Hall H was treated to an impromptu live episode of FX’s hit vampire comedy, What We Do in The Shadows, as cast member Kayvan Novak appeared, via Zoom, in character as Nandor the Relentless.
Novak was joined in person (and not in character) by Matt Berry (Laszlo), Mark Proksch (Colin Robinson), Kristen Schaal (The Guide), executive producer and writer Paul Simms, and producer and director Kyle Newacheck. The first episode of the sixth and final season of What We Do in The Shadows was shown to the audience, before the panel spoke about what will be coming up in the show, which will begin on FX in October.
Season Six
The sixth season will continue the adventures of the vampire house share in Staten Island, and will also introduce a new character in the form of Jerry, played by Patrick O’Brien from Saturday Night Live. Jerry is not new to the vampires though, as it turns out he’s an old friend who went into a super slumber in 1976, and they were supposed to awaken him in 1996… only they forgot.
As well as a new vampire, the sixth season promises lots of big cameos, and they also joked about a possible return of Laszlo’s alter-ego, Jackie Daytona.
Asked if it was the right time for the show to end, Schaal joked, “Oh, absolutely not,” and Novak/Nandor simply said, “I’m not going anywhere.”
Seriously though, there was a general consensus amongst the cast and crew that it was always better for a show to end on a high, rather than be run into the ground.
“You don’t want to overstay your welcome and you don’t want to become a parody of yourself,” said Mark Proksch. Matt Berry added, “It’s kind of the perfect time, I think. It’s coming to the end and it’s as good as it ever was, and that’s all you ever want.”
The writers say they wanted to use season six to tie up enough loose ends to satisfy diehard fans, but not so many that it becomes too neat as a final season. There’s going to be lots to look forward to, including Laszlo and Nadja’s biggest argument yet, some new musical interludes from Laszlo, plus finding out what Guillermo’s been up to since he left the house.
Fan Questions
The panel took some questions from the audience, and when asked if any of the cast would admit to taking any of the props from set, Novak was able to hold up one of the portraits of Nandor he’d taken, much to the audience’s delight. Mark Proksch said he took the “Baby Colin” prosthetic babies and said, “I’ve been creeping out my wife with them.”
Novak never broke character as Nandor throughout, even lying down on his couch to answer a fan question about what the characters would all be like if they went into therapy.
Asked about Guillermo, Novak joked, “I have to keep my voice down, because Guillermo is in the next room, jacking off into his pillow,” then shouted offscreen, “What? No I wasn’t talking about you. Shut the f**k up!”
It’s clear that the cast and crew love this show as much as the fans do, so there’s a feeling that the finale is in very good hands. There comes a time when all TV shows must come to an end, even when the stars happen to be immortal…
Season Six of What We Do in The Shadows will premiere on FX on October 21st.
