“What We Do in the Shadows” is a TV show about vampires living in Staten Island, and it never once loses its sense of humor. Created by the team behind “Flight of the Conchords,” the series follows Nandor, Nadja, Laszlo, Colin Robinson, and later, Neil, as they navigate modern life, bad dates, and the occasional supernatural threat. It is a show about immortals who are also deeply human, and it commits fully to both sides of that contradiction.
Trailer, via FX Networks.
Vampires Who Are Just People
The strength of the show is its refusal to treat its characters as monsters in the traditional sense. Nandor, played by Kayvan Kasaei, is a fussy ex-banshee who misses his old powers. Nadja, played by Natasia Demetriou, is a glamorous socialite with a sharp tongue. Laszlo, played by Matt Berry, is a nobleman who has spent centuries mourning his dead wife. Each of them carries a history that makes their modern struggles feel earned rather than forced.
The show also leans heavily on physical comedy. A vampire’s need to avoid sunlight becomes a recurring gag, not a grim rule. The characters stumble, scream, and sometimes burst into flame, and the show finds genuine laughter in those moments without losing sight of the emotional weight beneath them.
The Staten Island Setting
The show’s setting is a small apartment building on Staten Island, New York. This choice is clever because it grounds the supernatural in the mundane. The vampires live among humans, watch daytime TV, and argue over whose turn it is to clean the dishes. That intimacy is what makes the show work. The supernatural elements feel less like spectacle and more like the natural order of things.
The show also does not shy away from its own absurdity. There are episodes where the characters attend a vampire convention or deal with a new vampire moving in across the hall. These episodes are pure fun, and they work because the show trusts its audience to enjoy the joke without explaining it.
A Cast That Carries It
The ensemble cast is uniformly excellent. Matt Berry brings a theatrical energy to Laszlo that makes him both tragic and ridiculous. Kayvan Kasaei plays Nandor with a nervous energy that borders on panic. Natasia Demetriou delivers a performance that is both cold and warm in equal measure. The chemistry between the three leads is the engine of the show, and it rarely stalls.
The show also introduces new characters over time, including Neil, played by Nick Mohammed, who joins the group late in the series. Each addition changes the dynamic, and the show handles these shifts with grace. The show never feels like it is treading water, even when it repeats its central premise across multiple seasons.
A Season Breakdown
| Season | Episodes | Main Storyline |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 8 | Introduces the core group and sets up the Staten Island apartment |
| 2 | 10 | Expands the world with a vampire convention and new threats |
| 3 | 10 | Adds Neil to the group and deepens the stakes |
The Verdict
“What We Do in the Shadows” is a show that knows exactly what it is. It is a comedy about vampires, but it is also a comedy about being alone, about missing the past, and about finding a place in the world. It is funny, warm, and surprisingly moving. The show has earned its reputation, and it deserves its place among the best comedies currently on television.
The show’s willingness to commit fully to both its horror and its comedy is what makes it stand out. It is a show that can make you laugh and then make you feel sorry for a vampire who just lost his lunch. That balance is rare, and it is why the show works as well as it does.
The show has been renewed for a fourth season, which means the characters will continue to evolve. For now, the first three seasons stand as a complete, cohesive piece of television that rewards repeated viewing.
Get the Notebook.
The day's best stories and every fresh verdict, in plain English, in your inbox by seven. One email a day, no more.
