What We Do in the Shadows is a comedy masterpiece. I love it more and more every re-watch, and I
now believe it should be higher in my list for favorite movies of 2015. It’s unfortunate that it hasn’t had any
sequel yet, and will probably not have one in the near future. However, this year, a spin-off TV series
called Wellington Paranormal is
released.
Framed in the same mockumentary
setup as What We Do in the Shadows, Wellington Paranormal follows Officer
Kyle Minogue (Mike Minogue) and Officer O'Leary (Karen O'Leary) – the two incurious
police officers that showed up in What We
Do in the Shadows – as they investigate paranormal cases in Wellington, New
Zealand, which the film had shown to be somewhat of a hub for supernatural
beings such as vampires and werewolves. Some
minor characters from the film also show up in a few episodes, while Maaka
Pohatu plays Sergeant Maaka, the superior officer of Minogue and O’Leary.
Taika Waititi is credited as creator and executive producer of the show, but I don’t think he has any direct creative involvement to it. However, his What We Do in the Shadows collaborator Jemaine Clement does, as he has a couple of directing and writing credits on top of being creator/executive producer. Thus, there’s legitimacy to the show, which is apparent anyway in the humor and style.
Wellington Paranormal is not as hilarious and witty as What We Do in the Shadows, but it’s
still hilarious and witty. But the best
episodes are definitely those that Clement had a hand on (especially the pilot
episode), while the rest, though still enjoyable, are a bit noticeably wobblier. Nevertheless, overall, fans of the movie – especially
those who had hoped to see the formula applied on supernatural beings other than
vampires – will likely find this spin-off TV series a delightful treat. I did.
Season one only had six
episodes. But the second season, which
will air next year, is set for 13. Great!
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