News

Network: The CW

Episodes: 25 (half-hour)

Seasons: Four

TV show dates: July 11, 2021 -- August 31, 2022

Series status: Ended

Performers include: Mike Minogue, Karen O'Leary, Maaka Pohatu, Thomas Sainsbury, and Lynda Topp.

TV show description:

A comedy-horror mockumentary series, the Wellington Paranormal TV show was created by Jemaine Clement and Taika Waititi. The program is a spin-off of the 2014 What We Do in the Shadows film and the TV series of the same name that followed.

The story follows the adventures of Officer Kyle Minogue (Minogue) and Officer O’Leary (O'Leary). The pair are hard-working members of the Wellington constabulary’s paranormal unit who, under the supervision of Sergeant Ruawai Maaka (Pohatu), investigate supernatural occurrences that arise in the capital of New Zealand on a...

Vulture Watch

The officers' adventures are nearly over. Has the Wellington Paranormal TV show been cancelled or renewed for a fifth season on The CW? The television vulture is watching all the latest cancellation and renewal news, so this page is the place to track the status of Wellington Paranormal, season five. Bookmark it, or subscribe for the latest updates. Remember, the television vulture is watching your shows. Are you?  

What's This TV Show About?

Airing on The CW television network, the Wellington Paranormal TV show was created by Jemaine Clement and Taika Waititi. The program is a spin-off of the 2014 What We Do in the Shadows film and the TV series that followed. The show stars Mike Minogue, Karen O'Leary, and Maaka Pohatu. The story follows the adventures of Officer Kyle Minogue (Minogue) and Officer...

We don't have to wonder if Wellington Paranormal will be cancelled or renewed this time around. It's already been announced that season four is the end for this imported series. But, could the characters return one day in a new series or, for a fifth season of Wellington Paranormal? Stay tuned.

A comedy-horror mockumentary series on The CW, the Wellington Paranormal TV show was created by Jemaine Clement and Taika Waititi. The program is a spin-off of the 2014 What We Do in the Shadows film and the TV series that followed. The show stars Mike Minogue, Karen O'Leary, and Maaka Pohatu. The story follows the adventures of Officer Kyle Minogue (Minogue) and Officer O’Leary (O'Leary). The pair are hard-working members of the Wellington constabulary’s paranormal unit who, under the supervision of Sergeant...

The Wellington Paranormal TV series originates in New Zealand and the comedy has already been renewed for a fourth and final season there. The series finale aired in March. Though this show draws low ratings on The CW, will the U.S. network air the final season anyway? Stay tuned. *Status update below.

A comedy-horror mockumentary series, the Wellington Paranormal TV show was created by Jemaine Clement and Taika Waititi. The program is a spin-off of the 2014 What We Do in the Shadows film and the TV series that followed. The show stars Mike Minogue, Karen O'Leary, and Maaka Pohatu. The story follows the adventures of Officer Kyle Minogue (Minogue) and Officer O’Leary (O'Leary). The pair are hard-working members of the Wellington constabulary’s paranormal unit who, under the supervision of Sergeant Ruawai Maaka (Pohatu),...

Not to get too bleak at the outset here, but it could be a rough month for many people. As huge swaths of the world stay inside to self-isolate and exhibit social distancing from the Covid-19 pandemic, streaming options will be more useful than ever. Now Hulu is the first to release its new options for April 2020 to help schedule some time in.

Hulu’s only $5.99/month now, grab the deal here!

The biggest get for Hulu and Hulu-users this month is undoubtedly last year’s Oscar winner, Parasite. Bong joon-ho’s masterpiece arrives on April 8 so the late adopters can finally see what all the fuss is about.

Should you want to enjoy something a little less stressful, new seasons of Future Man (April 3) and What We Do In the Shadows (April 16) arrive this month as well. No need to wait for the middle of the month for entertainment...

If you had to sum up the series, “What We Do in the Shadows,” in one word, it would likely be “strange.” And that’s definitely not an insult. It’s just strange that a series about a group of vampires living in the modern Us would be as hilarious as this is. The various characters that are featured in the show are most definitely strange, particularly energy vampire Colin.

Continue reading New ‘What We Do In The Shadows’ Season 2 Teasers Showcase Some Strange Marionette Performances at The Playlist.

