Item: What We Do in the Shadows
Rating: 9
Author: Alex Maidy

Plot: In the sixth and final season of the Emmy-nominated comedy, Nandor, Nadja, Laszlo, Colin and Guillermo will enter the workforce, visit New Hampshire, go to a human dinner party, fête The Baron and conjure a demon — all while trying to find their place and their purpose in this crazy, mixed-up world.

Review: Since it debuted in 2019, What We Do In The Shadows has consistently been one of the funniest television shows. Taking a cue from the mockumentary film of the same name starring Jemaine Clement and Taika Waititi, What We Do In The Shadows has followed the Staten Island-based vampires Nandor (Kayvan Novak), Laszlo (Matt Berry), Nadja (Natasia Demetriou), energy vampire Colin Robinson (Mark Prosch), and Nandor’s familiar Guillermo (Harvey Guillen) as they have explored the day to day life of the bloodsuckers and their interactions with the human world. The series has been consistent in tone and style and has developed a broad narrative over the years. Now that the series is coming to an end, the show is as funny as it has ever been. With new cameos and characters, revisited plot elements from prior seasons, and the same biting sense of humor, the final season of What We Do In The Shadows never misses a beat.

Over the first five seasons of What We Do In The Shadows, there has been a recurring mention of the mission for the vampires to take over North America, something they have failed to do for decades. In the first episode of this season, the housemates realize their fifth roommate, Jerry (Mike O’Brien), has been in a deep sleep since the 1970s and awaken him. Jerry calls out everything that the vampires have not accomplished in the last five decades which prompts them all to reevaluate what they have done with their lives. In the first three episodes of the final season, they all try to get back to tasks they dropped when Jerry went to sleep, providing the writers and cast the chance to probe back into the quirks and misadventures of this crew while still keeping the focus on standalone episodic tales connected with an overall thread leading to the series finale.

While you would think that it would become difficult to keep storylines fresh, especially when you set the season-long narrative to be about what happened in the past, What We Do In The Shadows is still just as funny as ever. Mark Prosch continues to shine, and Colin Robinson takes a more prominent role each successive season. The series does also revisit Laszlo’s sex addiction, porn collection, and scientific exploits while Nandor contemplates his Relentless title and Nadja remains frustrated by the idiotic men surrounding her. We even got a visit from Baron Afanas (Doug Jones) and The Sire, who have always provided fun moments. Kristen Schaal remains a main cast member this season, but The Guide has limited screen time in the first trio of episodes, something the plot indicates will expand in the remaining chapters. While I won’t spoil anything that happens in these first episodes, they are overall a strong opening for the final season that seems like any other season and not contemplative or focused on ending the storylines of these characters.

The last two seasons of What We Do In The Shadows have closed with a feeling of completion to the character arcs, only to return for another solid year of adventures for these characters. The first three episodes this season strike a balance between the characters bickering and in-fighting within their mansion, with the second episode venturing outside of the home and into a workplace. I have always been lukewarm about the vampires interacting in public places, as it borders on ridiculous, but this season works within the plotline being developed for Guillermo. It is also interesting that this season directly addresses the documentary crew that has been chronicling the vampires since the first episode, which leaves me wondering if What We Do In The Shadows will reveal anything about the filmed footage as they did in the final season of The Office. I hope they do not and just let the season end with some questions left unanswered.

Kyle Newachek and Yana Gorskaya each directed five episodes of the final season, with DJ Stipsen on one episode, bringing the final season to a total of eleven episodes rather than the ten in each of the first five seasons. Writers include returning scribes Paul Simms, Sam Johnson, Sarah Naftalis, Marika Sawyer, Jake Bender, Zach Dunn, Max Brockman, William Meny, Shana Gohd, Rajat Suresh, Jeremy Levick, Amelia Haller, and Lauren Wells, with producers and series creators Jemaine Clement and Taika Waiititi not returning to help close out the final season of the show. Regardless, this talented creative group has managed to mine this concept consistently for over half a decade without ever wasting an episode. I know these first three chapters do not go nearly far enough into the season’s overall arc, but they set things up well, and I never once felt like the cast or crew were giving anything less than their best effort. The jokes are strong, and these actors know their roles inside and out, which makes this series the best comedy on the air next to It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia.

While only the first three episodes of the final season of What We Do In The Shadows were made available for this review, it is impossible to judge how the series finale will or will not wrap things up. Based on how these opening episodes nail every joke and set up the narrative direction for the last run of the series, I am confident that What We Do In The Shadows will leave fans happy with where Nandor, Laszlo, Nadja, Colin Robinson, and Guillermo will be in their journey to take over North America. Few shows have remained this funny over six seasons, with many series continuing too long with diminishing returns. By going out on top, What We Do In The Shadows sets itself up to be considered one of the funniest sitcoms of all time and leaves the door open to revisit these characters in the future.

The final season of What We Do In The Shadows premieres on October 21st on FX.