What We Do In The Shadows

By the time you read this, What We Do In The Shadows, FX's vampire mockumentary series, will have concluded its third excellent season. I don't know why people aren't talking about this show constantly. Every episode is hilarious. The five central performances are all tremendous, and the guest stars are delightful. It's a true feel-good show about a bunch of assholes who will never die and the weirdos they encounter as they roam the Earth (but mostly Staten Island).

This season of What We Do In The Shadows was defined by the feeling of dissatisfaction. Nandor pines for happiness. Nadja craves power. Guillermo is desperate for acceptance. The Nadja doll wants attention. Colin Robinson seeks out a sense of his own history. The idea of a search for meaning and change has really resonated with me throughout the pandemic. Even at its best, this 20-month stretch has been characterized by a feeling of: AGAIN WITH THIS SHIT? STILL? I often say to friends that I love WWDITS because it illuminates nothing about the human experience, but that's not quite accurate. I love it because it transposes real human pathos onto petty, horny, stupid, mean, hilarious vampires and their associates.

This pitch is simple! What We Do In The Shadows is full of great performances, jokes, and production value. It has a totally unique vibe but is also completely accessible and delightful from episode one on. There are now three seasons to catch up on, which is plenty, but not too much. Plus, the show has mercifully avoided being the subject of any internet discourse about how the thing you like is bad, actually, and you're stupid for liking it. WWDITS is one of two pieces of entertainment that provokes universally positive responses when I bring it up online. The other is Mitch Hedberg's standup, which makes sense. Both are weird, specific works of comedy that surprise you with their very existence but also are loved by all who encounter them.