What We Do in the Shadows is a hangout show now
Much of the comedy behind it What we do in the shadows is just how boring things can get for those who live forever. The foursome of Staten Island vampire roommates are centuries old and hilariously mundane too; an episode of the series is generally built around learning something new.
At least, that’s how it is now. With its fifth season premiering this week, FX’s What we do in the shadows is firmly in its hangout era. Previous seasons had something more, shall we say, bite – it was always primarily a joke machine, but it also had compelling things to say about America for those who wanted to delve into such things. From the first few episodes of Season 5 made available to critics, each episode is built around something new for the vampire crew to try for the first time, such as the mall or a men’s evening.
It’s a bit of a normcore reset after last season’s increased focus on hijinks. Laszlo (Matt Berry), Nandor (Kayvan Novak) and Nadja (Natasia Demetriou) are back to their bickering status quo, energy vampire Colin Robinson (Mark Proksch) is back to normal after a season-long rebirth and working in the service industry, and everyone ignores Guillermo (Harvey Guillén), Nandor’s faithful acquaintance.
However, Guillermo is the show’s biggest change in the status quo this season, with the premiere focusing on the fallout from last season’s cliffhanger, in which he asked a friend to turn him into a vampire after growing impatient with the endless promises of Nandor. It is here, with Guillermo, where What we do in the shadows is the most fun, as the unintended consequences of his request begin to spill out and complicate the show’s set dynamics.
Otherwise, What we do in the shadows managed to stay funny, but it also feels less focused. Where in previous seasons an episode left you wanting more (Laszlo’s short-lived “Jackie Daytona” alias, for example), Season 5 feels full of missed opportunities. The mall premiere? We don’t spend much time on it. Does Colin Robinson have a service job? Mentioned only in passing. An episode centered around a Pride parade – something the show should have field day with – spends way too much time on what is arguably the least funny subplot of the series.
Still, none of this feels like an existential threat to the show, because What we do in the shadows‘ incredibly strong cast has such a rock solid hold on their characters. The funniest moments are often when Nandor, Laszlo, and Nadja are just starting to toast each other (or Colin Robinson), because they’re about as well established with the public at that point as they are with each other.
It’s the most that the show has felt like a traditional sitcom, but a very Good An. In this version of the show, the characters are mostly just having fun: Laszlo impersonates Nandor in a cold opening, Nandor is criticized for using so much hypnosis that the entire Staten Island neighborhood might become “dumber and dumber”, and Nadja’s ghost pop (it’s complicated) is trying to get a new body in which to have sex – from a Build-a-Bear Workshop.
Maybe What we do in the shadows could use the kind of catalyzing kick that would bring a happy ending, but the sitcom-y mode the show has fallen into isn’t the worst for now. Living forever can be fun. It can also get old.