The FX TV show What We Do In the Shadows introduced the Vampire Council in season 1. The council included famous celebrity vampires. Trailers for season 3 of the series show the vampire housemates take over the vampire council, and hilarity ensues.
[Spoiler alert: This article contains spoilers for seasons 1-2 of What We Do In the Shadows.]
What We Do In the Shadows executive producers Paul Simms and Stefani Robinson spoke about the third season in a Television Critics Association Zoom panel. Here’s what to look forward to when What We Do in the Shadows returns Sept. 2 and we’ll have more with the cast and creators all season.
Where ‘What We Do In the Shadows’ Season 3 picks up
At the end of season 2, Guillermo (Harvey Guillen) slayed the vampire council. That left a big opening which the housemates — Nandor (Kayvan Novak), Laszlo (Matt Berry), Nadja (Natasia Demetriou) and Colin (Mark Proksch) — can fill.
“I think probably early on this season it’s a way to explain how we can resolve the fallout, I guess, of what Guillermo did in the theater,” Robinson said. “But also I think it’s a great engine for the rest of the season. It’s just sort of rife with conflict, and I think it expands their role a little bit more. But it just sort of felt like a natural progression from where we left off last season.”
The vampire council gives ‘What We Do In the Shadows’ more comedy
What We Do in the Shadows follows the mundane household lives of the four vampires and their familiar, Guillermo. Giving them actual responsibility only makes it funnier.
“It also just, I think, seemed funny to us that these this group of vampires who can’t even really get along with each other are given a position of power where they’re sort of making judgments on other vampires and struggling with each other,” Simms said.
The vampires all have different leadership styles
What you’ll come to find out on What We Do In the Shadows is that the vampire council brings out strong feelings in each character.
“Nandor, though he’s a relentless warrior, when it comes to ruling he’s a little more merciful,” Simms said. “Nadja is a little more bloodthirsty and wants to rule with an iron fist. Laszlo says he did not become a vampire to be a paper pusher and doesn’t give a sh-t about official vampire organizations. Colin Robinson is very happy to be the secretary and take the minutes, which is the most boring job in any organization. And Guillermo is behind them all whispering and trying to play a game of chess about who controls what and how he can get a little more respect and power himself.”
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Simms added that discovering those character moments was a bonus that came after they decided on the storyline.
“I don’t know if we started with that, but that’s where it ended up,” Simms said. “It made it very fun about sort of fleshing out the characters more.
