Natasia Demteriou’s Nadja is What Makes ‘What We Do in the Shadows’ Work

I was skeptical about FX’s What We Do in the Shadows. The 2014 film that inspired it is one of my favorite comedies of the last decade. Stars and writers Taika Waititi and Jemaine Clement combined dark goth vibes with the irreverent mockumentary style of Christopher Guest to make a hilarious classic about how mundane vampires lives are in modernity.

So I put off watching the FX show, not wanting it to potentially sully my memory of the film. Turns out I made a big mistake.

The Emmy-nominated comedy series What We Do in the Shadows expands upon the world created in the film and improves upon it. For all that the film What We Do in the Shadows does right, there’s one major thing missing: a female voice. Natasia Demetriou’s Nadja doesn’t just bring a feminine perspective to the lunacy of this world; she’s kind of the show’s MVP. She is emblematic of why the show is so damn good and so deserving of a Best Comedy series Emmy nom. For my money, Nadja is what makes What We Do in the Shadows the show better than the movie.

The television version of What We Do in the Shadows takes place in the same continuity as the film, but focuses instead on American-based vampires Nandor the Relentless (Kayvan Novak), Laszlo Cravensworth (Matt Berry), and Nadja (Natasia Demetriou). The trio live in a Staten Island house with “energy vampire” Colin Robinson (Mark Proksch) and Nandor’s doting human familiar Guillermo (Harvey Gullén). As in the film, the vampires are followed by a “documentary crew,” thus adding even more ridiculous contrast to the vampire’s stately ideas of themselves and the absurd letdowns of the modern world.

While the film explores everything from a frustrated familiar to the awkwardness of vampire exes to a turf war with local werewolves, it’s missing one key element. That is a female POV. Most of the women in the film are bit players or, in the case of Jackie (Jackie van Beek), fulfilling a key subservient role. Indeed, Jackie is the Guillermo of the film, a low status charmer obsessed with the idea of one day becoming a vampire. (It’s worth noting that Guillermo’s character finally becomes tremendously more interesting in What We Do in the Shadows Season 2, when it is revealed he is a descendent of Van Helsing and a natural vampire slayer.)

So the film version of What We Do in the Shadows didn’t give its ladies a lot to say or do, at least not on the same level as it’s four male vampire leads. The show, however, has Nadja.

Nadja is hands down one of the funniest characters on television today. Natasia Demetriou plays the Romani vampire with an insane combination of wry wit and a powerful heart. Her one-liners are savage in their honesty. While the men of her household will bicker over small slights, she’s able to bring them all down to earth with a single quip. But Nadja’s also defined by her ardent love for husband Lazlo and her bizarrely romantic view of the world. Even happily married, she pines over a reincarnated human lover with all-too-relatable level of obsession. (Relatable if you’ve ever had that one ex you just can’t get over, that is.)

Nadja is driven by compassion. Nadja is the voice of reason. Nadja is…well, she’s a woman. And having a female voice in What We Do in the Shadows just adds complexity to Clement and Waititi’s world. The show is funnier for having her voice and the What We Do in the Shadows universe feels wider, to boot. Nadja is what nudges the show over the top and makes it one of the best comedies on TV today.

Where to stream What We Do in the Shadows