What We Do in the Shadows is back with more supernatural shenanigans. FX has released a teaser for the second season of the supernatural comedy series, which returns in April. But while we’re still a month out from the return of What We Do in the Shadows, the teaser gives us a little update as to […]

The post ‘What We Do in the Shadows’ Season 2 Teaser Puts on a Sensual Puppet Show appeared first on /Film.

We all know that a certain degree of faithfulness to the original material matters when it comes to adaptation, but how much does it, really?

“Watching the Artemis Fowl trailer left me feeling a way I haven’t felt in a while. The older I get, the less evangelical I am about the accuracy in how much film adaptions are like their source material. Reverence to the material doesn’t mean a good film, and sometimes things work better when your mind can imagine the horror while reading than actually putting demonically possessed hedges in a film.”

Read more at The Mary Sue.

We’re getting not one but two Charlie and the Chocolate Factory shows on Netflix, both to be created by Taika Waititi.

“The filmmaker behind What We Do in the Shadows (2014) and Jojo Rabbit (2019) is at work adapting one of the most famous children’s books of all time.

Taika Waititi has been tasked with launching Netflix’s animated Roald Dahl Universe – a gig that will manifest with Two series adaptations based on the legendary author’s Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.

Netflix has tapped Waititi – who’s coming off a recent Best Adapted Screenplay Oscar win for JoJo Rabbit – to write, direct and executive-produce the two original shows, each of which will explore distinct sides of Dahl’s most famous literary offering, the two-time-movie-adapted 1964 novel, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. One series will be a straight adaptation of the traditional story and characters, with the other set to focus on candy man Willy Wonka’s diminutive helpers, the cautionary-song-singing Oompa-Loompas. As Netflix describes of its plans:

“The shows will retain the quintessential spirit and tone of the original story while building out the world and characters far beyond the pages of the Dahl book for the very first time.

Pretty quickly, Taika Waititi went from being the guy that released a new film every couple of years, pleased his rabid following, and then went back and started work on something new. Now, in a post-“Thor: Ragnarok” world, Waititi is working seemingly non-stop, scoring big with a superhero film that almost made more than $850 million, an Oscar-winning WWII satire (“Jojo Rabbit”), a hit FX series (“What We Do In The Shadows”), a new sports comedy (the upcoming “Next Goal Wins”), a superhero sequel (“Thor: Love & Thunder”), “The Mandalorian” Disney+ series, a couple of other TV projects, and maybe even a “Star Wars” film.

Continue reading Taika Waititi To Write & Direct Two Animated ‘Charlie & The Chocolate Factory’ Series For Netflix at The Playlist.

Netflix has tapped Taika Waititi to deliver an animated spin on Roald Dahl’s “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.” The “Jojo Rabbit” helmer will write, direct, and executive produce two series for the streamer, one based on the world and characters of the 1964 children’s book and the other centered entirely around the Oompa-Loompas, the small-in-stature workers who populate Willy Wonka’s chocolate factory.

Netflix promises the shows will “retain the quintessential spirit and tone of the original story while building out the world and characters far beyond the pages of the Dahl book for the very first time.” The series mark the beginning of what the streamer calls an extensive partnership between Netflix and The Roald Dahl Story Company, which will include reimagining beloved stories by the late British author, including “Matilda,” “The Bfg,” “The Twits,” and more.

Waititi, who most recently offered a twisted-yet-sunny Nazi satire in the Oscar-winning “Jojo Rabbit,...

Taika Waititi is partnering with Netflix on a pair of animated series — one based on the world of “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” and another based on the Oompa-Loompa characters.

Waititi, who won an Academy Award for the “Jojo Rabbit” adapted screenplay, will write, direct, and executive produce both projects. The two “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” movies were based on the 1964 children’s novel by Roald Dahl about the adventures of young Charlie Bucket inside the chocolate factory of Willy Wonka.

The Oompa-Loompas are small humans who were preyed upon in Loompaland before Wonka invited them to work at his factory. They are paid in cocoa beans and are also mischievous, loving practical jokes and singing songs.

“The shows will retain the quintessential spirit and tone of the original story while building out the world and characters far beyond the pages of the Dahl book for the very first time,...

In the wake of winning the best adapated screenplay Oscar for Jojo Rabbit, Taika Waititi is attached to write, direct, and executive produce two original animated series for Netflix based off Roald Dahl’s Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. The first will be based on that book’s characters, and the second is a wholly original take on the Oompa-Loompas. While capturing the spirit of Dahl’s book, both series will build out the world beyond the author’s pages.

