The sophomore season of FX’s hit show ‘What We Do in the Shadows’ is all set to premiere this spring. Series creator Jemaine Clement, and season two addition, actor Haley Joel Osment, and more recently spoke with EW and gave a few insights into the new season.
Haley Joel Osment has been tapped to play the part of Topher, Nadja (Natalie Demetriou) and Laszlo’s (Matt Berry) new familiar. “We have a lot of great guest stars on the show this season,” Clement says. “Fans will see Haley Joel Osment in the premiere. Everyone fell in love with him! He’s a really talented actor, obviously. And we had no idea how funny he is. He only appears in one episode but it’s a huge character change. He gets to play on the other more scarier side.”
Paul Simms, series co-showrunner and executive producer, says that the vampires are slightly obsessed with the newest familiar. “The vampires love Topher so much that even if he were to have an accident and die, they would not give up on wanting him as their familiar — even if he’s not physically what he was when he arrived at the house.”
“Nadja and Laszlo haven’t had much luck with picking familiars. So when they finally find this young guy Topher, they’re so excited. He’s the new guy, and to them, seems so much cooler and hipper than Guillermo,” Simms said.
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Osment went on to explain that, “Topher is instantly a hit with everyone, except Guillermo [Harvey Guillén]. He’s a threat to his position in the house. The vampires don’t treat Guillermo well, and here comes Topher with so many qualities they admire. This creates a lot of tension.”
But Guillén says Guillermo isn’t going anywhere, and teases a story arc for the humble familiar. “The vampires and their love for Topher is being rubbed in Guillermo’s face, all while he’s secretly protecting them from danger. A thankless job, obviously,” Guillén shared. “But as the season progresses, Guillermo finally listens to what is driving him inside and really kicks some ass. I dare anyone to underestimate Guillermo because he’s ready!”
Even though Osment’s character Topher seems to meet some sort of doom by the close of the first episode. Is dead ever really dead in the ‘What We Do in the Shadows’ universe? It’s this loophole that gives Osment hope that we will see him again.
“On this show, I don’t know what it would really take for someone to be out of the ball game completely,” he says. “I definitely don’t think it’s the last time we’ve seen Topher. I don’t know a lot about the other episodes in the season, but I do know that the supernatural world gets really expanded. Fans will see a lot more of the creatures and things that live in the underworld of Staten Island.”
Which could possibly hint at the resurrection of more characters. Such as the Baron, played by actor Doug Jones in five episodes throughout the first season. Originally the character was only supposed to be included in the pilot. However, Clement liked Jones so much he ended up asking him back for more. His character was technically obliterated by sunlight in season one. But there were hints at a return from the grave if you look closely enough.
For now, we will just have to wait to see who else pops up when ‘What We Do in the Shadows’ season 2 premieres on FX on April 15. Be sure to follow ScaryNerd for more of all things horror!
