One of the first Halloweens after “What We Do in the Shadows” premiered, showrunner Paul Simms was out trick-or-treating with his kids when they saw some people dressed up as the show’s frisky vampire power couple, Laszlo and Nadja.
“I’ve never been on a show before where you see people loving the show so much that they’re dressed up like the characters,” says Simms. “It was just indescribably exciting to see these strangers that liked the show.”
Simms, along with “Shadows” cast members Matt Berry, Mark Proksch and Kristen Schaal, are gathered in a suite at the Hilton San Diego Bayfront Thursday as part of their whirlwind day of press and promotional festivities at Comic-Con. They’ll be joined later by director Kyle Newacheck as they make their way towards their Hall H presentation in the afternoon.
FX is going all out for “Shadows” at Comic-Con this year for their “farewell tour.” The acclaimed mockumentary comedy series — which earned 8 Emmy nominations earlier this month — has announced its upcoming sixth season will be its last. The Bayfront’s exterior is wrapped in a giant “Shadows” promotional poster, and just below the hotel is an activation area that features one designed to look like the show’s vampire mansion.
Before their panel presentation, the cast and creatives head to an activation where they are greeted by fans in full cosplay despite the sweltering heat. The “Shadows” team is then shuttled to the convention center, where they listen in backstage as a packed Hall H are given a sneak peek at the Season 6 premiere. (Berry and Newacheck share a thumbs up when they hear the audience erupt in laughter after a Laszlo moment.) And after their Hall H presentation, they will be chatting up fans — some in cosplay, some with “Shadows”-themed paraphernalia, all with enthusiasm — as they sign autographs and pose for selfies.
As for Season 6, Simms says “it’s exactly what we wanted to do.” “We wanted to make a last season that was not sentimental or trying to tie up every loose end,” says Simms. “Just make [a season] that is super funny and at the end has a good ending, which we’re not going to tell you.”
