What We Do in the Shadows showrunner promises the final season won’t be “sad and sentimental.”

No matter what happens in “What We Do in the Shadows,” you know you’ll laugh until it hurts.

The same was true at the series’ sixth season panel at Paleyfest in NEW YORK CITAYYYY on October 19, when showrunner Paul Simms and stars Kayvan Novak, Matt Berry and Mark Proksch discussed the final season and what it felt like to tell their story To complete states, island vampires discussed.

“We just felt it was better to be too soon than too late, and we didn’t want to do it after we’d used everything up,” Simms said of the decision to end the show with Season 6. “We knew it would be sad, but that also gave us a clear direction for the season. We thought about all the other shows [that have] final seasons and shows that are like a “very special final season”. We said, “No; We want to make it purely funny from start to finish and not be too sad or sentimental.”

Later, when Proksch talked about how their characters stay the same, he pushed this idea even further: “It keeps us from falling into the current comedy trap that is Herz,” he said to much laughter. “We have little moments, but they are earned and feel authentic -”

“And then they get crushed,” Novak said.

“Yes, they can be wiped away with a stupid joke,” Proksch continued. “I think it kept the show fresh. You can jump into the series at any time.” (After recently getting a friend who had never heard of the series to watch a random episode called “The Escape,” I can confirm this statement.)

The actors recalled learning that Season 6 would be their last during a Zoom call Simms scheduled on Christmas Eve and having a feeling of “What the hell?” (Novak) along with the acceptance that the day they had all been expecting was finally on the horizon.

“I’ve seen this happen on other shows when they’ve gone on too long,” Berry said. “You have something like a resentment towards the work you have done, and you should never put yourself in that situation. They should break up first, which I think we did.”

Simms noted that the television landscape has changed significantly over time; Six seasons in 2024 is the equivalent of ten seasons in the ’90s, even if there are fewer episodes. “What We Do in the Shadows” is a half-hour comedy, but the production requirements are more akin to a science fiction or fantasy film and include night shots, wire work, prosthetics and other major challenges.

“When you know the end is coming, that’s the worst,” Novak said of filming the final season. “And then with all the momentum of the work you forget everything. And the closer you get to the end, the more I think, “Oh, it’s the final wrap party. I have to tell everyone how I feel about them… Who’s going to cry?” Will I cry? Will I get upset? When I cry – will I cry in front of these people? Will Matt cry?”

“Did anyone actually cry?” Novak asked after the laughter had stopped (this happened often).

“Everyone else,” Berry said blankly.

“Everyone except the cast,” Proksch clarified.

The cast and Simms, who isn’t done with the show yet. “I’m going to cry when I’m done editing,” he said. “Which is still ongoing.”

“What We Do in the Shadows” Season 6 premieres October 21 on FX and streams the next day on Hulu.