Waititi’s boarding these two series reps the start of an extensive partnership between Netflix and The Roald Dahl Story Company, which plans to reimagine many of his beloved stories including Matilda, The Bfg, The Twits, and others. They will join a growing slate of Netflix animated family pics including Oscar nominated Klaus from Sergio Pablos, The Willoughbys from Kris Pearn and Over The Moon from Glen Keane in 2020.

“I...

FX’s What We Do In The Shadows season 2 premieres on April 15th. And today we have your first look at The Sixth Sense star Haley Joel Osment as Topher, Nadja and Laszlo’s new familiar. Check out the new still […]

The post First Look: Haley Joel Osment in What We Do in the Shadows S2 appeared first on Dread Central.

Stars: Elijah Wood, Stephen McHattie, Madeleine Sami, Martin Donovan, Michael Smiley | Written by Toby Harvard | Directed by Ant Timpson

Directed by Ant Timpson in his feature directorial debut, based on his idea and written by Toby Harvard (The Greasy Strangler), Come to Daddy is a New Zealand film project. It stars Elijah Wood (Lord of the Rings), someone not unfamiliar with New Zealand film work, as Norval Greenwood, a thirty-something musical artist who travels to a cabin in the middle-of-nowhere and attempts to reconnect with his father.

Stephen McHattie plays Gordon, a wonderfully manic and unpredictable man, played with a real tension that creates discomfort and awkwardness in the scenes between himself and Norval in the early stages of the movie. Norval begins as a cocksure and almost arrogant character with a past shadowed with demons of alcoholism and self-harm, but as the film progresses and the relationship between father and son grows and adapts,...

Haley Joel Osment is doing more than seeing dead people — he will be one of them in season 2 of FX’s What We Do in the Shadows. The supernatural mockumentary series has debuted its first look at the new season, and Osment is front and center as one of the undead who proves himself a hit […]

The post ‘What We Do in the Shadows’ Season 2 First Look: Haley Joel Osment Sees Dead People, Again appeared first on /Film.

If you know Matt Berry from his most famous roles — such as The It Crowd’s idiot boss Douglas Reynholm, Toast of London’s pompous struggling actor Steven Toast, or the preening and lascivious vampire Laszlo on What We Do in the Shadows — talking to him over the phone is sort of like meeting his un-evil twin. Where his characters are outrageous and inappropriate, Berry is circumspect and gentlemanly. While they pronounce every word as if they’re doing Shakespeare in the Park, with a ponderous theatricality, his signature rich...

Exclusive: Lacretta is set as a series regular opposite Chris Messina and Ari Graynor in FX’s single-camera comedy pilot from Atlanta and What We Do in the Shadows executive producer Paul Simms.

Written by Simms, the untitled comedy is about a family surviving a widespread technological crisis. Lacretta will play Nancy, a humorous immigrant from Grenada who now is the nanny for the son of Hunt (Messina) and Rachel (Graynor).

Simms executive produces with M. Blair Breard. FX Productions, where Simms is under an overall deal and Breard has a first-look pact, is the studio. Baskets co-creator/executive producer Jonathan Krisel directs.

Lacretta played a major supporting role in Peter Segal’s romantic comedy Second Act, starring Jennifer Lopez, Leah Remini and Milo Ventimiglia. On television, she played the series-regular role of Bouncy in the ABC drama pilot Salvage from writer-producer Don Todd. Her other credits...

There are few people alive with Matt Berry’s line delivery skills. When he’s not leaning into the lofty, roller-coaster cadence that’s led to scene-stealing parts on “The It Crowd,” “Toast of London,” and most recently the TV version of “What We Do in the Shadows,” he’s an actor with a gift for raised eyebrows and comedic directness that can turn both short proclamations and impossibly syllable-d word chunks into the most dependable punchlines.

So it’s always a treat to see him take on a role that affords those talents a front-and-center spot. The latest TV project to do so is “Year of the Rabbit,” a period detective comedy that aired last summer on Channel 4 and makes its stateside debut this week on IFC. Berry stars as Di Eli Rabbit, a street-savvy detective dispensing with his own brand of pre-forensics sleuthing in 1880s London.

Rabbit’s methods are unconventional,...

