15 TV Shows and Movies Like ‘What We Do In The Shadows’
A recurring debate among TV watchers is whether or not the “binge all at once” trend is a good thing, or a bad thing. I don’t watch enough TV to have a concrete opinion on this, but I will say that I’m finding it pretty annoying to have to wait every week for a new episode of What We Do In The Shadows.
This show has always been the sort of crackpot joyride that delivers in a very particular way, which makes each episode’s ending feel even more abrupt. I’d imagine that many viewers feel the same way, especially since this particular season has been giving us a lot of memes to work with.
Therefore, I’ve put together a sweet cheese of a list for you to peruse while you’re waiting for next Wednesday’s episode to drop. Here are ten shows and movies that should be able to hit that WWDITS sweet spot, for one reason or another.
Stardust
This movie was actually the inspiration behind this list, because the Night Market episode reminded me of Stardust’s aesthetic to a complete T. Both pieces of media have wondrously combined realism with wild fantasy, and in a way that’s really charming and cool to behold.
In particular, the opening of Stardust has the protagonist’s father (played by Ben Barnes, FYI) sneaking into a secret market with all kinds of magical tchotchkes. It really feels like the night market, but like, that’s the whole movie. It’s wonderful. And if that’s not enough to convince you, then you ought to know that the cast is a knockout, including the protagonist, who’s played by Charlie Cox.
The Witcher
Easy answer, sure, but maybe this is your cue to finally hop on a trend. I will say, I vastly preferred the first season, as the monsters were cooler and the plot didn’t feel so all over the place. But your mileage may vary.
To put it simply, The Witcher is like a serious version of WWDITS, but still featuring the same magical politicking and creative, fantastical elements. Unfortunately, we don’t get any Baby Colins, but we do get a Baby Bard, if that counts.
Theater Camp
If you’re looking for something with the mockumentary feel that is equally as outrageous, why not go with Theater Camp? The film, which stars Ben Platt and Molly Gordon, dives into a failing theater camp as it unpacks the summer productions and while they’re struggling without their founder, we get to see just how strange theatre kids really are. And surprise: We’re really weird.
What makes shows like What We Do in the Shadows so special is that the mockumentary style of it is hilarious to watch with the confessionals and Theater Camp fills that style very nicely.
Our Flag Means Death
As another Taika Waititi-involved project, these two will have similar writing styles and comedic beats, although I must say, this gay pirate romp has a lot more heart to it. Our Flag Means Death captured the hearts of many, and for good reason.
I mean, all you have to do is peruse our very own website to see how much people love this show. Or peruse the rest of the internet for the, ahem. Soft Gay Pirate Porn.
Russian Doll
Russian Doll was a bop, is a bop, will forever be a bop. No, I haven’t finished season 2 yet, so I can’t comment on that, but I am a devoted fan of season 1 and will always encourage literally everyone to watch it.
It’s got grit, zest, and the best kind of humor: bawdy dame humor. Seriously, I can’t think of any protagonist quite like Natasha Lyonne’s Nadia, except maybe, you know, Nadja. I have a feeling they’d probably get along smashingly.
American Vandal
Gone but not forgotten, American Vandal was a smash hit on Netflix when it came out. Another mockumentary, this one is a little different in tone from What We Do in the Shadows but is still a fun entry into the genre. A detective series about teens trying to discover who committed crimes in order to help, the series is described as follows: “True-crime series are gaining popularity on TV so, of course, there was bound to be a satire of the genre. “American Vandal” takes a look at the aftermath of various high school pranks. Aspiring student documentarian Peter Maldonado takes it upon himself, with help from friend Sam Ecklund, to investigate the cases and find out exactly who is responsible for the crimes. After looking into vandalism at a public high school, Peter and Sam head to a Catholic school after the cafeteria’s lemonade is contaminated with laxatives. In the style of the genre it lampoons, the series leaves viewers wondering who the real perpetrator is until the very end.”
With only two seasons, it truly is a fantastic show that is a balance of comedy and a commentary on the true crime obsession we have and a show you won’t regret watching.
