I was lucky enough to see an advanced screening of the pilot for What We Do in the Shadows, the television spin-off of the cult classic film from Jemaine Clement and Taika Waititi. I was also asked not to review the episode, and I have not!
But I can share a few first impressions below.
It’s amazing! If you liked the film, the show has the same quirky humor that made the film so special. The pilot was written by Clement, who will also be writing on the subsequent episodes. The show expands on the world of the film in a way that makes sense, and the new characters immediately become their own creations, with their own lives and arcs, completely separate from the drama in Wellington.
Probably the best thing I can say is that the Comic-Con audience roared with laughter from beginning to end—including the press area. The opening half hour of the show was some of the most inventive and fun TV I’ve seen since The Tick, and it created a finely-tuned balance between horror and humor that worked perfectly as a way to take the world from the big screen to TV.
I am also extremely excited to see where they take the characters, and how they continue developing this weird little universe they’ve created. I’ll admit that coming into the show I wasn’t quite sure it was going to work as an ongoing series, but this opening episode was so fun and self-assured that I can’t wait to tune in.
The series is set to hit FX next year, and will feature Kayvan Novak, Matt Berry, Natasia Demetriou, and Harvey Guillen—who are all, as I mentioned, perfect.
This is GREAT news! I love the movie. It’s that kind of comedy that gets better when revisited.
I hope The Beast is back!
At first I thought this article was about the actual WWDITS spin-off Wellington Paranormal which has already aired it first season and has been renewed for a second.
This seems to be a US adaptation of WWDITS, which, while I hope its not, seems more than likely to run into the same issues we’ve had with US adapted commonwealth shows in the past like Being Human, Skins, Rake, etc.
Hopefully it is better than the teaser photo. Unless this guy is supposed to be helpless with a bow this pose is pretty awful. Arrow is on the wrong side of the bow, nocked incorrectly , drawn back only part way too a lousy rest… I’ve taught cub scouts to do better.
More Matt Berry, I’m excited!
I saw WWDITS way back at SxSW, when it was just being released in the States. I loved it, and tried to get people to watch this rather obscure film. So glad to see the interest in it grow over the years, and I think a TV show that expands this world is a great idea. This teaser whets my appetite for this new version!
@2- Gul Dukat: I found Wellington Paranormal a big MEH. Hopefully, this is better.
I saw this and was intrigued by the title and screencap. Unfortunately, I’ve never heard of this movie before today. I get that you were asked not to review it, but you’ve left those of us who know nothing about it in the dark. Is it fantasy? …horror? …general adventure? Without a bit more intro, you’ve left me hanging enough I felt inclined to leave this comment… but not enough to do a five second google search of the film.
@@@@@#3 Dan
If he’s as old as he’s supposed to be for the story, then not all of this is as hopeless as it may at first seem. Ancient archers held the arrow on the same side of the bow as the draw hand for instance. It only became common to place the arrow on the opposite side when archery was re-invented as a hobby during the 18th century. The four finger draw could be from training to keep multiple arrows in the draw hand as was practiced by many cultures. The Saracens used this technique to enable them to fire 3 arrows 69 meters in 1 & 1/2 seconds. It’s hard to tell what’s going on with the half draw without the context though.
As an archery instructor here’s a link with some info and demo videos that you might find interesting: https://boingboing.net/2015/01/23/watch-incredible-archer-shows.html
@7 – Andrew: “What We Do In The Shadows” is a comedy about three vampire roommates in Wellington, NZ. Hilarious, check out a trailer and if you like what you see, watch it. I think it’s on Netflix.