If you like What We Do in the Shadows, then you'll love...

Jermaine Clement’s ‘What We Do in the Shadows’ should not work: it's a mockumentary about the domestic challenges of being a modern day vampire. The characters spend their time hunting for virgins, negotiating with local necromancers, holding occultist seances and avoiding deadly sunlight. It doesn't scream 'multi-Emmy nominated success'. In fact, it's hard to work out who the target audience is... Count von Count?

Yet, over the course of two brief seasons, WWDITS grew into one of the most confident and stylish sitcoms of the modern era. The unique blend of slapstick comedy, outrageous gore, carefully constructed characters, elaborate costume and impressive CGI won over a loyal fanbase and attracted significant industry buzz. Something about these lovable ghouls caught our imagination, even if one of them tried to bore us to death.

But if you’re anything like me, two seasons of the series is not enough. The show felt like it was just finding its feet when the pandemic struck and shut down production. Season 3, originally scheduled for release this year, now seems impossibly far away. We need another fix of these oddball vampires, and we need it now.

Good things come to those who wait. In the meantime, it might be worth watching some of the old shows that the cast and crew were involved in. Although it felt like the WWDITS talent were relative newcomers to the comedy scene, many of them were involved in successful projects back in New Zealand or the UK. It was here that they found their creative voices and sharpened their comic sensibilites. If you want to work out why WWDITS was so funny, perhaps these shows are a good place to start.

Watching these shows is a little like sampling the ingredients of your favourite meal: not as satisfying as the real thing, but an interesting insight into its different flavours. More importantly, it provides enough material to feast upon before season 3 arrives. You can't be too picky in a pandemic.

So, fangs at the ready, here’s a list of shows you might like if you loved WWDITS:

What We Do in the Shadows (the film)

Obviously no list of WWDITS recommendations would be complete without a nod to the original. Made in 2014 by Jermaine Clement and Taika Waititi, the film contains all the key components of the TV show but with all the constraints of a smaller budget. The themes of problematic housemates, annoying werewolves and sudden deaths are established early on, and Clement and Waititi make their own appearances in front of the camera, giving an interesting insight into how the TV show came about.

There is something very New Zealand-y about this brand of comedy. If you like it, I’d also point you towards Clement’s Flight of the Conchords or Waititi’s Hunt for the Wilder People. They share the same DNA of whimsical, self-effacing weirdos failing to find any success in the world, but somehow finding something better along the way. Ultimately I think I prefer the TV show to the film, but the movie is well worth a watch just for the Deacon dance.

Stath lets flats

Nadja was the MVP of WWDITS. Her perfectly mispronounced phrasings and spectacular facial grimaces meant she often stole scenes whilst never seeming to try that hard. You could put Nadja in a room with drying paint and her reactions would be funny.

All of this is thanks to Natasia Demitrou – the actor who plays Nadja and a general star in the making. Demitrou’s career was launched in the UK by her brilliantly frivolous performance in the cult show Stath Lets Flats. Centred around a hopeless estate agent in London, Demetriou plays his equally hopeless sister and spends most of her time eating pistachios. The character has some similarities to Nadja but is even more giddy and absent-minded, giving Demitrou plenty of room to showcase her absurd talents.

Other than providing an interesting insight into Demitrou’s career, Stath Lets Flat is a gem in its own right. Written by Natasia’s real-life brother Jamie, it proves how satirical comedy can have a big heart. An American remake was announced last year, but I'd recommend checking out the original first.

Toast of London

Matt Berry was another revelation in WWDITS. Playing the irate Laszlo, his voice acting alone was worthy of an Emmy. Season 2 saw Berry reach new heights when Laszlo fled town to assume the identity of a 'normal' Pennsylvanian barman. The episode went down as an all-time fan-favourite and proved just how funny this obscure British actor could be.

Berry’s vocal talents were finely-tuned in his previous acting roles. Starting out as a bit-part character in Vic and Bob’s gloriously manic Shooting Stars, he became most known as the titular Toast in Toast of London. This show follows Toast as he tries (and fails) to make it as a professional actor. His desperation leads to increasingly deranged situations, including a love-tussle with Josh Homme and a cute picnic with Jon Hamm.

The series is fundamentally unhinged, but well worth a punt for any fan of surreal comedy. Berry carries the whole thing with his booming baritone cadence and beat-perfect comic timing. The plotlines don’t make any sense but that really doesn’t matter – hearing Berry's pronounciations is enough.

Four Lions

Nandor is an ancient warrior who once turned the Euphrates “red with blood”, but in the hands of the actor Kayvan Novak, he's a loveable eccentric with a penchant for quirky hats.

Novak’s voice might sound familiar to cartoon fans. A regular on shows like Danger Mouse, Thunderbirds and Counterfeit Cat, he quickly developed a reputation as the go-to man for fiendish villains and sketchy sidekicks.

His career started as a TV-prankster who mocked gullible celebrities and skewered the naïve public. Along with a lot of late-2000s comedy, these shows really do not age well but you can tell Novak’s prodigious acting talent hiding behind his ludicrous (and often offensive) masks.

Novak stepped up his game in Chris Morris’ Four Lions. Based on a useless group of wannabe terrorists, the film manages to weave a quirky and hilarious plot that will leave you in stitches, as well as a little speechless. It's a tour-de-force of satirical filmmaking, making fun of its sensitive subject matter whilst never being egregiously offensive. Novak in particular shines as Waj – a terroist who isn't that bothered by incendiary conspiracy and just wants a ride on the rubber-dinghy rapids.

Shaun of the dead

Okay, none of the cast or crew of WWDITS turn up in this film but I think it’s worthy of an honourable mention. Edgar Wright’s 2004 classic about Simon Pegg's experience of a zombie apocalypse shares a similar sensibility with WWDITS by avoiding the cliches of its genre and emphasing the stupidity of its characters. No guns, no heroism, no high-octane pursuits; just pints of beer, improvised weapons and high-level swearing.

Still hungry? Check out this list of The Best British Comedies You Never Heard Of.

P.S. The Good Stuff and Where to Find It

There’s nothing worse than wasting your time with bad TV. Because of all the good stuff out there, it almost feels like a crime when you choose the wrong thing. That’s why we so often end up watching the same-old classics over and over: they never let us down.

Sometimes we need an outside jolt to break our viewing patterns. Whether it’s a recommendation from a friend or a suggestion from a website, taking the choice out of our own hands is often the best way to stop re-watching the Office.

So how can we get better at choosing what to watch? I’m no expert, and it’s certainly more of an art than a science, but I have developed some sort of formula to help find the good stuff...

Be a detective: Have a favourite show? Find the director, cast and crew on IMDb and work out what they've made in the past. Plot out their careers and compile lists of their most interesting work. If you like their current stuff, chances are you'll like their old stuff.

Be adventerous: Some of my favourite shows were things I found on a whim. Even if it looks like something outside your normal wheelhouse, modern TV is so amorphous that you can often surprise yourself with new tastes and genres. Be adventerous, have a gamble.

... But be brutal: This is by far the most important tip. It can feel like your duty to finish off something once you started, but you should always drop a show if it isn't filling you with excitement. There will be something better out there and life's to short for bad TV.

Be a vampire: Metaphorically, of course. Use your friends, siblings, parents, colleagues, followers, teachers, bosses, pets, bus drivers, local representatives, or anyone else you can get your hands on to gather as many reccomendations and possible. Suck them up as if they were your life-blood. There will good stuff in there, you just have to take the first bite.