What We Do In The Shadows Season 4 Trailer Breakdown: It's Time To Party Like It's 999
"What We Do in the Shadows," the FX comedy series about a crew of vampires living in Staten Island, is back to bless fans with a fourth season. The end of season 3 left the characters scattered to the wind, with Nadja (Natasia Demetriou) sailing to England for an important international Vampiric Council meeting with her husband Lazlo (Matt Berry), not knowing that he hasn't gone along with her but trapped bodyguard/familiar Guillermo (Harvey Guillén) in his coffin instead. Meanwhile, Nandor (Kayvan Novak) waited for Guillermo to join him on a train trip to his home country, where he would finally make Guillermo a vampire. Oh, and Colin Robinson (Mark Proksch) isn't dead, he's just reincarnated into a baby of himself and Lazlo is going to raise him.
The gang is, well, a mess, but the season 4 trailer sees them all reunited and seemingly up to their old antics. How "What We Do in the Shadows" will continue the story from its incredible (and slightly soul-crushing) season 3 finale is anyone's best guess, but let's take a closer look at the trailer and see if we can find any clues.
Toddlin' Colin is terrifying
At the end of season 3, an infant version of Colin Robinson was revealed, with actor Mark Proksch's face on a tiny baby body. The trailer shows him a little older, with a mop of curly blonde hair, riding a big wheel. It would be somewhat evocative of little Danny riding his trike around the Overlook hotel in "The Shining" if young Colin didn't have Proksch's face superimposed on it, with a grin that's more menacing than cute. Toddler Colin is the stuff of nightmares, though I'm sure the "What We Do in the Shadows" team will find plenty of ways to make him funny, too.
Three vampires and a baby
Nandor asks Lazlo about the little baby Colin Robinson, though he's seemingly not too concerned with the weirdness of it all. He just seems curious about Lazlo's plans for taking care of the little guy, because this little clan of vampires isn't exactly the most nurturing family. It's hard to imagine these three going full "Three Men and a Baby" with little Colin, but it would be pretty funny. From the trailer and the end of last season, it seems like Lazlo is going to be the kid's primary caretaker, giving him a kind of focus he's never really had. It's a win for Colin, too, because who wouldn't want Matt Berry as their dad?
Papa Lazlo teaches fencing
Lazlo's plans for fatherhood aren't entirely altruistic, as he tells Nandor, "I can mold this boy into the most interesting adult there has ever been." We then see him training a small child version of Colin how to fence in an abandoned playground. He seems keen on shaping Colin into a better version of the adult he was before, which would be a blessing to anyone who had to be around him, but there's also a bit of Lazlo's vanity in there, too. Either way, it will be fun to watch Lazlo try to raise the world's most annoying child. (He can't help it — that's how he feeds!)
A crushing blow
Unfortunately for Lazlo, Guillermo informs him that little Colin loves musical theater, which shakes the vampire to his very core. "What hath the Dark Lord wrought?" he asks, clenching his fist. While I don't see the big deal (I love some good musical theater!), Lazlo has a very definitive vision for his adopted son, and that apparently doesn't involve musical theater. Maybe someone showed Lazlo "Glee," because that might be enough to get this kind of reaction.
Nadja's nightclub
While Lazlo is busy raising baby Colin, Nadja has apparently gone off and realized her dream of owning her own nightclub. It's called Nadja's, has some fun vampire-themed decor, and looks like a fun place to visit if you don't have to worry about protecting your neck — literally. There are plenty of vampires partying in Nadja's club, which means that it's at least doing somewhat well. Whether or not that success lasts will be a surprise, as the crew tend to have pretty bad luck (and a lot of enemies). For now, at least, it's nice to see Nadja thrive. I just wonder if there's any of the "Blade" blood rain sprinklers installed, because that's how you make a vampire club cool.
A fancy club with, uh, Coors Light
Nadja explains that she wants to ensure the club is "expensive" so that she can attract rich humans, but we also see her signing for a massive delivery of Coors Light. Did they ask their neighbor Sean (Anthony Atamanuik) what kind of beer to order? Could they not splurge for the Champagne of Beers? Does Staten Island not have microbrews? I jest; I'm fairly certain that Coors has a deal with FX (as they're also featured heavily in "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia"), but "Coors Light" and "expensive" sure did stick out like a sore thumb.
Rich humans are vampire veal, apparently
If you've ever wondered if different kinds of people have different blood flavors, Nadja reveals a little secret about literally eating the rich:
"Rich humans are basically like veal; conceptually repulsive but so buttery on my tongue."
