The vampiric ridiculousness will continue in Season 2 of FX’s comedy ‘What We Do In The Shadows’. FX has released a clip from an upcoming episode as a teaser, and it depicts Guillermo (Harvey Guillén) entertaining the vampires with a randy puppet show. Laszlo and Nadja seem delighted. After all, it’s their story. But Nandor is irritated, but that’s nothing new.
It’s probably best if you just watch for yourself:
‘What We Do In The Shadows’, based on Taika Waititi and Jemaine Clement’s 2014 movie of the same name, is a mock-reality show that follows the exploits of New York-based vampires — Nandor played by Kayvan Novak, who originated in the Ottoman Empire; Lazlo (Matt Berry), an English vampire, who was revealed to have been Jack the Ripper (as well as a former porn star) in S1; and Nadja (Natasia Demetriou), the Eastern European vampire that turned Lazlo. They also share their home with Colin Robinson (Mark Proksch), an energy vampire who feeds off the boredom of humans and vampires alike. (Waititi and Clement appeared in S1 as Viago and Vladislav, their characters from the film.)
In addition to all the vampires, the show also features Guillén as Guillermo, Nandor’s familiar who wants nothing more than to be made into a vampire, something that Nandor hangs over his head, but does not deliver, choosing to keep him dangling. Among the twists delivered in the first season is the revelation that Guillermo is actually a descendant of the vampire-slaying Van Helsing clan.
Expect that to lead to a much more physically demanding role in Season 2, beyond puppeteer, as Guillén told Rotten Tomatoes:
“I’m just like, ‘Wow, another curveball for Guillermo for this season!’ Last year, we placed him in a very uncomfortable scenario where it’s like, he’s basically a slave to his master, but also has dreams and aspirations, and finds out in the cliffhanger that he has Van Helsing in his blood.
“I’m glad to report that, even though I had a stunt double who went to work every day and was ready to go in full-on Guillermo costume and everything, he never went on. I literally did all my stunts for the season with the exception of one stunt that they wouldn’t let me do for insurance purposes.”
It sounds as though one of those fight scenes will be with guest-star Haley Joel Osment, who appears in the first new episode as Topher, Nadja and Lazlo’s new familiar.
As Osment told EW:
“Topher is instantly a hit with everyone, except Guillermo [Harvey Guillén]. He’s a threat to his position in the house. The vampires don’t treat Guillermo well, and here comes Topher with so many qualities they admire. This creates a lot of tension. The house is a dangerous place and some things happen to him. Luckily, the vampires don’t care and they still keep him around, even if he’s a limb short.”
The wait won’t be long. ‘What We Do In The Shadows’ returns to FX next month on Wednesday, April 15 at 10/9c. The first season is available to binge on Hulu.