Schitt’s Creek
While no, there are no vampires or supernatural hoohah in Schitt’s Creek, I feel like the humor and story beats are fairly similar. Both shows center around a group of problematic, yet lovable people who are bumbling their way through (un)life, and who continuously grow on you as they grow themselves.
Are the Roses as morally reprehensible as the vampires? Actually yes, sometimes they are. And isn’t that what you watch WWDITS for, anyways?
Parks and Recreation
If you love the framing of What We Do in the Shadows, why not watch one of the best to do it? And sure, I could have put The Office on here but I also could have put my favorite show instead and so that’s exactly what I did. Parks and Recreation follows Leslie Knope (Amy Poehler) as she leads the Pawnee Parks and Recreation Department as its Deputy Director under Ron Swanson (Nick Offerman) and the show’s mockumentary style led to some of the best jokes on network television.
It’s hilarious, iconic, and throughout its seven season run gave fans a show that means the world to them still. I would know, it’s still my beloved.
The Baby
Vampires are bloodsucking parasites, and so is this particular baby. The Baby is a terrifying romp through nonconsensual motherhood that somehow manages to be funny, simultaneously. It’s got that same nonchalant, off-the-wall humor as WWDITS, but with a much starker degree of darkness.
At the very least, I could see the main casts of both shows coalescing pretty well. Imagine a baby trade-off. I think it’ll take a nasty, nasty vampiress to handle this baby.
Shaun of the Dead
God, I love media that takes horror concepts and turns them into comedies. WWDITS does it flawlessly. But before this show, there was the Cornetto Trilogy, which began with beloved zom-com Shaun of the Dead.
In this film, Simon Pegg and Nick Frost star as two hapless friends who are trying to navigate the zombie apocalypse in London. It’s such a silly movie, and honestly, it cured my irrational fear of zombies as a preteen. What’s there to be scared of if two aimless slackers can hack it?
Barry
Why not add a little dark comedy to the mix? Barry might be hard to label but I do think that it fits the tone of What We Do in the Shadows enough to count. A show about a hitman named Barry Berkman (Bill Hader) who goes to Los Angeles to do a job and ends up in acting classes, the series is a character study in one man’s inability to feel and what happens when he is forced to reflect on his emotions despite forcing himself to shut himself away from them.
Maybe darker than a show like What We Do in the Shadows, it is still a comedy and something that has moments you’ll laugh out loud at and is more in tone with other shows on the list.
It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia
Again, this isn’t a supernatural show at all (unless you believe in the powers of the Night Man…), but I found its pacing to be almost exactly like WWDITS. That is to say, both shows give me a massive headache and an onslaught of exhaustive mania if I watch them for too long.
It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia is rife with scheming and insanity, the likes of which are perfect for memeing, as well as inviting a bit of delirium into your day. Sounds a touch like our familiar family of vampires, no?
Merlin
Okay, yes, Merlin might be a bit too wholesome for a list like this, but a bit of wholesomeness won’t kill you. Just like WWDITS, Merlin is whimsical and silly, as well as endlessly watchable. While it may lack all the chaos and sex of the former, it makes up for it with incredibly fun writing, character design, and homoerotic tension. Nice.
Plus, if you get a laugh out of shitty CGI, then you’ll really love the dragon in this show. Baby Colin doesn’t hold a candle to Kilgharrah.
Best in Show
We’re back with the mockumentaries and with one of the best! Well, it’s part of the name after all. Best in Show is a film from Christopher Guest that is all about everyone’s favorite kind of competition: A dog show. Now, if you know what a Christopher Guest movie is like, then you know what this kind of movie entails. But the movie itself is very campy and hilarious and has one of the best performances from Jennifer Coolidge, which is saying something.
The Original!
What the hell are you doing, watching this show without first referencing its cinematic source material??? Are you nuts??? Have you lost it?????
Get off our website right now and only come back once you’ve woken up at 6pm in the nighttime!!!!!!
(Featured Image: FX)
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