What We Do in the Shadows season 5 review: It’s a hangout show now

Comedy is an important part of this film. What We Do In The ShadowsThe only thing that can make living forever boring is how mundane life becomes for the immortals. A typical episode revolves around the four vampire roommates who live in Staten Island. They are all old, but also hilariously dull.

At least, that’s how it is Now,. With its fifth season premiering this week, FX’s What We Do In The ShadowsIt is now firmly in the hangout age. The previous seasons were a little more… You can also click here to learn more about — it was always a joke machine first and foremost, but it also had compelling things to say about America for those who cared to dig into such things. Of the first few episodes of season 5 that were made available to critics, each is built around a new thing for the vampire crew to try for the first time, like the mall or a guys’ night.

It’s a bit of a normcore reset following last season’s increased focus on hijinks. Laszlo (Matt Berry), Nandor (Kayvan Novak), and Nadja (Natasia Demetriou) are back to their bickering status quo, energy vampire Colin Robinson (Mark Proksch) is back to normal after a season-long rebirth and working in the service industry, and everyone is ignoring Guillermo (Harvey Guillén), Nandor’s loyal familiar.

Guillermo, however, is the biggest change to the show’s status quo this season, with the premiere focusing on the fallout from last season’s cliffhanger, in which he asked a friend to turn him into a vampire after growing impatient with Nandor’s endless promises. It’s here, with Guillermo, where What We Do In The Shadows is most fun, as the unintended consequences of his request begin to spill out and complicate the show’s set dynamics.

Otherwise, What We Do In The ShadowsIt is funny but also less focused. Where in previous seasons an episode may have left you wanting more (Laszlo’s short-lived “Jackie Daytona” alias, for example), season 5 feels full of missed opportunities. The mall from the premier? We don’t spend much time in it. Colin Robinson doing a job in service? Mentioned briefly. An episode centered on a Pride parade — something the show should be having a Field Day with — cedes far too much time to what might be the series’ least funny subplot.

But none of it feels as if the show is in danger. What We Do In The Shadows’ The cast is so strong and they have such an incredible grasp of their characters. Its funniest moments are often when Nandor, Laszlo, and Nadja just start roasting each other (or Colin Robinson), because by this point they’re about as well-established with the audience as they are with each other.

It’s the most the show has felt like a traditional sitcom, but a very You can also check out our Facebook page. one. In this version of the show, the characters are mostly just having fun: Laszlo impersonates Nandor in one cold open, Nandor is criticized for using hypnosis so much that the entire borough of Staten Island might be getting “dumber and dumber,” and Nadja’s ghost doll (it’s complicated) tries to get a new body she can have sex in — from a Build-a-Bear Workshop.

Perhaps What We Do In The Shadows could use the kind of catalyzing kick that a proper ending would bring, but the sitcom-y mode the show has fallen into isn’t the worst thing for now. Living forever is fun. It is also possible to get older.