Wellington Paranormal
Genre
CreatorTaika Waititi
Jemaine Clement
Paul Yates
WriterJemaine Clement
Paul Yates
Melanie Bracewell
Jessica Hansell
Tom Sainsbury
DirectorJemaine Clement
Jackie van Beek
Tim van Dammen
StarringMike Minogue
Karen O'Leary
Maaka Pohatu
Tom Sainsbury
CountryNew Zealand
LanguageEnglish
Num seasons4
Num episodes25
Executive producerTaika Waititi
Jemaine Clement
ProducerPaul Yates
CompanyNew Zealand Documentary Board
ChannelTVNZ 2
First aired11 July 2018
Last aired23 March 2022
RelatedWhat We Do in the Shadows
Warren's Vortex

Wellington Paranormal is a New Zealand mockumentary comedy horror television series which first aired on 11 July 2018 on TVNZ 2. The series is a spin-off of the 2014 film What We Do in the Shadows and first television series in the franchise, and its lead characters—Officers Minogue and O'Leary—first appeared in the film as a pair of incurious police officers.[1]

Production history

The series was created by Taika Waititi, Jemaine Clement and Paul Yates based on characters from What We Do in the Shadows[2] by Clement and Waititi. Waititi and Clement serve as the series' executive producers, while Clement directs four of the six episodes in Series 1.[1] The series was confirmed for a second series of 13 episodes, which aired 6 episodes beginning on 16 October 2019.[3][4]

A Christmas special aired on 19 December 2019, with the remaining six episodes airing as a second series.[5] Between the special and third series, a sixteen-episode digital web series and public service campaign by New Zealand Police to inform the public on health, safety, and best practices during the COVID-19 pandemic, titled Important COVID-19 Messages from Wellington Paranormal, began airing from 26 March 2020, featuring Andrew Coster and Clarke Gayford as themselves.[6] The lead characters also appeared as part of a 2018 New Zealand Police Recruitment video,[7] and four 2018 Police Safety campaign videos. The third series premiered on 24 February 2021.[8][9]

Jemaine Clement stated in June 2021 that the fourth series was in post-production. He added: "We're pausing on [Wellington Paranormal], we're not sure we'll be back for a fifth [series]", while discussing a new series that he and Waititi are currently developing.[10] The fourth series premiered on 16 February 2022, following a sneak peek confirming that it would be the final series.[11]

Cast

Main

Recurring

Guest

Broadcast and distribution

The series is broadcast on TVNZ 2 with catch-up availability on TVNZ's streaming service TVNZ+.[12] In neighboring Australia, the series is available on SBS on Demand.[13]

In 2021, Sky licensed the first three series of the show for streaming on Now (formerly Now TV) and Sky Q via Sky Comedy in the United Kingdom.[14][15] In the United States, the series debuted on The CW on 11 July 2021, with episodes available to stream on HBO Max the day after they air.[16][17][18]

As of 10 March 2023 the series are also being broadcast on the Flemish TV channel Canvas.[19]

Reception

On Rotten Tomatoes, the first series has a score of 97%, based on 31 reviews, with an average rating of 7.6/10. The site's critical consensus reads: "A deft blend of monster-of-the-week frights and low-key humor, Wellington Paranormal is a droll delight."[20] On Metacritic, the first series has a score of 72 out of 100, based on reviews from 12 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[21]

Clarke Gayford's appearance on a short Wellington Paranormal video in April 2020 encouraging people who were looking after young children during the COVID-19 pandemic drew some criticism due to his relationship with Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern. National Party Member of Parliament Brett Hudson alleged during an Epidemic Response Committee meeting in early May 2020 that the video risked "politicising" the New Zealand Police. In response, Police Commissioner Andrew Coster defended Gayford's participation on the grounds that he was a well-known television personality who had participated in the television series.[22]

References

  1. ^ Rae, Fiona (8 July 2018). "The TV spin-off of What We Do in the Shadows is finally (almost) here". Noted. Archived from the original on 17 April 2019. Retrieved 6 August 2018.
  2. ^ Puschmann, Karl (4 July 2018). "Wellington Paranormal delivers New Zealand's newest comedy heroes" (in en-NZ). The New Zealand Herald. Retrieved 7 August 2018.
  3. ^ "13 new episodes of Wellington Paranormal will air in 2019". Stuff. 3 October 2018. Retrieved 5 October 2018.
  4. ^ Croot, James (16 October 2019). "Wellington Paranormal: Why it continues to be a spookily great Kiwi comedy". Stuff. Retrieved 11 November 2019.
  5. ^ Wellington Paranormal – Citizens Brigade. "Behind the Scenes – Part 4, the Big One!". Facebook. Retrieved 23 December 2019.
  6. ^ "Important COVID-19 messages from Wellington Paranormal". YouTube. 8 April 2020.
  7. ^ Archived at Ghostarchive and the Wayback Machine: "'Breaking News' New Zealand Police release EPIC new recruitment video". YouTube. 23 October 2018.
  8. ^ Wellington Paranormal – Citizens Brigade (25 December 2020). "Weelington Paranormal – Citizens Brigade – Posts". Facebook. Retrieved 28 December 2020.
  9. ^ Harvey, Kerry (February 11, 2021). "Wellington Paranormal's Jemaine Clement reveals 'alien' encounter". Stuff. Retrieved February 15, 2021.
  10. ^ Cordero, Rosy (30 June 2021). "Jemaine Clement, Taika Waititi working on new series unlike anything they've done". Entertainment Weekly. Archived 11 March 2022 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 23 March 2022.
  11. ^ Moore, Trent (14 February 2022). "'What We Do in the Shadows' Spinoff 'Wellington Paranormal' to End with Upcoming Fourth Season". Syfy Wire. NBCUniversal. Archived 14 February 2022 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 6 October 2023.
  12. ^ "Watch Wellington Paranormal". TVNZ OnDemand. Retrieved 23 December 2019.
  13. ^ "Wellington Paranormal". SBS On Demand. Archived from the original on 5 December 2019. Retrieved 6 January 2020.
  14. ^ "Wellington Paranormal lands on Sky Comedy this April". TV Zone. 15 March 2021. Retrieved 25 March 2021.
  15. ^ "Jemaine Clement and Taika Waititi's Wellington Paranormal lands on Sky Comedy and NOW TV this April". Sky UK. 15 March 2021. Retrieved 25 March 2021.
  16. ^ White, Peter (24 March 2021). "Jemaine Clement & Taika Waititi's 'What We Do In The Shadows' Spinoff 'Wellington Paranormal' Heads To The CW & HBO Max In First Joint Acquisition". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 24 March 2021.
  17. ^ "Jemaine Clement and Taika Waititi's Wellington Paranormal heads to the US". The New Zealand Herald. 25 March 2021. Archived 25 March 2021 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 25 March 2021.
  18. ^ "The CW Network Extends Its Summer 2021 Schedule with Series Premieres and Returning Favorites". The CW. 29 April 2021. – via The Futon Critic
  19. ^ "Wellington Paranormal: serie start in maart op Canvas". 23 February 2023. Retrieved 13 May 2023.
  20. ^ "Wellington Paranormal" (tv). wellington_paranormal. Retrieved December 16, 2024.
  21. ^ "Wellington Paranormal" (tv). wellington-paranormal. Retrieved December 16, 2024.
  22. ^ "Police Commissioner questioned over Clarke Gayford video". Otago Daily Times. 1 May 2021. Archived 15 March 2021 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 5 September 2021.