'Wellington Paranormal' Is a Solid 'What We Do in the Shadows' Spin-Off

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!