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What We Do in the Shadows

ワット・ウィー・ドゥ・イン・ザ・シャドウズ

Watto Wī Du In za Shadōzu

Profile

Gender
Unknown
Nationality
United States
Languages
English

Career

Occupations
television series, comedy horror, entertainment
Active Years
2019-2024
Affiliations
Two Canoes Pictures (seasons 1–2), 343 Incorporated, FX Productions (FXP), FX (network)
Influenced By
Fright Night (film), Martin (1978 film), The Lost Boys, Nosferatu, Interview with the Vampire, Vampire's Kiss, Bram Stoker's Dracula (1992 film)
Influenced
Influence on modern comedy-horror shows and mockumentary-format productions
Nominations
Primetime Emmy Awards — Outstanding Comedy Series (multiple nominations: 2020, 2022, 2024, 2025), Writers Guild of America Awards — Comedy Series (nominated), Critics' Choice Television Awards — Best Comedy Series (nominated)

Awards

Hollywood Critics Association Midseason Awards — Best Cable Network Series (New or Recurring)
2020
Work: What We Do in the Shadows
Category: Best Cable Network Series (New or Recurring)
Organization: Hollywood Critics Association
Result: Won
Art Directors Guild Awards — Excellence in Production Design for a Half Hour Single-Camera Television Series
2021
Work: Episodes: "Resurrection", "Collaboration", "Witches"
Category: Production Design (Half-Hour Single-Camera)
Organization: Art Directors Guild
Result: Won
Casting Society of America (Artios) — Television Series – Comedy
2021
Work: What We Do in the Shadows (casting)
Category: Casting – Television Series, Comedy
Organization: Casting Society of America (Artios)
Result: Won
Critics' Choice Super Awards — Best Actress in a Science Fiction/Fantasy Series
2021
Work: Natasia Demetriou (as Nadja) / What We Do in the Shadows
Category: Best Actress in a Science Fiction/Fantasy Series
Organization: Critics' Choice Association
Result: Won
GLAAD Media Awards — Outstanding Comedy Series
2023
Work: What We Do in the Shadows
Category: Outstanding Comedy Series
Organization: GLAAD
Result: Won
Satellite Awards — Best Genre Series
2024
Work: What We Do in the Shadows
Category: Best Genre Series
Organization: International Press Academy (Satellite Awards)
Result: Won
American Cinema Editors Awards — Best Edited Single-Camera Comedy Series
2025
Work: Episode "Sleep Hypnosis"
Category: Best Edited Single-Camera Comedy Series
Organization: American Cinema Editors (ACE)
Result: Won
Primetime Emmy Awards — Outstanding Comedy Series
2020
Work: What We Do in the Shadows (Season 2)
Category: Outstanding Comedy Series
Organization: Primetime Emmy Awards (Academy of Television Arts & Sciences)
Result: Nominated

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

What We Do in the Shadows

2019 Comedy horror, Fantasy, Mockumentary

A mockumentary-style comedy horror set on Staten Island following a group of vampires and their human familiar. The series examines immortality, friendship, cultural adaptation and identity through absurdist humor and satire.

immortality and lonelinessgeneration gaps and cultural clashidentity and acceptancehousehold/roommate dynamics as familysatire and parody
Adaptations
  • [Original film] What We Do in the Shadows (2014 film) / Taika Waititi, Jemaine Clement (2014)

Bibliography

  • Season 1 (2019)
  • Season 2 (2020)
  • Season 3 (2021)
  • Season 4 (2022)
  • Season 5 (2023)
  • Season 6 (2024)

Adaptations

  • Wellington Paranormal (spin-off series)
  • What We Do in the Shadows (2014 film: original source)

Style & Themes

Literary Style
mockumentary format (documentary-style filming/editing)dry, ironic humordialogue-driven improv-style comedypractical, in-camera visual effects
Recurring Motifs
clash between old vampire tradition and modern culturedomestication of roommate relationships into familyironic treatment of authority and titlesrecurring treatment of bodily themes (immortality, decay, rebirth)

Legacy

Adapted from a film, the series achieved critical acclaim for its unique mockumentary blend of comedy and horror. With numerous major nominations and awards (including multiple Emmy nominations and guild wins), it became a notable example of modern TV comedy-horror and secured recognition for its craft and production.

Archives

  • FX Networks archives
  • Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (Emmys) archives

In Popular Culture

  • Characters and lines have become internet memes
  • Popular in cosplay and fan events
  • Frequently cited as an influence on comedic treatments of vampire fiction

Quotes

  • “We stay pretty basic '70s/'80s vampire rules, with a little bit of '30s. They can turn into bats. They can't go in the sunlight; they don't sparkle in the sun, they die. They have to be invited in.”
    Source: Jemaine Clement (interview, IGN) (2019)
  • “Delightfully absurd and ridiculously fun, the series expands on the film's vampiric lore and finds fresh perspective in its charming, off-kilter cast.”
    Source: Rotten Tomatoes (critical consensus) (2019)

Trivia

  • The series is adapted from a 2014 New Zealand film of the same name.
  • It has received numerous Emmy nominations (the article references a total of 35 Emmy nominations) and won several industry awards.
  • The opening theme is "You're Dead" by Norma Tanega (1966).
  • Principal photography for some seasons took place in Toronto, Canada.
  • The show concluded with its sixth season (2024) as its final season.
  • Features many high-profile guest stars (Tilda Swinton, Wesley Snipes, Mark Hamill, Alexander Skarsgård, etc.).