David Crow Feb 18, 2020

Taika Waititi will direct and co-write a new Showtime horror-comedy series that stars Jude Law. It also has a killer premise...

It’s fair to say that Taika Waititi’s Oscar win for Best Original Screenplay is not slowing him down. Quite the opposite, in fact. For we learned Tuesdsay that Waititi is developing a new half-hour comedy series over at Showtime and it already has Jude Law attached to star. Truly the work of The Auteur, indeed.

While Showtime stopped short of ordering Waititi’s The Auteur to series, they have commissioned several episodes worth of scripts, indicating a series pickup is likely. It probably helps it has the added star wattage of Jude Law also attached. The series is set to be co-written between Waititi and Peter Warren (2016’s Ghost Team), with Waititi also directing at least the first episode of the show. The setup...

Showtime has confirmed development of half-hour series The Auteur, starring Jude Law (The Young Pope) and directed by newly minted Oscar winner Taika Waititi (Jojo Rabbit), who will also write with Peter Warren (Ghost Team). Signaling its intention to pick up the project to series, the network has ordered multiple scripts of The Auteur, produced by Showtime and Legendary with Endeavor Content serving as studio.

Based on the graphic novel by Rick Spears, James Callahan and Luigi Anderson, The Auteur is described as a gonzo horror-comedy, a twisted romance and a glamorous, high wire act of biting satire. In it, desperate to make a great horror movie after a massive bomb, a film producer accidentally traps his production on a backlot with a serial killer.

“The Auteur unites the wildly imaginative filmmaker Taika Waititi and the barbed wit of Peter Warren with the undeniable Jude Law in a bloody love...

“Lord of the Rings” director Peter Jackson said he and his countrymen are “devastated” in the wake of Friday’s mosque shootings in New Zealand, which left 49 dead and many more injured. Jackson — the first and only New Zealand filmmaker to win the Academy Award for Best Director, a feat he achieved with 2003’s “The Return of the King” — most recently helmed the well-received “They Shall Not Grow Old,” a World War I documentary in which he colorized and restored existing footage of what was once dubbed the War to End All Wars.

“New Zealanders are devastated,” Jackson said in a statement to Variety. “Our hearts go out to all those who have been harmed by this cowardly act of hate. Kiwis stand united in our love and support for our fellow Muslim brothers and sisters. We will do whatever we can to help them heal and rise above this terrible tragedy.

Welcome to The Witching Hour! Collider’s horror podcast, co-created and co-hosted by Horror Editor Haleigh Foutch and Senior Editorial Producer Perri Nemiroff. This week, Haleigh and Perri catch up on a few reviews. First, Perri gives her thoughts on Jordan Peele's Us, fresh off of its SXSW debut. Then they dive into the latest TV series to keep an eye on; FX's What We Do in the Shadows series from Taika Waititi and Jemaine Clement and Starz's bonkers new Gregg Araki series Now Apocalypse. Finally, Perri recaps her SXSW Midnighters and Haleigh previews What …...

FX has shared four new TV spots for the hilarious looking FX vampire comedy series What We Do In The Shadows. The series comes from Taika Waititi and Jemaine Clement who brought us the 2014 mockumentary film that the series is based on.

This upcoming series focuses on a set of new characters, who are a different group of vampires from the movie. This new group of vampires are living together in Staten Island and the other boroughs. All of the new promo spots have one thing in common, they all feature the vampire’s butler Guillermo and the tasks that he performs for his vampire masters.

Here’s a synopsis that was released for the series:

“Much like the movie, the series follows three vampires who live together: Laszlo (Matt Berry), Nadja (Natasia Demetriou), and Nandor (Kayvan Novak) — the former two are husband and wife. Also living with them is...

Rosie Fletcher Mar 12, 2019

Lords of Chaos is a story about a Norwegian black metal band which morphs into a horrifying true crime tale.

Warning: this review contains some spoilers for Lords Of Chaos and discusses possibly triggering subject matter.

Norwegian Black Metal, friendship, murder and the sheer joys of shouting "Haaaaiiiilllll saaaaaattttaaaann" at unsuspecting passersby are at the heart of Lords of Chaos, a highly unusual true-crime biopic wearing the satanic garb of a horror movie. Far funnier than you’d expect, it’s the incredible true story of the band Mayhem, created by a guy calling himself Euronymous, in Oslo in the 1980s and how his hubris and desire to generate a mythology around the band led to super dark times for all involved.

