What We Do in the Shadows (Season 5)

Available on Disney+

If the fourth season of Jermaine Clement’s small-screen adaptation of his and Taika Waititi’s acclaimed 2014 film did little to add to its legacy as a modern-day comedy classic, its fifth outing could be considered something of a return to form.

This is chiefly because, unlike its predecessor, this chapter of What We Do in the Shadows successfully progresses the arc of its central characters, with the majority of its events focused on Guillermo’s (Harvey Guillén) duplicitous (but completely understandable) decision to be transformed into a vampire by someone other than his long-time master Nandor (Kayvan Novak). While the eventual payoff of this season-long arc isn’t entirely satisfying, the comedy and suspense it simultaneously generates makes for entertaining viewing on the most part.

Nonetheless, it remains the case that What We Do in the Shadows is most enjoyable when serving up entertainingly odd episodes that, despite being seemingly disconnected from its central narrative, are riotously good fun. Prime examples from this season include Pride Parade (in which the vampires help their uber-straight neighbour host a Pride parade), Local News (where local news coverage of a water main break threatens to expose our anti-heroes to the human world), Hybrid Creatures (during which the scientific experiments of Laszlo (Matt Berry) unexpectedly result in the creation of a series of Guillermo/animal hybrids), and The Roast (in which a comedy roast hosted in Laszlo's honour quickly goes south).

While it’s unclear how much life is left in this vampiric romp, laugh-out-loud episodes such as these mean it remains worthy of the time of anyone with a soft spot for absurdist comedy.