What We Do in the Shadows is a perfectly ridiculous return for the FX's vampire "lords" of Staten Island, New York. While the new season blunts the potential growth teased by the previous batch of episodes, the show's ever-game cast and solid writing make sure that it continues to evolve (and earn laughs) even as it returns to somewhat safe territory.
What We Do in the Shadows' fourth season picks up following the explosive events of Season 3 -- and more or less resets the original status quo, albeit with some unexpected alterations. It doesn't take long for the show's main cast to be reunited under the same roof as the first three seasons, but with a new state of affairs affecting each member's dynamic in the group. Nandor (Kayvan Novak) decides to get married and enlists an increasingly defiant but still loyal Guillermo (Harvey Guillén) to be his best man/matchmaker. Laszlo (Matt Berry) finds himself becoming something of an adopted father to the reborn Colin Robinson (Mark Proksch), trying to ensure he doesn't become as boring as his former self. Meanwhile, Nadja (Natasia Demetriou) has dedicated herself to a personal cause -- starting her own vampire dance club, which becomes the season's overarching plot (at least in the four episodes provided for review).
The show melds a back-to-basics approach after last season's expansive development while also progressing the characters forward in quietly powerful ways, especially Laszlo and Guillermo. The season's more streamlined approach to the character arcs leaves room for flights of fancy to the mysterious Night Market, satire with the Wraiths, union woes, and spotlights for other cast members beyond the main group. Kristen Schaal's Guide gets an expanded showcase and grows into her own as a character, and Anoop Desai's Djinn (who winds up in the service of Nandor and Guillermo) proves to be an ideal comic straight-man to the pair.
Proksch is also basically playing a different character each episode as the young Colin continues to grow. While the momentum of last season is almost comically blunted within the first episode, the new season teases out fresh emotional layers for the characters and runs with them. In effect, the show has been splintered into the three primary storylines -- Laszlo and Colin Robinson, Nadja's club, and Nandor's friendship with Guillermo -- occasionally interacting and running into one another. The charm of the cast as a whole keeps the series from feeling disjointed, though, and the writing remains consistent and funny enough to keep everything chugging along.
The more intriguing character beats, including the hint of a love interest for Guillermo and Nadja's drive to prove herself, serve as the draw for each episode. It speaks to the strength of the show that the characters have become defined enough to elicit a solid response just from those emotional beats -- all while still juggling the unholy CGI creature that is young Colin Robinson. While some fans might be disappointed to see the cast effectively return home after the previous season set up real advancement in terms of the show's scope, there are enough new tricks, characters, and beats to keep What We Do in the Shadows audiences satisfied.
The show is as gleefully violent as always, with one particular grisly running gag revolving around the wraiths consuming their targets a real highlight. Focusing on the cast in each of their own personal arcs opens up plenty of room for one of TV's best comedy casts to all shine. Hopefully, the latter half of the season will force the vampires back together into a single unit, but for now, one of the silliest shows on TV maintains that standard with strong writing, great performances, and enough gonzo violence to make Sam Raimi blush.
What We Do in the Shadows Season 4 premieres on July 12 on FX.