of relatable humor and out-there supernatural elements thatWhat We Do In the Shadows does so well.
Clement is no stranger to successful TV shows. His last series, Flight of the Conchords, was on HBO for two seasons and led to a world tour concert of songs from the series. Meanwhile, Waititi directed the Marvel movie Thor: Ragnorak, which was the best-reviewed Marvel movie and received praise specifically for its smart humor. So, if Clement and Waititi's previous projects are any indication of the caliber of their future work, What We Do in the Shadows is likely to be a big hit.