Taika Waititi had a gem on his hand when he originally dropped What We Do In The Shadows with Jemaine Clement in 2014. Then adapted into a television series for FX in 2019, the horror-comedy has a surprising amount of humor, heart, and storytelling that remains consistently fresh each season. The latest season was no different as the series continues to treat audiences with such a unique and bold world.
What We Do In The Shadows also has a strong set of characters. That also goes for the guest stars that appear in the faux documentary each season. From Oscar winners to Emmy nominees, What We Do In The Shadows has had no shortage of celebrity guests on their series in the past five seasons. The real question is: What are some of the best appearances of the series thus far? This list will highlight the five best celebrity appearances on the FX series.
Beanie Feldstein
Jenna was a very fun addition to the series during her run in the first season. A lonely and nerdy girl who was finally gaining confidence and self-respect through her newfound vampire powers. Jenna’s addition served as a nice counterbalance to seeing this unique world through the lens of an outsider.
More importantly, Jenna has had the most character development out of anyone on the list. Originally, Beanie Feldstein was set to return in the second season, but filming commitments changed plans. Citizenship was an especially strong episode that nicely played off the dynamic between Nadja and Jenna. The misadventures of Jenna trying to figure out her powers were great, though it’s sad that her character never truly ended her arc following that episode. Hopefully, Jenna returns in the future as she adds to the already fun dynamic of the core cast.
Vanessa Bayer
Colin Robinson has strange taste in women. Cue to Evie, his funniest companion to date. The manipulative and life-sucking vampire is a great juxtaposition from Colin Robinson. Though both have the power to drain the life out of their victims, Evie’s tactics are more sinister (and hilarious) than Colin’s. Her three-episode appearance was certainly a treat as Bayer has excellent chemistry with Mark Proksch and her comedic timing is impeccable.
Doug Jones
What We Do In The Shadows does a blend of dark humor and heart so well. The Baron is a prime example of that. Despite the numerous times the old vampire would randomly bite citizens, or threaten the core vampires with death, there was a certain level of charm that the character brought to the series.
His look also made him stand out in a big way. A man who’s essentially a talking skeleton, seeing him prance around in clothing trying to blend in with modern society was downright hilarious. The constant gag of both Nadja and Lazlo being The Baron’s former lovers was also fun. It’s a shame that his character was killed off, but he was a fun menace overall.
Haley Joel Osment
Topher was a complete douche. Season two introduced a familiar for Lazlo and Nadja and the montage of deaths was hilarious. However, Lazlo and Nadja’s treatment of Topher over Guillermo was an excellent running gag that played out throughout the episode. Not surprisingly, Haley Joel Osment was great at playing the slacker who took credit for all of Guillermo’s work. It’s a shame that his role in What We Do In The Shadows ended in tragedy, but it was a fitting end to Lazlo and Nadja’s familiar.
The Vampire Council
It’s hard to simply nail down one actor in the star-studded episode of The Trial. Whether it’s Dave Bautista unhinged moment before the actual meeting of the Vampire Council. To the actual counsel itself, where every guest star was given a brief moment to shine, with the most notable being Tilda (Tilda Swinton), Wesley Snipes and his terrible Wi-Fi.
Though the star-studded galore can be distracting, it was also a fun addition to the Shadows lore to explore different types of vampires in this world. It was non-stop hilarity throughout The Trial that helped move the story forward and create a unique plot point that would carry forward through the remaining seasons.