What We Do in the Shadows is nearing its end, but if Taika Waititi had his way, it would have stopped years ago.
As What We Do in the Shadows nears the end of its sixth and final season, fans are looking back at just how successful it was in adapting a well-loved movie into more than 60 hours of bloodsucking hilarity. But if it seems surprising to us, Taika Waititi really can’t believe it, sucking the energy out of it faster than Colin Robinson.
Waititi, who co-wrote and co-directed the original What We Do in the Shadows movie, suggested that FX has milked the property for what feels like an eternity, saying, “This went on for far too long, but I’m proud of it. I thought that the movie, when we were making the movie, I said to Jemaine [Clement], ‘This feels like this is like a five-minute idea that we’re stretching out into a movie.’ Next thing, we made six seasons of the same idea.”
That “same idea” worked incredibly well not just in 2014’s What We Do in the Shadows but also the show, which has remained consistent in its six-season run. While the characters do have their defining traits that they carry throughout the series, to say it’s a one-trick bat is a total disservice to the series. And to think that the show is going out on such a high note (our TV critic Alex Maidy gave the final season a 9/10) is pretty incredible and shows the dedication the writers, directors and cast have to it.
While Taika Waititi had a lead role in the What We Do in the Shadows movie as – ready for this? – Viago von Dorna Schmarten Scheden Heimburg, he has only appeared in three episodes of the show, also directing three in the first season. That not only gave others a chance to run with the characters and story but also Waititi a break from the makeup. “My favorite memory was not having to put vampire teeth in, and making other people do it. That was probably my favorite thing. And also, just these guys were possibly funnier than us.”
I definitely don’t think What We Do in the Shadows has overstayed its welcome, seeing it as a perfect expansion of the movie that also introduced some hilarious characters. Bat!
