FX’s ‘What We Do in the Shadows’ has developed a healthy cult following, especially since arriving on the FX on Hulu platform. It scored multiple Emmy nominations including in the Outstanding Comedy Series category, and a remarkable THREE nominations in the writing category for the episodes “Collaboration,” “Ghosts,” and “On the Run.”
As part of the lead-up to the Emmys, showrunner Paul Simms discussed writing Season 2 and when Season 3 might begin filming.
Simms told The Hollywood Reporter:
“I think the main drive to the second season [began] at the end of the first season. We painted ourselves into a corner with the revelation that Guillermo (Harvey Guillén) was a vampire slayer. When we did that, we were like, “Yeah, we’ll figure out the rest later.” A lot of season two was making sure we followed through with that story. And then it became a really fun story that turned Harvey Guillén into an action hero. It’s always a combination of wanting to do big and exciting visual comedy, things that you wouldn’t ordinarily see on a half-hour, and then balance that with my favorite parts of the show, which is when it’s just the five characters sitting around in their living room talking, bickering, arguing. Which doesn’t sound as exciting, but those are always my favorite scenes.”
‘What We Do in the Shadows’ was renewed for a third season in May, shortly after its second season had aired. Unfortunately, Simms isn’t really sure when they show will actually be able to resume production.
“If everything had gone according to plan, we would have started shooting in Toronto in September. We’re still trying to figure out if that is proven and safe and doable, and how much time it would take. This is not a contemporary show where people are wearing normal clothes and looking like themselves. I mean, Natasia needs a team of three people to get her into her costume and at least one person standing near her at all times to pick her up if she falls over, because the skirts are so heavy. And the makeup is not something that the actors can do themselves. So we’re really trying to figure that out.”
That’s the same problem facing nearly every TV series and movie at the moment. While some have gone back into production, it’s been a slow and gradual process, as some areas have reopened only to shut back down.
The first two seasons of ‘What We Do in the Shadows’ are available to stream on FX on Hulu.
