‘What We Do in the Shadows’: Another perfect Rotten Tomatoes score merits Emmy consideration

“What We Do in the Shadows” is in the hunt for more Emmy nominations this year after racking up a healthy collective 17 bids for its past three seasons.

This FX comedy series from Jemaine Clement, who adapted his and Taika Waititi‘s 2014 film of the same name, follows four vampire roommates living in modern-day New York while being recorded by a documentary crew. Matt Berry (Laszlo), Natasia Demetriou (Nadja), Kayvan Novak (Nandor), and Mark Proksch (Colin Robinson) are the vampires in question, assisted by Nandor’s familiar Guillermo (Harvey Guillén).

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“What We Do in the Shadows” features dark humor, silly, slapstick comedy, plenty of satire, and a bucket load of puns — all shepherded by the central trio of lovable characters (Laszlo, Nadja, and Nandor). The series has proven to be extremely popular so far and has gone from strength to strength in each of its seasons. Season three achieved a perfect score of 100% on review aggregate site Rotten Tomatoes and season four, which is in contention at this year’s Emmys, matched that grade.

Here are some snippets from reviews detailing why the show is just so funny and so good.

Thelma Adams (The Wrap) wrote: “The supernatural mockumentary about vampiric roommates living the undead lifestyle in Staten Island makes me laugh out loud and snort milk out my nose.” She continued: “From the individual bits – the physical humor, one-liners and tap dancing – to the episode arcs, ‘What We Do in the Shadows’ remains my favorite dysfunctional family vampire comedy ever.”

Ben Travers (Indie Wire) opined: “‘What We Do in the Shadows’ is in that precious TV sweet spot: old enough to draw from its own experience, and young enough to be emboldened by its enduring potential. With an excellent cast, veteran producers, and immaculate craft work, there’s a winning method to this madness — so sit back and enjoy the show.”

Carly Lane (Collider) noted: “‘What We Do in the Shadows’ hasn’t only hit its best and most comedic stride yet; like the vampires it’s centered around, this series is damn near immortal, and television is all the better for it.” She continued: “‘What We Do in the Shadows’ hasn’t only hit its best and most comedic stride yet; like the vampires it’s centered around, this series is damn near immortal, and television is all the better for it.”

Kevin Fox Jr. (Paste Magazine) observed: “‘What We Do in the Shadows’ has always excelled in leveraging its unique blend of absurdist comedy and emotional payoff, and Season 4 is no different.”

Nick Schager (The Daily Beast) proclaimed: “Even as it charts new ground, FX’s hit continues to be TV’s most absurdly entertaining half-hour comedy, thanks to protagonists who are still searching for fulfillment and purpose in all the wrong places.”

And Judy Berman (Time Magazine) explained: “Suffice to say that season 4, which aired earlier this year—and featured everything from an episode-length Property Brothers spoof to an instant-classic scene in which Jim Jarmusch and Sofia Coppola appear as themselves—was the funniest in its history.”

This critical reception — and that mind-boggling Rotten Tomatoes score — bodes well for the show’s chance at this year’s Emmys. It was previously nominated for Best Comedy Series in 2020 (losing to “Schitt’s Creek”) and then again in 2022 (losing to “Ted Lasso”) and it is searching for a third bid in that category this year. That Rotten Tomatoes grade positions it very well to do just that as other shows that achieved a perfect score later went on to do big things at the Emmys.

Phoebe Waller-Bridge‘s “Fleabag” earned 100% on Rotten Tomatoes and then bagged six Emmy awards including Best Comedy Series and Best Comedy Writing and Best Comedy Actress for Waller-Bridge. “Hacks” achieved the same score and then hauled home a half dozen Emmys, including two Best Comedy Actress awards for Jean Smart.

Currently, however, “What We Do in the Shadows” sits just outside of our predicted eight nominees for Best Comedy Series: “Wednesday,” “Poker Face,” “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel,” “Barry,” “Only Murders in the Building,” “The Bear,” “Abbott Elementary,” and “Ted Lasso.”

But “What We Do in the Shadows” could benefit from TV academy voters love of familiarity in this category. In the past five years only 10 shows (out of 39 nomination slots) have reaped bids for their debut seasons: “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” (winner), “Barry”,” and “Glow” in 2018; “Russian Doll” in 2019; “Ted Lasso” (winner), “Emily in Paris,” “The Flight Attendant,” and “Hacks” in 2021; and “Abbott Elementary” and “Only Murders in the Building” in 2022.

That could spell trouble for both “Wednesday” and “Poker Face,” which we think are on the precipice of receiving recognition for their rookie seasons. That is good news for “What We Do in the Shadows,” however, which, combined with its critical prowess and Rotten Tomatoes score, could benefit here.

And here’s another good sign: only two of the other contenders for Best Comedy Series merited this perfect rating from Rotten Tomatoes: “Abbott Elementary’s” season two and the debut season of “The Bear.”

Here’s the breakdown beyond that: “Only Murders in the Building” is competing with its second season, which scored 98%; season four of “Barry” received 97%, the lowest score of any of its seasons so far; season five of “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” was given 94%; “Poker Face” received 99% for its debut season; season three of “Ted Lasso” only earned 81%, a massive drop from season two’s 98%; and “Wednesday” was awarded a shaky 71% for its first season.

“Shrinking,” which is the only show also outside of our predicted eight nominees that is ahead of “What We Do in the Shadows” was graded at 82% — also for its first season.

All of this means that this vampire comedy could be emerging from the shadows and into the Emmys spotlight. Thank God it’s not sunlight.

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