Diving Into What We Do in the Shadows

Photo: FX

Since premiering in 2019, What We Do in the Shadows has become a cult hit, winning stronger and stronger reviews from critics with each new season. The show’s premise, a story about three vampire roommates sharing an apartment in Staten Island, is based on a 2014 indie comedy film from New Zealand director Taika Waititi, but has expanded over the years to encompass innovative and delightful new elements that form a supernatural universe much larger than what Waititi and Co. could have initially imagined.

But in spite of all the show’s deserved buzz, as well as an Emmy nomination for outstanding comedy series in 2020, What We Do in the Shadows remains something of a cult hit. While it certainly has the potential to become a full-blown phenomenon like the hit comedies Rick and Morty and It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, it still hasn’t reached the kind of broad, massive audience it deserves. That’s no dig at the show: very few of even the most popular sitcoms were beloved by millions after just three seasons. But as the show approaches its fourth season, FX could use this milestone to expand the WWDITS audience.

In that spirit, we’re offering you a view into the What We Do in the Shadows fan base that only Ranker Insights can offer. We’re looking at which lists this horror-comedy performs best on and what other series its fans tend to love most. That should be helpful as FX hopes to grow the series’ audience — and as it reaches out to Emmys voters, should the show again be nominated following its critically lauded third season.

The fourth season of What We Do in the Shadows is set to premiere on July 12.

Photo: FX

What Do Fans Love About What We Do in the Shadows

WWDITS is regarded by viewers as the best comedy of its time — and we’re not using hyperbole here. Not only is the show #1 on The Best New TV Comedies Of The Last Few Years (where it beat out 2020 outstanding comedy series winner Ted Lasso), it was also voted #1 on  The Best New Comedy TV Shows Of 2019 (3K votes), the year the sitcom premiered. This show has an impressive series of other #1 spots, including on The Best Horror Comedy TV Shows (2K votes), The Best Supernatural Comedy Series (2K votes), and New TV Shows Of The Last Few Years With The Best Overall Acting (1K votes).

What We Do in the Shadows also boasts impressive rankings on lists like The Best Current Dark Comedy TV Shows (2K votes) and The Best Dark Comedy TV Shows (33K votes), where it’s ranked #4 and #6, respectively. But the difference between these two lists demonstrates where What We Do in the Shadows has room to grow — while it clearly performs incredibly well with viewers tuned in to what’s new and hip in TV today, it has a smaller mindshare among those who vote on more general lists of the best TV shows ever. With Season 4 nearly here, WWDITS should hope to see its ranking on lists like The Greatest Sitcoms In Television History (where it’s currently ranked a very respectable #117) steadily improve.

Who’s Watching What We Do in the Shadows?

These lists tell us what qualities are behind fans’ affection for What We Do in the Shadows, but that’s just one way to identify a show’s fan base. We’re also taking a look at other shows WWDITS fans like and finding themes in those shows that identify distinct audiences FX must reach out to if it wants to maximize the impact of Season 4’s upcoming premiere.

FANS OF FUNNY SCI-FI/FANTASY

As we’ve seen from the lists that What We Do in the Shadows tops, fans not only consider the show the best of the last few years, but also the best to mix the genres of horror, fantasy, and comedy. The show’s adeptness in embracing this crossover has allowed it to attract fans who may not primarily be interested in comedy or the sitcom genre, though they’re not the only ones to achieve this feat — other innovative comedies like Good Omens, Russian Doll, and Future Man have also won praise from critics for their comedic takes on the sci-fi/fantasy genre. That explains why fans of WWDITS are also more likely to be fans of these other crossover hits.

These viewers love What We Do in the Shadows and… Good Omens, Russian Doll, Future Man

WORKPLACE COMEDY NERDS

A group of outcasts and misanthropes working together (or at least alongside each other) in the tech world is a comedy subgenre that doesn’t accurately describe What We Do in the Shadows, but it does describe plenty of the shows its fans love. Cult Britcom hit The IT Crowd is among the favorites of WWDITS fans, as well as Mike Judge’s tech sector satire Silicon Valley and Rob McElhenney’s video game comedy Mythic Quest. This connection makes sense, given that the sci-fi/fantasy/horror genres tend to have nerdy followings, and that the tech sector has its fair share of nerds in it. It’s also an angle FX might consider emphasizing as it approaches Emmy voters.

These viewers love What We Do in the Shadows and… The IT Crowd, Silicon Valley, Mythic Quest

SUPERFANS OF EDGY HEROES

Probably the least expected connection for What We Do in the Shadows is an affinity among its fan base for a certain type of superhero show, according to Ranker Insights. Not shows like WandaVision or Falcon and the Winter Soldier, but shows that offer a more cynical take on the genre, featuring superpowered people with super flaws. That includes Amazon Prime’s hit The Boys, HBO Max’s underrated Doom Patrol, and the acclaimed 2019 miniseries Watchmen.

These viewers love What We Do in the Shadows and… Doom Patrol, Watchmen, The Boys

These stories are crafted using Ranker Insights, which takes over one billion votes cast on Ranker.com and converts them into actionable psychographics about pop culture fans across the world. To learn more about how our Ranker Insights can be customized to serve your business needs, visit insights.ranker.com, or email us at insights@ranker.com.

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