It must always be a dark and stormy night in New Zealand because the guy who brought us vampires in “What We Do in the Shadows” is at it again. Only this time he’s tracking the cops as they pursue the elusive paranormal. With ghosts and spirits afoot, who you gonna call?
Jemaine Clement, whom we remember from “Flight of the Conchords,” says he meant his show, “Wellington Paranormal,” to be really frightening. But something happened in the translation. “The first episode, which is (about) the possessed girl was kind of scary when we first made it,” he recalls.
“And then we did the second episode, which was about alien plants, and the plants looked so silly when they moved, you just couldn’t make them scary. And we leaned into that and made it sillier.
“And when we were editing them, I noticed that I could show my kid the ‘aliens’ one and not the the ‘possession’ one. So we went back and tried to edit the ‘possession’ one to bear a bit more light. And that set the tone for the rest of the show, which is kinda lighter than we originally intended. And quite a good family show.”
The CW has imported the series (which already played in New Zealand) airing it Sunday nights.
Clement, 47, grew up watching British comedy on the telly, he says. “I knew I loved watching it. One was the first time I saw ‘Black Adder’ I would laugh at that as much as I’d laugh with my friends at school. I do remember one day at camp with a friend and we made up a song where we were just changing the lyrics to a commercial. And we thought it was the most hilarious thing that had ever been made. And it was terrible! So stupid and juvenile, but I still get that feeling writing something — especially with other people -- that I think is really funny. That’s quite an exciting part of the job when you get that feeling, when you're creating something like that,” he says.
“Wellington Paranormal” is part “The X-Files” and part “Monty Python,” layered with that skewed Kiwi sense of humor. There’s something about the New Zealand character that lends itself to parody,” says Clement.
“I think New Zealanders find it very difficult to emote, and that’s kind of naturally funny to watch people struggling to say how they feel. The understated replies that we have all the time in this show are quite true to the New Zealand character, I think.
“(It’s) real big and understated at the same time ... You sometimes live in a big way, yet understated in the way you present yourself.”
The Mulder and Scully counterparts on “Wellington Paranormal” are Mike Minoque, as officer Minoque and Karen O’Leary as – you guessed it – officer O’Leary.
Both of them have transmogrified from “What We Do in the Shadows.” O’Leary never acted before “Shadows” and in her ‘civilian’ life is a kindergarten teacher.
She didn’t even audition for the series, she says. “I had no idea what I was even doing. In fact, I don’t even think I knew it was an audition at the time. It was just because one of the parents at my work was the casting director. So she got me to have a chat with a casting agent, and it turned out it was an audition,” she says.
“But I think probably that worked in my favor and maybe in the show’s favor as well because I just had no idea what to expect. So I went in with very low expectations. And they were all easily met because they were so low ...,” she laughs.
Minoque was what the New Zealanders call a “runner.” “I would drive a car and go and get things .... So I’ve done it for about five years and then suddenly, somebody at my work asked if I wanted to audition for a movie, which I didn’t want to do,” he says.
“I’ve never been interested in acting before. And then, I auditioned for that role and got that. So I just went from there. And then I did a very serious role in an anti-apartheid police drama, which Jemaine saw. And it was a dramatic role. And Jemaine saw that and he goes, ‘Oh, this guy’s funny!’ Even though I was doing my best dramatic performance.”
Early on Clement didn’t know what he wanted to do either. “What I liked in school was art. I liked to draw and design, that kind of thing,” he says.
“I didn’t major in that. I was trying to major in theater and film, but I didn’t complete it. I dropped out halfway through the third year. To do the course I was doing, the classes get smaller and smaller, so you have to make the cut. And I didn’t. I would’ve had to go back for two more years. And I just decided: ‘I'm not going to keep trying to do this, I’m going to actually DO it.'"
Apple TV+ takes a bite out of old musicals
Not many viewers may remember the colorful musicals of the ’40s and ‘50s – shows like “Oklahoma,” “Brigadoon” and “Pal Joey.” But writer Cinco Paul remembers. In fact, he’s created a whole series parodying those shows with “Schmigadoon!,” premiering Friday on Apple TV+.
“These six episodes are really focused around Golden Age musicals, so we’re really focused in that world,” he says. “I don’t want to give too much away, but ultimately maybe there is a movement into sort of other musicals like ‘Bye Bye Birdie’ or further on.
“But really. . . we’re locked into ‘40s and ‘50s. And then some of those were turned into movies in the ‘60s, like ‘The Sound of Music’ and ‘The Music Man,’ but we are in that world. It is a love letter to Golden Age musicals from start to finish.”
The idea for the show occurred to Paul 20 years ago. “But I had no idea what it should be,” he shrugs.
Best known as writer with partner Ken Daurio for animated features like “Horton Hears a Who!,” “The Lorax” and “Despicable Me,” Paul says, “I think writers often have this. You sort of shuffle it, stow it away on the shelf for a while.
“And then when the TV landscape changed, and Ken and I were ready to move out of animation, it suddenly made sense. It’s like, ‘Oh, this could be a TV show.’
The series stars Keegan-Michael Key as Josh, a guy who hates musicals and wants absolutely nothing to do with them.
'Dr. Death' makes a house call on Peacock
With so much to watch these days on television it’s difficult to choose the right thing. One of the right things is Peacock’s new series, “Dr. Death,” which begins streaming on Thursday. Based on real events, the story is about the ego-inflated neurosurgeon, Dr. Christopher Duntsch, who maimed several of his patients and caused the death of two of them. Joshua Jackson, so effective in “The Affair,” plays Duntsch with just the right amount of bluster and charm to convince patients of his competence both inside and outside the operating room.
Alec Baldwin and Christian Slater portray two physician who become aware of Duntsch’s proclivities and vow to stop him.
Jackson, whose career broke out with “Dawson’s Creek,” proves, once again, that acting is in the eyes. “Sometimes actors can't fool you,” he says. “If someone is not a joyful person it shows in their eyes. If they don't understand the idea of happiness or enjoying themselves then they have cold, hard eyes. To a certain extent you can tell. But humans are chameleons; we're very good at hiding how we feel and who we are because we're taught to. The eyes will always betray you. If you're not feeling it, it won't show in your eyes.”
Lovato talker lands on Roku
“The Demi Lovato” show is winding up on Roku starting July 30. Originally made for the now-defunct Quibi, this 10-minute talker will feature a billboard of guests with Lovato handling the emceeing. Lovato, who started working professionally at 8, has had problems with an eating disorder and drugs. Things are different now, Lovato says. “The first thing that changed me was going into rehab when I was 18, which is young for somebody to go into rehab. It was the beginning of a new life for me. I went in one person and I came out another.
“Another moment that changed me was almost losing everything around that same time. I may not have a career when I came back out. When I came back I was so much more grateful and more humble toward everybody that I’d worked with. I wanted to work. I was no longer entitled or a little brat. I did so much growing up.”
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