What We Do in the Shadows season 4: Everything you need to know (2024)

What We Do in the Shadows spoilers follow.

The thirst for What We Do in the Shadows season four is stronger than ever following a rather twist-filled season-three finale. And thankfully, the vampire-documentary comedy has already been renewed for a fourth run.

Based on the film of the same name by Taika Waititi and Jemaine Clement, the FX mockumentary series follows immortal housemates Nandor, Laszlo, Nadja and Colin Robinson – plus Nandor's familiar Guillermo – as they go about their everyday lives in Staten Island.

And like a passage of history in a vampire's never-ending life, season three of Shadows has already come and gone, ending on a major cliffhanger that well and truly sets up an ambitious fourth season.

FX actually confirmed a fourth run of the comedy series before the third had even aired, with their president of original programming, Nick Grad, telling Variety: "Fans can't seem to get enough of What We Do in the Shadows and FX is ready to feed that appetite by setting up the series for a fourth season." So, what can we expect to see when our favourite drainers eventually return? Here's everything you need to know.

What We Do in the Shadows season 4 potential release date: When will it air?

What We Do in the Shadows season 4: Everything you need to know (1)

BBC

While an official release date is yet to be announced, we know that filming for the new season has officially wrapped and that it will premiere sometime in 2022.

The first two seasons both aired in spring, but delays caused by the coronavirus pandemic have since shifted the show’s release schedule, prompting the third season to premiere in autumn.

Harvey Guillén, who plays Guillermo in the series, revealed via Instagram that filming for What We Do in the Shadows season four officially wrapped in December 2021.

He captioned the post:

"Today is the last day of shooting for season 4 of @theshadowsfx .. can’t wait for everyone to see what happens! Who’s excited ?!"

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This means that it has now been nearly six months since the series went into post-production. With this in mind, fans could potentially be getting a release date confirmation and trailer pretty soon. Fingers crossed.

What We Do in the Shadows season 4 cast: Who’s returning?

What We Do in the Shadows season 4: Everything you need to know (2)

BBC

What We Do in the Shadows season 4 plot: What will happen?

What We Do in the Shadows season 4: Everything you need to know (3)

FXFox

Undoubtedly, the biggest question going into season four is how Colin Robinson's surprise rebirth will impact the show. The energy vampire spent the majority of season three trying to learn more about his kind and where they came from, only to fall gravely ill on his 100th birthday and decompose like a manky pumpkin. However, he now exists in terrifying infant form.

But will Colin Robinson even be the same character once he returns to adulthood? That's a question showrunner Paul Simms has posed himself. "Is it inevitable that he'll grow up to be an energy vampire again? Or is it possible that he could become a normal, interesting human? That's sort of the puzzle that runs through season four," he told Newsweek.

When asked by Assignment X how they accomplished the effects for Colin in season four, writer Sam Johnson replied:

"I will say it's a challenge, and it's one of those ideas where you have to, while you're writing it, not think, 'How are we going to do this?' and just go, 'This would be really great.'

"And then, when you're done with that, then you find yourself in interminable Zoom meetings, over and over, going, 'How the eff are we going to actually do this?' But I think we've figured it out, and it's going to be very fun and satisfying."

While talking about what it was like filming with all of the special effects needed for Colin, Proksch added:

"I'm around for some of it, and some of it will be done at a later date, just because of the nature of the beast. It's a really complicated situation.

"You know, you can always throw a suit onto a person to make them look bigger, or with makeup, you can make them look younger or older, but to put a grown adult's face and gestures and acting onto a baby requires a heck of a lot of technology," he said.

While that's likely to be the main arc of the season, we can also expect a new dynamic between Laszlo and Nadja. The former was meant to accompany his wife to England on her journey to become a member of the Supreme Vampiric Council, but he instead shipped her off with Guillermo and stayed behind in Staten Island to secretly take care of baby Colin Robinson.

What We Do in the Shadows season 4 confirmed

Meanwhile, on a quest to find meaning in his endless life, Nandor is now set to travel the world alone, opening up even more possibilities as we're introduced to other vampires and creatures from different countries.

At 2021 New York Comic Con, Simms teased that season four will feature a host of new supernatural beings, saying: "There is an episode that we will be shooting in season four that Yana [Gorskaya]'s directing, that is probably the most ambitious episode we've done as far as seeing the other creatures of the supernatural world."

One thing season four won't tackle, though, is the ongoing pandemic. "We've created a world where people escape to watch our show," Guillermo actor Harvey Guillén told SyFy Wire. "There's no reason to make those waters murky. We know what's going on."

What We Do in the Shadows star talks big s3 change

However, that hasn't stopped the cast from imagining how the pandemic would play out if it was a part of the show. Matt Berry, who plays Laszlo, imagined: "They'd have noticed the masks, but I think they'd have thought that was some kind of fashion. They'd have more time in the evening to wander the streets because there'd be no one else there."

Nadja actress Natasia Demetriou added: "I think that's what the beauty of them and the show is: you don't have to pay any attention to current affairs because they are very self-involved people who have lived through every president, every regime, every pandemic. They'd just say, 'Oh! This one was over quickly! Wow, different to the Spanish Flu.'"

What We Do in the Shadows season 4 trailer: When will it arrive?

Filming only recently got underway on season four, so there's no trailer just yet. But we'll be sure to keep you updated as soon as any new footage arrives. To pass the time, why not have a super-slumber?

What We Do in the Shadows airs on FX in the US and BBC Two and BBC iPlayer in the UK.