Directed by Swede Jonas Åkerlund, who made Netflix’s recent disappointing crime thriller Polar and is best known for making music videos (he did Madonna...

Apple’s series adaptation of Terry Gilliam’s cult fantasy film Time Bandits has found its leader: Taika Waititi (Thor: Ragnarok) will co-write and direct the pilot for the in-development project, our sister site Deadline reports.

The 1981 movie told the story of an 11-year-old history buff who stumbles on six dwarfs who have stolen a map that charts all the holes in the space-time fabric. They use the map to hop from one historical era to the next to steal riches, meeting historical figures like Napoleon Bonaparte and Robin Hood along the way. Gilliam is on board as an executive producer for the potential series.

When it comes to news of yet another TV reboot, revival or adaptation, fans often have mixed feelings about one of their most cherished properties being dragged out of the grave. But the announcement that FX was bringing back the 2014 cult mockumentary What We Do in the Shadows as a television series

...

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Other Links From TVGuide.com What We Do in the ShadowsJemaine ClementTaika WaititiPaul SimmsKayvan NovakHarvey GuillenMatt BerryNatasia DemetriouMark Proksch...

Last summer we learned that Apple was working on a series adaptation of the 1981 time traveling fantasy Time Bandits. The movie hails from Monty Python troupe member Terry Gilliam, and now it’s being handed off to a worthy successor. Thor: Ragnarok and What We Do in the Shadows director Taika Waititi has boarded the […]

The post Apple’s ‘Time Bandits’ Series Will Be Co-Written and Directed by Taika Waititi appeared first on /Film.

Taika Waititi is turning his attention to possibly his whackiest project yet.

The “Thor: Ragnarok” director is set to helm Apple’s TV adaptation of Terry Gilliam’s 1981 fantasy flick “Time Bandits,” which is currently in development.

The original film told the crazy, multi-dimensional story of an English youngster, Kevin, who discovers his wardrobe contains a time hole. A group of six dwarfs come through the hole and proceed to lead Kevin on a series of adventures across history, making stops in ancient Greece, the Middle Ages, Napoleonic times and the early 1900s, before confronting Evil when they arrive at the Fortress of Ultimate Darkness.

The film starred Gilliam’s fellow Monty Python collaborator John Cleese, as well as Sean Connery and “The Lord of the Rings” actor Ian Holm.

Apple’s adaptation will be co-produced by Paramount TV, Anonymous Content, and Media Rights Capital. Waititi will direct and co-write the pilot,...

Taika Waititi and Terry Gilliam are officially teaming up for what is now one of the most exciting creative pairings in Hollywood. The “Thor: Ragnarok” and “What We Do in the Shadows” favorite is confirmed to co-write and direct the pilot of “Time Bandits,” the upcoming Apple television series adapted from Gilliam’s 1981 fantasy film of the same name. Gillian is attached to the project as an executive producer. Waititi will also produce alongside Dan Halsted (TBS’ “People Of Earth”).

“Time Bandits” was the first entry in Gilliam’s beloved Trilogy of Imagination, which also includes “Brazil” (1985) and “The Adventures of Baron Munchausen” (1988). The story centers around an 11-year-old boy named Kevin who meets six time-traveling dwarfs and joins them on an adventure through history. The group travels from one historical era to the next, stealing riches and meeting such prominent figures as Napoleon Bonaparte.

Gilliam’s movie has become...

Taika Waititi is developing an adaptation of Terry Gilliam’s 1981 film, “Time Bandits” for Apple as a TV series, an individual with knowledge of production told TheWrap.

Waititi will co-write and direct the pilot for the potential series, which is being co-produced by Anonymous Content, Paramount Television and Media Rights Capital. He also will serve as executive producer alongside Gilliam and producer Dan Halsted.

“Time Bandits” follows the time-traveling adventures of an 11-year-old history buff named Kevin who, one night, stumbles on six dwarfs who emerge from his closet. They are former workers of the Supreme Being who have stolen a map that charts all the holes in the space-time fabric, using it to hop from one historical era to the next in order to steal riches. Throughout the movie, they meet various historical and fictional characters, including Napoleon Bonaparte and Robin Hood, while the Supreme Being simultaneously tries to...