It's too bad she can't have them with a little bit of Grey Poupon and really appreciate the irony. Enjoy your affluent snacks, Nadja.
Nandor's still looking for love
Nandor used to have many wives, but now he's a single, lonely vampire in search of just one bride. His search for a girlfriend or wife in past seasons has been abysmal, because most human women aren't really interested in the whole eternity with a vampire warrior thing (they're wrong — call me!) and he kind of freaks them out. We see him going on a number of dates with all sorts of different women, but it doesn't look like the hunt for love is going all that well for poor Nandor.
A date or death?
Nandor is on a date with a lovely young woman and he reassures her that he's "not a creep," but also goes into the whole immortal warrior part. She isn't exactly comfortable with any of that and runs as fast as she can away from Nandor, and straight into oncoming traffic. She gets hit by a massive truck and Nandor stands up, holding what looks like a lobster, and says "oops." While I'm not sure how the lobster plays into any of this, it's clear that Nandor's love life is deader than he is.
Goofin' and shootin'
While I don't see jeans or a toothpick, Lazlo shoots a gun while wearing a fairly Jackie Daytona-esque outfit in what looks like a rustic cabin. Nandor catches the bullet and it looks like they're all having a good time, but why are they in the cabin? Are those real fish on the wall, or the singing kind? Why is there so much beer around when vampires can't even drink it?
A musical moment for Lazlo
There is a very brief shot of Lazlo in a full velvet cape, playing piano on stage in front of some beings that are clearly not human. (Just look at those ears!) Has he decided to try to reignite his musical career without Nadja? I sure hope not, because they're a delightfully terrible duo. At least this means we're getting to see more of the rest of the supernatural world this season, which is always a lot of fun.
The night market!
Speaking of seeing more supernatural bits, there's a quick shot of Lazlo, Guillermo, and Nandor walking into an underground marketplace with a big sign that says "Night Market." It looks like the supernatural market from "Hellboy II: The Golden Army," and has the potential for lots of weird and wacky moments. The series has shown fans what witches, sirens, werewolves, and trolls look like in their world, so hopefully this is a chance to see a bunch more.
Couples therapy?
The trailer honestly gives fans more new questions than answers to old ones, and nothing is quite as confusing as what looks like Sean mediating couples therapy between Lazlo, Nandor, and Nadja. Nandor's face looks kind of swollen and Nadja is wearing a pink sweater that she normally wouldn't wear under any circumstances, so there's some kind of weirdness afoot. "What's the word for what you guys are?" Sean asks, and Guillermo offers "polyamorous?" Though Lazlo and Nadja are married, they do have a fairly open marriage, and Lazlo and Nandor have hooked up, so he's not wrong. Sean, however, thinks it's something else: "Oh, I was thinking filthy hippies."
No kink-shaming in the mansion, Sean. That's a one-way ticket to getting your memory erased again.
Huzzah! More Kristen Schaal!
Kristen Schaal is back again as The Guide, who helps Nadja, Lazlo, and Nandor in their roles on the Vampiric Council. She's been a great addition to the cast, expanding from a smaller role in season 1, and it's a joy to see her back again. She gives Guillermo a little temple massage, dances in Nadja's nightclub, and suggests trying "vampire freestyle rap" again, which sounds potentially amazing.
Nadja's got the beats
Nadja shares her version of a freestyle vampire rap, which goes:
"Gonna bust loose, on the club roof; sucking throat juice, like it's Grey Goose."
That's not bad, actually! The house and their relationships might be falling apart around the vampires, but it looks like Nadja's still gold on her wordplay game. We also see her and Lazlo sneaking upstairs for some alone time after Nandor falls through the rotted wood floor, but they don't seem particularly concerned.
Be careful what you wish for
The final scene in the trailer shows Guillermo and Nandor playing around with a "genie lamp." Nandor, perhaps exhausted by his search for a wife, asks Guillermo to wish for all 37 of Nandor's dead wives to come back to life. The wish is granted and Nandor very quickly realizes that he's made a mistake when they swarm him, yelling at him in their native tongue, which he no longer speaks. Bringing back one angry ex-wife from the dead is one thing, but 37? Godspeed, Nandor, because you just made a massive mistake.
Season 4 of "What We Do in the Shadows" premieres on July 12, 2022 on FX and the next day streaming on FX on Hulu.