Taika Waititi Wants What We Do in the Shadows to Have as Many Seasons as M*A*S*H

The idea of doing a TV show based on What We Do in the Shadows brought plenty of skepticism, even from the original film’s co-creator, Taika Waititi. Yet, the season finale airs next week and the series has already been renewed for more, so how did this doubtful idea blossom into something much bigger? A recent EW chat with Waititi and fellow executive producer Paul Simms aims to answer that question.

“When Jemaine first pitched me the idea of doing a TV version of the movie, I thought it sounded like a terrible idea,” said Simms, which prompted an immediate agreeance from Waititi. “I assumed that Jemaine and Taika wouldn’t be involved, and they just wanted to grab some cash, and let someone else do it. So, when I heard that both of them were going to be actively involved, that [got me] excited.”

The film’s co-creator chimed in with more comments, jokingly insisting that he tried to bail on being involved, adding, “Mostly, I did. I mostly got away with it. When we were shooting the film, about halfway through, we talked to each other, and I had very serious questions whether a five-minute sketch idea could be extended into an hour-and-a-half, and then to actually make a show…. It was a stand up idea, and even that was too long!”

However, Waititi has seemingly come full circle on the series, mentioning that he wants to see this show receive as many seasons as M*A*S*H, which would be 11 in total. For a group of Staten Island vampires who have lived together for centuries, that doesn’t sound like such a long time, does it?

Finally, FX has also released a couple new videos. First up is the official preview for the Season 1 finale, titled “Ancestry,” which airs next Wednesday, May 29th. Then, we have an additional behind-the-scenes featurette focusing in on the supernatural stunts of the TV series. Give them both a watch below!

What We Do in the Shadows is currently airing its first season on FX with just one more episode to go. Following the season finale on May 29th, fans can look forward to the next batch of episodes beginning sometime in 2020. As usual, we will keep you posted with all the latest news and updates right here on Dead Entertainment.

About the Author

Chris Morse

Programmer by day, writer by night. Having grown up surrounded by plenty of horror movies and video games, it only made sense for Chris to combine all of these passions into one place: Dead Entertainment. Whether he's working on designs, tinkering with the platform, or just writing up the latest horror news, he's sure to be hard at work keeping the wheels turning on this website no matter what time of day it is. When not coding or gaming, you can find him donning a Cheesehead and heading to the Midwest to cheer on his favorite NFL team, the Green Bay Packers. #GoPackGo

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