Exclusive: Thor: Ragnarok filmmaker Taika Waititi has boarded Time Bandits, the TV series adaptation of the beloved Terry Gilliam-directed movie, which is in development at Apple.

Waititi will co-write and direct the pilot for the potential series, co-produced by Anonymous Content, Paramount Television and Media Rights Capital. He also will serve as executive producer alongside Gilliam and producer Dan Halsted (People Of Earth).

Apple last summer made a deal for the rights to turn the 1981 fantasy into a TV series. Gilliam’s Time Bandits is a dark, irreverent adventure about imagination, bravery and the nature of our dreams. It follows the time-traveling adventures of an 11-year-old history buff named Kevin who, one night, stumbles on six dwarfs who emerge from his closet. They are former workers of the Supreme Being who have stolen a map that charts all the holes in the space-time fabric, using it to hop from...

French pay-tv group Canal Plus is launching Canal Plus Series, an Ott channel dedicated to scripted shows, which will bow Tuesday with a slightly cheaper subscription fee than Netflix’s in France.

The new Ott service will showcase a mix of Canal Plus original series such as “Spiral,” “Versailles” and the anticipated contemporary half-hour “Vernon Subutex,” and high-profile international shows such as “Killing Eve” and “My Brilliant Friend.” Other series such as “Deadly Class” and the new season of “Gomorra” will also be exclusively available on Canal Plus Series in France

Canal Plus Series’ slate will boast recent Showtime, FX and Studiocanal productions, notably “Billions,” “What We Do in the Shadows” and “The Lawyer,” respectively. Some flagship series such as “”24,” “Dexter” and “The X-Files” will be part of the channel’s offer as well.

As it aims to lure younger demographics, Canal Plus Series will be available as a standalone,...

Canal+ Séries will offer original shows and international acquisitions.

France’s Canal Plus Group has announced details of its new streaming service dedicated to high-end TV drama series, which is due to launch via any of its subscriptions packages via on March 12.

Canal+ Séries will offer a combination of Canal Plus’s highly-regarded Créations Originales shows as well as acquisitions of high-end international series. The move is the latest attempt by the pay-tv giant to re-position itself in France’s premium content market, which has been heavily disrupted by the arrival of Netflix and other global digital players.

Figures released in February revealed Netflix,...

Just eight months after folding its CanalPlay subscription VOD service, CanalPlus is launching its latest Netflix rival, which will be called Canal+Series and stream content from its exclusive content deals with Showtime and FX, as well as CanalPlus' own originals.

That means series including CanalPlus' Versailles, Guyana and the upcoming CanneSeries opener Vernon Subutex will be on the streamer, alongside Showtime's Billions and Smilf and FX's What We Do in the Shadows, The Americans, Sons of Anarchy and Dexter, among others.

It will also feature handpicked global hits, including U.K. Channel 4's Catastrophe and BBC America's Killing Eve. The new season of Italian hit Gomorra will ...

Before “Hunt for the Wilderpeople” and “Thor Ragnarok,” there was the 2014 mockumentary horror comedy “What We Do in the Shadows” that put its co-director and star Taika Waititi on the map and lead to his coveted Marvel gig and now-minted filmmaking career. Marvel knew then what seems like old hat now: Waititi is hysterical and brilliant, and so is the work.

Continue reading ‘What We Do In The Shadows’: FX Series Pilot Is Delicious Fun [SXSW Review] at The Playlist.

Early on in FX’s terrific new comedy What We Do in the Shadows, we overhear what sounds like a typical argument between roommates about leaving food out too long. Only these roommates are also vampires, and instead of a jug of milk left out on the counter, they’re fighting about a human half-drained of his blood. (“Finish a whole victim before moving onto the next one,” one vampire chides the others. “It’s not hygienic!”) It’s this grandly goofy collision of the supernatural and the mundane that makes Shadows such a giddy joy to watch — and maybe...

Entire television series shouldn’t be critiqued on pilots alone, but that’s all What We Do In The Shadows had to offer eager South By Southwest victims (aside from Taika Waititi and Jemaine Clement’s uproarious improv introduction). Episodics often require a few inaugural chapters before hitting momentum strides, and pilots bare the weight of hypnotizing audiences […]

The post ‘What We Do In The Shadows’ Review: New Country, New House, Same Mockumentary Vampire Laughs [SXSW] appeared first on /Film.

