YMMV / What We Do in the Shadows (2019)

• Abandon Shipping: While still a popular pairing, for many fans the idea of shipping Nandor and Guillermo became soured after "Freddie" when Nandor callously tanked Guillermo's first serious relationship and stole his wife Marwa's last shred of individuality, all in one selfish wish..
• Alternative Character Interpretation: For the witch hunter who Laszlo killed, the original owner of the witch-skin hat:
  • Laszlo mentions he noticed the hunter saw him admiring the hat. Was he trying to warn Laszlo of the hat's destructive power? Or, with his dying breath, was the witch hunter the one putting a curse on the hat to get back at the man who killed him?
  • One may argue that the act of being killed by a vampire was pretty bad luck …
• Angst? What Angst?: Season 4 ends with Colin Robinson regaining his adult memories but losing all of his child ones of Laszlo raising and caring for him, leaving Laszlo deeply hurt and saddened. By season 5, Laszlo has returned to normal and makes no mention of the events of the previous season.
• Ass Pull:
  • In the season 5 finale, Guillermo is able to turn from a vampire back into a human when his sire, Derek, is killed. The concept of a vampire regaining their humanity once their sire dies comes completely out of nowhere, had never even been hinted at up until that point, and goes against previously established canon (in the film, which is confirmed canon in the show, Petyr's death did nothing whatsoever to either of the vampires he turned). More confusingly, the vampires themselves are all completely confident that it will work, despite the fact that they are never shown learning this information onscreen, and despite previously believing that a vampire will die if their sire is killed. It comes off as though the writers just wanted a way to make Guillermo human again.
  • It's common knowledge among vampires that killing a sire will kill their spawn. Given that many, if not most, vampires are far beyond their natural human lifespan, removing their vampirism is by definition a death sentence. It may not be necessarily widely known that staking a sire removes vampirism, as the most obvious effect is simply instant death, so that's what most assume would happen in a general case. Nandor apparently knew exactly what would happen, and acted accordingly - while also reinforcing his decision against turning Guillermo himself, as he knew Guillermo would regret being turned.
• Awesome Music: The series, like the film, has "You're Dead" by Norma Tanega as opening title music. It has also introduced several awesome songs to its audience as end credits themes (most notably "Gather Up" by cast member Matt Berry as the ending theme for "Witches"). Much praise has also come in for Mark Mothersbaugh from Devo's work on the score.
• Crosses the Line Twice: A major factor in the humor with a lot of the jokes being about murder, dismemberment, Bait-and-Switch horror stories, and over the top sexual antics by our heroes. Basically, if it's horrifying, it's hilarious. One example being Guillermo being entombed alive in a shipping crate to help Nadia on her European trip... and again for the trip back.
• Diagnosed by the Audience: Guillermo is inferred to have autism due to his obsession with being a vampire, general annoyance with others that don’t agree with him, dislike of bright light, and his processing issues.
• Ensemble Dark Horse:
  • Jenna is well-loved for her charming personality.
  • Jim the vampire is also quite beloved for being an excellent and suitably wacky Sitcom Arch-Nemesis for Lazlo. Mark Hamill's hilariously hammy performance also helps. Many fans hope that he'll return to face off against Cravensworth once more.
  • Evie, the Emotional Vampire Colin faces off against in an episode of Season One. Fans were absolutely thrilled to see her return.
  • Undead Child Houston is only in two scenes of one episode, but is well-regarded for her Pædo Hunt choice of targets and her humorous (albeit scary) reaction to her familiar throwing a party in her house while she's gone.
  • Hero Antagonist vampire hunters Claude and Shanice, due to being incompetent but fairly likable.
  • Garrett, a prisoner of the Vampiric Council, really milks his brief screen time by being a good listener for the main characters and then getting a (truthful) rant about how he was Wrongfully Accused. It also helps that he's played by Dave Bautista.
  • The Baron is popular for being a really nice guy when not trying to take over the world. Bonus points for being played by Doug Jones. Fans were quite happy to see him Back from the Dead in Season 3.
• Friendly Fandoms:
  • With Our Flag Means Death, another Taika Waititi-produced comical adaptation of a niche genre (pirates) featuring a Cast Full of Gay.
  • It also has a lot of fans with It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia thanks to both series having Villain Protagonist and very dark humour.
• Genius Bonus:
  • The vampires select "Time of the Season" for karaoke, by the band The Zombies.
