Inside The Hollywood Reporter and FX’s ‘What We Do In the Shadows’ Comic-Con Bash

On Friday night, vampires stalked San Diego Comic-Con as the stars of What We Do in the Shadows celebrated the FX show’s fourth season. The party, co-hosted by The Hollywood Reporter and FX, transformed the Gaslamp Quarter restaurant Meze into a vampire nightclub, with the bash coming on the heels of the critically loved series landing seven Emmy nominations, including for outstanding comedy series.

Shadows talent including Matt Berry, Kristen Schaal, Harvey Guillen, Mark Proksch, Emmy-nominated writer Stefani Robinson, writer Paul Simms and director Kyle Newacheck mingled among the crowd.

The guests also included Shazam! star Zachary Levi, who chatted with comic book legend Jim Starlin, the creator of characters such as Thanos. A DC crossover took place when The Suicide Squad‘s David Dastmalchian snapped photos with Shazam!‘s Jack Dylan Grazer. Others in attendance included Minnie Driver, Danny Trejo, The Boys star Jack Quaid, Star Trek: Strange New Worlds stars Ethan Peck and Celia Rose Gooding, Rick and Morty co-creator Dan Harmon and actor Chris Parnell, who embraced his Archer co-star Aisha Tyler.

DC universes collide as the Polka Dot Man (⁦@Dastmalchian⁩) parties with Freddy Freeman (Jack Dylan Grazer) at THR & FX’s What We Do In the Shadows shindig at SDCC. pic.twitter.com/1upOHNSDey

— Borys Kit (@Borys_Kit) July 23, 2022

What We Do in the Shadows star Berry told THR on the red carpet that season four “was the most fun to make.” When asked about the show’s Emmy nominations, Berry emphasized that the accolades were not his focus. “Anyone who watches the show is a big bonus for me,” said the Lazlo actor. “Anyone who likes the show is an even bigger bonus. So that’s all that really matters to me.”

Proksch’s character, Colin Robinson, got a shoutout on the drink menu, with a Baby Colin Robinson (sprite and grenadine) providing a non-alcoholic option. He told THR the Emmy recognition has been a welcome surprise, given the nature of the show. “It’s a quirky, very niche comedy, and these days, those don’t usually get much attention,” said the actor. “So to be able to have fans come to the show over time is really rewarding.”

Executive producer Robinson told THR that it’s been hard to wrap her head around all the positive attention the show has received. “This is incredible, being at Comic-Con,” Robinson said. “Everything exceeds my wildest dreams.” Robinson also admitted that the show’s team doesn’t tend to plan much out beyond the current season. “The cliffhangers we’ve left everyone with, we don’t necessarily have plans for how we resolve them.” The series, which airs Tuesdays at 10 p.m., has been renewed through sesaon six.

The event was held in accordance with local health and safety guidelines. This year’s Comic-Con is the first in three years, after the convention went virtual in 2020 and 2021 due to COVID-19. In that time, The Boys has become a major force in the geek world.

The Boys star Quaid told THR that he’s as clueless as the audience about what’s in store for his character, Hughie. “This is the time where I get to just be a fan,” Quaid said. “I’m just waiting for the scripts to come out, and I’m really excited to see what’s going to happen. I have no idea what’s going to happen, so I’m going to read that first script and be very surprised.”

Minnie Driver took part in a Comic-Con panel for her upcoming film Nandor Fodor And The Talking Mongoose, in which she stars with Simon Pegg and Christopher Lloyd, and she praised the event’s supportive audience. “It’s such good vibes,” the actress said. “Everyone is so chill and happy to be here and having a great time that I’m so grateful it’s not virtual anymore.”

The What We Do in the Shadows team will appear in Hall H for a panel on Sunday from at 1:15 p.m. Schaal, who plays The Guide on Shadows, teased of the characters in season four, “Everyone’s taking it to the next level in their journeys.”

—Tiffany Taylor contributed reporting.