“What We Do in the Shadows” is the rare TV comedy that can elicit equal excitement with an episode titles like “City Council” (Episode 2) and “Werewolf Feud” (Episode 3). Hell, it’s one of the few that could even offer such disparate titles, and therein lies the excitement. Jemaine Clement’s TV show is alive with possibilities, and keen to find humor in every corner of its idiosyncratic vampire world. In the first half of its debut season, the creator (along with producers Taika Waititi and Paul Simms) moves rapidly through his new characters, setting, and individual plots, building anticipation as efficiently as he elicits laughs. There’s still room to grow, but Clement’s adaptation gets a lot of the finer touches just right, straight off the bat.

Shot in documentary-style a la “The Office,” “What We Do in the Shadows” examines the mundane existence of immortal roommates. Nandor (Kayvan Novak...

The degree to which the mockumentary format popularized by “The Office” has reinvented television comedy is hard to overstate. It’s not merely the direct-to-camera “confessional”-style interviews, which have grown so familiar on shows like “Modern Family” that they barely register anymore as stylistic choices but just as what comedy is. It’s also the purposeful awkwardness, a showy willingness to indulge a long pause or a furtive glance at the camera that pushes beyond naturalism into its own kind of theatricality.

Which makes “What We Do in the Shadows,” premiering March 27 after a screening at South by Southwest, a clever, if minor-key, twist on the format. Taking place among a circle of vampires, the series (based on a New Zealand film of the same name directed by Jemaine Clement and Taika Waititi) applies a format whose secret weapon is to expose its subjects’ inherent delusions and dramas to...

Real vampires take to reality TV as they plot to take over Staten Island in FX's What We Do in the Shadows.

This is a spoiler-free review.

There are vampires on the island of Staten and they're not just part of the post-Goth scene. Yes, they are fond of glitter and creepy paper but they are not likely to wind up on Creepy Pasta.

The vampires on What We Do in the Shadows don't need fake fangs and are quite capable of transforming into bats, though their sense of direction is a bit off. The nighttime dwellers tend to be drawn to shiny objects like street lamps when in flying rodent form. They also spend an inordinate amount of time and energy engaging in hissing matches. Energy much better spent feeding the day-walking energy vampires who can drain virgins with mundane topics like insurance amortization and every reason why...

TV and SXSW have had a mutually beneficial relationship for more than half a decade. From the premiere of “Girls” in 2012 to the introduction of the Episodic section in 2014 to last year’s “Barry” debut, the Austin-based film festival has expanded beyond network offerings to independent TV screenings as well. Serialized offerings have left their stamp on programming, and the 2019 lineup shows things aren’t slowing down.

But you don’t have to fly to Texas to appreciate all the goodies coming out of this year’s schedule. There’s so much to be learned from this year’s festival, whether it’s what upcoming TV shows to tune in for, the market for indie TV at film festivals, or wise words from the many featured speakers. Heck, at SXSW, even the activations offer insights into exciting work around the corner.

IndieWire has gathered up the most intriguing offerings from...

As the year 2019 continues to just fly by, the SXSW Film Festival is already right around the corner, kicking off on Friday in Austin, Texas. Not only does SXSW boast several impressive studio horror premieres this year, both opening and closing the festival, but it also features a Murderers' Row of talent in their Midnighters slate as well. This writer will once again be on site at the fest representing Daily Dead, and while I am really excited about everything on my docket over the next few weeks, here are 13 things happening at SXSW 2019 that have me especially amped to check out throughout all the film-related festivities.

Us (Director/Screenwriter: Jordan Peele)

I mean, it’s a new horror movie from Jordan Peele featuring a stellar cast oozing with raw talent. What more could I possibly need?

Festival Synopsis: An original nightmare from Oscar-winner Jordan Peele (Get Out), starring Lupita Nyong’o and Winston Duke,...

Exclusive: FX and Scott Rudin are going full Hollywood in their latest project – a drama set in a Hollywood talent agency during the 1980s. The cable network and The Social Network producer are piloting Gone Hollywood, the Mad Men-meets-Entourage story.

Ted Griffin, who created FX’s Terriers and wrote films including Ocean’s 11, is writing and will direct the pilot. Rudin will exec produce with Griffin, Eli Bush and Garrett Basch.

Set in 1980, Gone Hollywood centers on a group of talent agents who defect from an old-guard percentery to found their own, which skyrockets to industry dominance, disrupting the business and changing movies forever. The show will mix its fictional protagonists with real-life entertainment figures and events.

