'Wellington Paranormal' Is Set in the Same Universe as 'What We Do in the Shadows'

You might have caught the 2014 low-budget mockumentary movie What We Do in the Shadows and fallen in love with the undead vampire characters. So when FX premiered a series of the same name, it was like saying hello to old friends.

Now, the CW is home to Wellington Paranormal, which exists in the same universe as the movie and was actually the first official television spinoff.

But how are Wellington Paranormal and the What We Do in the Shadows movie connected? While they do take place in the same world and Wellington Paranormal has some cheeky references to the original film, they also stand on their own for those who haven't seen everything in the franchise.

To be clear, Wellington Paranormal isn't meant to be a spinoff of the What We Do in the Shadows TV series. Instead, it's a direct spinoff of the movie that started it all. It even came before the television adaptation of the film.

Wellington Paranormal premiered on the New Zealand network TVNZ 2 in 2018 and follows officers Officers Minogue and O'Leary, who first appear in the movie.

The TV show explores their hilarious dynamic while also remaining true to the supernatural element of the movie. But like the mockumentary, which treats a handful of vampires like average petty roommates who also have a thirst for blood, Wellington Paranormal doesn't take itself too seriously. It's all about combining supernatural creatures, aliens, and demons and has lighthearted plots.

Besides featuring the officers from the What We Do in the Shadows movie, Wellington Paranormal also features some of the characters viewers might have first seen in the film. In an episode in Season 1, a werewolf featured in the movie makes a return in the TV show, and in another episode, a vampire from the movie pops in the series.

Jemaine Clement wrote, directed, and co-starred in the What We Do in the Shadows movie. He then co-created Wellington Paranormal. And in 2019, he created What We Do in the Shadows for FX. Like the movie, it follows three vampire roommates in the modern world who are navigating living among humans, and it's filmed in a similar mockumentary style.

However, although it's a spinoff of the movie like Wellington Paranormal, there haven't been crossovers between the two shows. They do take place in the same universe and they're both connected to the film, but Wellington Paranormal is a direct spinoff of the What We Do in the Shadows movie rather than the television show.

Wellington Paranormal started off on television in New Zealand. Now, however, the CW has introduced the series to American viewers. You can watch it on the CW on Sundays at 9 p.m. EST and then on HBO Max the following day, even though technically all of the seasons of the show have already run in New Zealand.

The U.S. is just a little behind, but it's never too late to get in on the Wellington Paranormal game.