With just four episodes left in its first season, the TV adaptation/continuation of What We Do in the Shadows gets a season 2 renewal from FX. Long in development, the pseudo-sequel to Taika Waititi and Jemaine Clement’s 2014 mockumentary of the same name finally premiered on the cable network in late March, earning positive reviews for the writing and the cast, which includes, Matt Berry (The IT Crowd), Kayvan Novak (Four Lions), Natalie Demetriou (Sick Note), and Beanie Feldstein (Booksmart).
In addition to the terrific ensemble cast, the series also has the benefit of Waititi and Clement’s creative vision as director and writer, respectively. That is readily apparent in the first few episodes, which go to great lengths to set up the sometimes uncomfortable roommate situation the various vampires live in, along with Guillermo (Harvey Guillén), the human familiar of Nandor the Relentless (Novak). In addition to the usual squabbles between housemates, the show digs deep into the seemingly infinite banality of vampire life in, of all places, Staten Island.
All of this has resulted in comedy gold, and a hit for FX, with the premiere episode garnering 2 million viewers across all platforms. As such, it’s probably not too surprising that the network would want more, and in an official statement, FX co-president of original programming Nick Grad had this to say about the series and its season 2 renewal.
“Jemaine Clement, Taika Waititi and Paul Simms have more than delivered on the high expectations of Shadows fans by adapting the cult classic for television and building a passionate base of new and returning fans. We also want to thank the rest of the creative team, including Scott Rudin, Garrett Basch and Eli Bush, and the incredible cast and crew for delivering such a fun and original series, and we look forward to working with them all on season two.”
With the series now set to continue into season 2, it will be fun to see what guest stars the show can wrangle up for the next 10 episodes. This season has already featured appearances by Nick Kroll (Big Mouth), Vanessa Bayer (SNL), and a multi-episode stint by Doug Jones (Star Trek: Discovery). Perhaps season 2 will find the vampires of Staten Island running into even more of the famously undead.
What We Do in the Shadows continues this Wednesday with ‘The Trial’ @10pm on FX.