If you grew up loving Hocus Pocus, you need to be watching FX’s What We Do in the Shadows. Like the Sanderson Sisters, the series follows a (chosen) family of dark creatures trying to make sense of our modern times. Nandor, Laszlo, Nadja, the Nadja Doll, Colin Robinson, The Guide, and their familiar Guillermo are all back in Season 5, premiering Thursday, July 13th.
(Pari Dukovic/FX)
Did Guillermo (Harvey Guillén, Mickey Mouse Funhouse) get transformed into a vampire at the end of Season 4? That’s the lingering question in the air as Season 5 begins. Nadja (Natasia Demetriou, Stath Lets Flats) not only lost her nightclub but also crushed the legs of Nadja Doll and displaced The Guide (Kristen Schaal, Bob’s Burgers). Laszlo (Matt Berry, Great Expectations) is unexpectedly brought closer to Guillermo, which ignites feelings of FOMO in Nandor (Kayvan Novak, Cruella), who is otherwise dismissive of his loyal familiar. And energy vampire Colin Robinson (Mark Proksch, The Great North) is once again a grown man and going where he can constantly feast – public office.
What We Do in the Shadows’ sense of identity has never been stronger. The writing is sharp, setting up plot points that continuously pay off by the final act of each episode. And with each actor knowing their character’s inside and out, the cast routinely pulls comedy out of moments that would’ve been mundane in lesser hands.
The show works best when these eccentric characters are forced to interact with the modern human world. The season premiere, titled “The Mall,” takes the gang to a world of mortal sensory overload. Nadya and Nadya Doll visit a store where stuffed animal carcasses can be filled and dressed in trendy styles. And Nandor, in search of a present for his familiar, thinks there must be a “Guillermo’s Gifts” somewhere since there’s a whole store full of items a person named Spencer would love.
Each episode of What We Do in the Shadows makes you laugh so hard that all of the blood rushes to your head, the preference for vampires everywhere. It’s like the edgy, TV-MA evolution of The Adams Family or The Munsters. So gather your familiars together Thursday nights for a batty fun time this summer.
Season 5 of What We Do in the Shadows premieres with two episodes on Thursday, July 13th at 10/9c, with new episodes on Thursdays at that same time. New episodes will be available to stream on Hulu on Fridays.