It is the latest project from Scott Rudin for FX after the prolific TV, film and theater producer signed a first-look deal with the cable net. The producer is making Alex Garland’s Devs,...

Sneak Peek new footage, plus images from the upcoming comedy series "What We Do in the Shadows", based on the 2014 film of the same name, adapted by Jemaine Clement and Taika Waititi ("Thor: Ragnarok"), starring Kayvan Novak, Matt Berry, Natasia Demetriou and Harvey Guillen, premiering March 27, 2019 on FX:

"...set in New York City, the new series follows three vampires who have been roommates for hundreds of years..."

Novak plays 'Nandor', Berry is 'Laszlo', Demetriou is 'Nadja', Guillen is 'Guillermo' and Mark Proksch is 'Colin Robinson', with recurring appearances by Doug Jones.

Click the images to enlarge and Sneak Peek "What We Do In The Shadows"...

Amazon Prime Video has confirmed that several original shows will be debuting new episodes on the streaming service in March, including the fourth and final season of the BAFTA-winning comedy “Catastrophe,” the sophomore season of the crime drama “Tin Star” and the first edition of the thriller “Hanna.”

Likewise, there will be plenty of movies making their first appearances on Amazon Prime Video in March including the Oscar-nominated “Cold War” by Polish director Paweł Pawlikowski and the costume drama “Colette” starring Keira Knightley.

Below is the full schedule of everything that is coming to Amazon Prime Video in March 2019. Unlike Netflix, Amazon does not disclose the shows and movies leaving the service in any given month. We’ve done some digging and unearthed a few titles that will be exiting Amazon Prime Video in the first week of March.

See Netflix schedule: Here’s what is coming and leaving in...

With the returning flowers come returning series: Both Bill Hader’s Barry and Starz’s everything-and-the-kitchen-sink fantasy American Gods return for their sophomore runs; Damian Lewis and Paul Giamatti are consolidating even more power as Billions goes for Round Four; and Gina Rodriguez gets ready for her final season as the not-so-virginal-anymore Jane the Virgin. And that’s not taking into account cult-hits-in-the-making Now Apocalypse and What We Do in the Shadows coming down the pike. Or what may be the most controversial music-related documentary in decades. Here’s what...

FX’s forthcoming horror comedy What We Do in the Shadows is descending upon Austin to bring its vampiric charm to SXSW. The series based on the cult 2014 mockumentary of the same name from Jemaine Clement and Taika Waititi will make its world premiere at South by Southwest March 8. In addition to making its bloody debut, there will be What We Do in the Shadows-themed pop-up library structures around the city with books in the genre, as well as other titles that reflect dark and macabre elements of the new series.

There will be three library boxes in Austin from March 9-12 during the fest at El Naranjo (85 Rainey Street), Bat Bar (218 E 6th Street) and Iron Works BBQ (100 Red River Street). From dusk until midnight, fans can visit the vampire libraries to select a free book of their choosing. They will also be given specialized bookmarks that promote the...

[Editor’s note: The following contains spoilers for “Star Trek: Discovery” Season 2 Episode 6, “The Sounds of Thunder.”]

Doug Jones doesn’t like to know what’s coming next for his characters. “I’m a one-week-at-a-time guy. If I know too much ahead… I don’t want that to inform how I play the scene today,” he said.

But after the dramatic events of “Star Trek: Discovery” Season 2 Episode 4, “An Obol for Charon,” Jones suspected that the writers would loop back around to Saru, who went through a near-death experience that had social media on red alert.

“We really had people duped into thinking that was my swan song — that was going to be the end of Saru, which I thought was beautifully played by the writers and the editing,” Jones said. “The timing of that episode was just perfect, the way it played out. It really was a surprise when it’s like, ‘Nope. I don’t have to die after all.

It’s not often that we here at TVLine deliver movie-related news. But when movies become TV? That’s another matter.

As the #PeakTV era continues, we’re seeing (with increasing frequency) a number of small-screen projects that got their start on the silver screen. In recent years, films such as Dear White People, Rush Hour, Get Shorty, Taken and more have gotten TV adaptations of some sort — and the trend isn’t stopping anytime soon.

To that end, we’ve compiled a handy gallery to help you keep track of the many movies that have TV versions in various stages of development.