“What We Do in the Shadows” continued to be one of the funniest TV shows around with its fourth season as the series transformed from four vampire roommates to, pretty much, three vampires and a baby. The FX series is adapted from the 2014 movie of the same name, which was written and directed by Taika Waititi and Jermaine Clement. Clement created the TV show himself while Waititi stayed on as executive producer. The show takes the same format as the film — a mockumentary following vampires living together as housemates.
Our vampire housemates here are Laszlo (Matt Berry), Nadja (Natasia Demetriou), Nandor (Kayvan Novak), and Colin Robinson (Mark Proksch). Each of them spearhead their own brand of comedy in this biting show and is deserving of rewards but it’s perhaps Berry who stands out the most in season four of the show.
Laszlo is a 310-year-old British nobleman who is married to Nadja and is obsessed with sexual fantasies. As Laszlo, Berry is as dry as he is theatrical and has such a strong comedic presence — he devours each line like an old thespian chewing scenery. His affectations and physicality, combined with his bombastic voice, all paint the perfect picture of a man out of time — and it is absolutely hilarious, multiple critics agree.
Ben Travers (Indie Wire) appreciated the developing relationship between Laszlo and Colin Robinson, observing: “The subject of their banter is different — Laszlo wants to train a partner in crime, while The Boy wants to play with Legos — but viewers can still enjoy Matt Berry playfully chiding a roommate he considers beneath him, while inadvertently forming a real emotional bond.”
Jenni Miller (Mashable) agreed with this assessment, recognizing Berry’s effect on both the show and the character, writing: “Plus, it gives the writers an opportunity to go even deeper with Laszlo, who in Berry’s hands has become sort of a heartfelt Falstaff of the series.”
And Brian Tallerico (The Playlist) proclaimed that season four of “What We Do in the Shadows” “givethe amazing Matt Berry some very funny material.”
Emmy voters have enjoyed the show as much as critics and audiences have, too, nominating “What We Do in the Shadows” for 17 Emmys so far; won in 2022 for Best
Berry has quietly been collecting nominations for his turn as Laszlo this awards season. He was nominated at this year’s BAFTA TV Awards, losing to Lenny Rush for “Am I Being Unreasonable?” while he also earned a bid at the Critics Choice Awards — he lost out to Jeremy Allen White for “The Bear.” Berry was also in contention at the Critics Choice Awards in 2021, losing to Jason Sudeikis for “Ted Lasso.”
This suggests that there is not just a lot of love for Berry but, crucially, the love is growing this awards season. Those BAFTA and Critics Choice nominations this year are two major Emmy precursors, demonstrating that Berry a) has proven awards credentials and b) Berry has current, consistent support for his comedic performance. (He won the 2015 Best Comedy Actor BAFTA TV award for “Toast of London.”)
At the moment, however, Berry sits outside of our predicted six nominees for Best Comedy Actor: Jason Segel (“Shrinking”), Martin Short and Steve Martin (both “Only Murders in the Building”), Bill Hader (“Barry”), White (“The Bear”), and Sudeikis (“Ted Lasso”). While some of those performers — White, Sudeikis — feel locked in, others are less secure.
Segel is up for “Shrinking,” the first-ever season of Apple TV+’s new show. In the last five years, only seven of 29 nominees in this category have earned bids for the debut seasons of their shows. They were: Hader for “Barry” in 2018 (winner), Don Cheadle for “Black Monday” in 2019, Michael Douglas for “The Kominsky Method” in 2019, Sudekis for “Ted Lasso” in 2021 (winner), Kenan Thompson for “Kenan” in 2021, and Martin and Short for “Only Murders in the Building” in 2022. Segel feels like he is on shaky ground, which could pave the way for Berry, who now has four seasons’ worth of comedic performance under his belt along with four seasons’ worth of critics’ support and a proven awards track record for this particular role.
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