What We Do In The Shadows Season 6 Review: The Final Bite Is Bloody Good Fun

While the equally delightful "Eagle vs Shark" and "Boy" positioned Taika Waititi as one of the strongest cinematic voices out of New Zealand, it was "What We Do in the Shadows" that turned him into an international superstar. The mockumentary about a group of vampires living together and carrying out their daily lives wasn't just a laugh-out-loud success, it was, as /Film writer Jeremy Mathai describes, "a parody and a satire that borders on farce, but underneath such slapstick joys, it's also a deeply melancholic ode to finding acceptance among those who help make life worth living in the first place." Five years after the film charmed horror fans the world over, FX announced a TV series adaptation with a new gaggle of bloodsuckers, characters that I'd argue have since surpassed the beloved vamps from the film.

There's Nandor the Relentless (Kayvan Novak), a centuries-old Persian vampire who was once a warrior in the Ottoman Empire, the mouthy and sexually charged married couple Laszlo Cravensworth (Matt Berry, who is long overdue for an Emmy) and Nadja of Antipaxos (Natasia Demetriou) + the doll possessing the ghost of Nadja, daywalker energy vampire Colin Robinson (Mark Proksch), Nandor's former familiar/current tenant/sometimes vampire hunter Guillermo (Harvey Guillén), and the unnamed Guide from the Vampiric Council (Kristen Schaal). Season 6 brings a new face to the fold, Jerry the Vampire (Mike O'Brien), a former roommate who they have let sleep for 50 years because they forgot to wake him up.

FX only provided the first three episodes of season 6 for critics, a bittersweet decision as it's difficult to truly "review" a show's final season without actually seeing how things come to an end — but a kind of kindness as I still have a few more months left with my favorite creatures of the night. If the three episodes I've seen are any indicator, "What We Do in the Shadows" will end just as strongly as it started and has maintained for the last 5 years.

When we last saw the Staten Island vamps and Guillermo, Nandor had just kicked Patton Oswalt off a roof after he convinced him to repair his friendship with his human familiar. Having finally been given what he'd always dreamed of — being turned into a vampire — Nandor promises to treat him as an equal, but Guillermo can't kill. He's not cut out for this vampire business and elects to return to his life as a human familiar. In season 6, Guillermo has moved out of the main house and into one of the guest spots on the property, making Nandor his landlord instead of his master. While Guillermo is done working as a familiar, he's gotten another job he's had a lifelong passion for — working at Panera Bread — before getting a "real job" in the mailroom of a corporate gig. But as is standard, Guillermo remains the voice of reason. He knows that Jerry sucks, but he can't make the rest of his vampire family see the truth. They have to do it for themselves.

The dynamic shift feels like what the show has been building toward the entire time. Nandor is forced to be a bit more independent, Guillermo isn't enabling those around him, and without a human to boss around, Laszlo has to find something else to do to fill his time when he's not hunting or being horny. On that note, if Matt Berry isn't rightfully awarded an Emmy for the final season of "What We Do In the Shadows," I will personally do a s*** on all of the graves of those who failed to recognize his brilliance. No disrespect to Jeremy Allen White who has been dominating in the Lead Actor in a Comedy category for "The Bear," but Matt Berry is legitimately the funniest actor currently on TV, and the lack of acknowledgment feels downright criminal. He's already firing on all cylinders for season 6, and Laszlo's antics are some of the best they've been in the entire series. He and Colin Robinson spend much more time together than usual, and I now need someone to greenlight a new series inspired by "The Odd Couple" starring Berry and Proksch.

"What We Do in the Shadows" coming to an end after six seasons feels fitting, and the knowledge of the show's end ahead of time gave the creative team plenty of time to write a proper send-off. At the same time, the mockumentary style and the subjects' immortality offered the space for this show to last for as long as the performers were willing to keep playing. But the TV comedy landscape will soon have an unfillable void. "What We Do With the Shadows" isn't a mindless comedy by any means, but it also isn't trying to be a "message" show or a prestige drama moonlighting as a comedy.

It's a show that takes an admittedly silly premise, loads it up with over-the-top characters, injects it with plenty of inappropriate one-liners, and guides audiences to find the heart beneath the dick jokes and blood-soaked violence. And it's because, despite their centuries of walking among humans, these fools still have so much to learn. It's a weirdly refreshing reminder that we mere mortals with infinitely less time to experience life need to embrace going with the flow, not sweating the small stuff, and being content with knowing that we're all just idiots trying our best. When entertainment historians look back on the 2020s, "What We Do in the Shadows" will certainly be remembered as one of the absolute best shows of the era and one that hopefully ends on the best note possible. To say farewell, I'm going to modify the last line of Bram Stoker's "Dracula," as spoken by Van Helsing: "Later on, they will understand how many so loved the show, that they did dare much for its sake."

Adios, vamps. Thanks for being our best friends, our pals, our home boys, our rotten soldiers, our sweet cheeses, and our good-time boys.

/Film Rating: 7.5 out of 10

"What We Do in the Shadows" season 6 premieres October, 21, 2024 on FX. Stream on Hulu.