  • When Nandor and Laszlo over-hypnotize their neighbor in season two, the man begins speaking gibberish, which includes "No soap. Radio!" This is the "punchline" of an old practical joke.
  • When Laszlo shows off his collection of vulva-shaped hedges, he says one of them was designed after Mary Ann Nichols, the first canonical victim of Jack the Ripper. Several episodes later, believing he's about to die, he confesses to being Jack the Ripper.
• Ho Yay: A lot, given everyone in the show is confirmed bisexual or pansexual.
  • Guillermo's loyalty to Nandor seems strange, given how his vampire master often makes his life more difficult and is often on the receiving end of coldness or casual flippancy. It makes more sense when you consider Guillermo's feelings might be stronger than just friendship.
  • Nadja's affections for Jenna stand out, although aside from the neck-biting, their relationship has been more of a mentor and student than lovers.
• Like You Would Really Do It:
  • The final shot of the Baron's familiar in Episode 6 and the title and description of Episode 7 (The Trial) imply the main trio are going to get into serious trouble for the death of Baron Afanas. However, because this is Episode 6 of a ten-episode season, and because the titles and synopses of all but the season finale have been released at that point, pretty much everybody believed the main characters would survive. This was proven correct as none of the vampire cast die in episode 7. However, Season 2 reveals that various assassins were sent after them by the council.
  • Guillermo becoming a vampire fully implies the show will wrap at season 5. Except a sixth season was announced. So it was back to stage one.
• Magnificent Bitch: "Werewolf Feud": Evie Russell is an Emotional Vampire, a type of energy vampire that feeds on the pity of others. Joining Colin's workplace, she comes up with sob stories to make her coworkers sympathize with her, draining their energy in the process. After Colin confronts her and engages in a psychic vampire duel with her, they agree to work together to acquire sustenance. This partnership lasts for a few weeks, till Colin realizes that their relationship is unhealthy and breaks up with her. She accepts this, though not before taking an opportunity to feed off of him one last time.
• Memetic Badass: Jackie Daytona; Lazlo's human alter ego, who manages to take over an entire town just by being a swell guy.
• Moral Event Horizon: Nandor crosses it by wishing for Marwa to become a perfect clone of Guillermo's boyfriend Freddie. In one selfish, idiotic move, he manages to destroy his own marriage, his friendship with Guillermo, and Guillermo's relationship with Freddie. All because he got bored with a wife who was utterly devoted to him and couldn't be bothered to just talk with her. By the end of the episode, even Nandor - a former barbarian and despot - starts to realize that he did something horrible. After four seasons of Ship Tease and Undying Loyalty, it's the move that finally convinces Guillermo to give up on Nandor and betray him by becoming a vampire from someone else.
• Ugly Cute: The Sire is as frightening as he is adorable.
• Visual Effects of Awesome: In spite of the limitations of time and budget a TV show would have, this series has had stunning special effects. From spell casting witches flying on broomsticks, to Nadja's living doll, to Nandor's mouth burning from trying to say the word "god".
• The Woobie:
  • Guillermo. Poor guy just wants to be a vampire ... And then he finds out that he has Van Helsing blood in him ...
    • Adding insult to injury is when Guillermo gets a boyfriend, which he points out is a big deal for him since he has no social life. Nandor decides he wants one too and wishes for a clone of said boyfriend. The two start getting along, and Guillermo eventually catches them getting romantically involved.
  • Shanice, Jenna's roommate. She has no idea what happened to her best friend, fell in with a bunch of vampire hunters who taught her to assume that Jenna was dead. She was sent on a poorly-planned raid on a vampire lair that almost got her killed.
  • Season 4 gives us Marwa, Nandor's loving and supportive wife. After being magically resurrected into a world where all of her friends and family are long dead, and her homeland has been completely erased from the map. She clings to Nandor, and he rewards her loyalty by gradually and neurotically stripping away her personality out of fear that they won't be compatible, until she loses even the ability to think differently from him. And then Nandor, in a fit of jealousy that Guillermo found love on his own, has Marwa magically transformed into a perfect clone of Guillermo's boyfriend ... and then, finally feeling remorse for what he's done, he abandons her, sending her away to live the rest of her life in someone else's body, with someone else's thoughts in her head.
  • Season 4 ends with making Laszlo, of all people, this. All his efforts to raise the reborn Colin to be different from his predecessor are wasted when normal Colin is effectively revived and has no memories of what happened in the season.