If The X-Files tossed aside all the government-conspiracy stuff and just concentrated on wacky monsters — and injected everything with the driest, most deadpan humour imaginable, and a bit more bumbling — that’s kind of exactly what Wellington Paranormal looks like. The New Zealand series, a spin-off of What We Do in the Shadows, arrives on the CW next month, and our already sky-high excitement only grows with every new trailer. For instance, this one:
Let’s see, we got an Exorcist spider walk, crop circles, aliens, UFOs (and hubcaps), ghosts, werewolves, and all manner of other creatures of the night. In case you were wondering — yes, those are the same actors playing the same cop characters seen in the 2012 Jemaine Clement-Taika Waititi vampire mockumentary classic What We Do in the Shadows. Here’s the official description:
Wellington Paranormal follows the adventures of Officers O’Leary (Karen O’Leary, What We Do In The Shadows) and Minogue (Mike Minogue, What We Do In The Shadows), hard-working members of the Wellington constabulary’s paranormal unit who, under the supervision of Sergeant Maaka (Maaka Pohatu, “Savage”), investigate supernatural occurrences that arise in the capital of New Zealand on a surprisingly regular basis.
Clement (Flight of the Conchords) and Waititi (Thor: Love and Thunder, Jojo Rabbit) are among the executive producers of the series — which is as close as you can come to guaranteeing that comedy gold awaits. (Anyone who has seen FX’s genius What We Do in the Shadows series already knows this; speaking of, that show just wrapped filming its third season, so here’s hoping it arrives sometime in 2021 too.) In New Zealand, Wellington Paranormal has already aired four seasons, so here’s hoping it catches on in the U.S. and the CW keeps ‘em coming.
Wellington Paranormal premieres in the U.S. (finally!) July 11 on the CW.