Top 10 Best Guest Stars on What We Do in the Shadows

Ontario native Lauren Collins is mainly known for her role as Paige Michalchuk on “Degrassi: The Next Generation.” In this season 3 episode, she plays Meg, a receptionist at Massive Fitness. Nandor’s crushing hard but lacks the confidence to ask her out. He enlists the help of his housemates to use the Cloak of Duplication to seal the deal, leading to a series of hilarious, unsuccessful attempts at wooing her. Meg goes from being angry to uncomfortable to amused as each shoots their shot in the most offensive and aggressive ways. However, Nandor isn’t exactly Meg’s type, what with being a man and all. Collins wasn’t given much to do with Meg, but she was entertaining nonetheless.

Actors-comedians Randy and Jason Sklar may not be household names but their resumes include guest roles on “Entourage” and “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia.” The two played Bran and Toby Daltry, hosts of the fictional home renovation program “Go Flip Yourself.” We get a glimpse of them in the first episode of season 4 when their biggest fan Laszlo binges the show. Later in the season, the Daltry Brothers surprise the vampires by showing up to their nearly uninhabitable home, ready to help them “embrace their space.” Jason’s Toby character doesn’t make it past the threshold, leaving Randy’s Bran to tackle the job on his own. Home renovation fans will agree that the Sklars completely nailed the Property Brothers-esque personalities.

One major flick “What We Do in the Shadows” often references is 1998’s “Blade.” And in season 3, real-life Quinn actor Donal Logue plays a heightened version of himself, one that became an actual vampire. Logue attends Nadja’s blood banquet as a member of the Supreme Worldwide Vampiric Council, along with other big-name celebs. Khandi Alexander, who you might recognize from a long list of television shows such as “CSI: Miami,” “ER,” and “Scandal,” plays Contessa Carmilla De Mornay. And actor-comedian David Cross, of “Mr. Show” and “Arrested Development” fame, joins them as Dominykas the Dreadful. The three talented performers are great in scenes together, though we would’ve loved to see more. Logue also appears in the next episode and shows off his painting skills.

Haley Joel Osment is known for his child acting days, starring in hits like “Forrest Gump” and “The Sixth Sense,” but not so much for his work as an adult, which makes his appearance in the show a pleasant surprise. Topher Delmonico is Nadja and Laszlo’s schmoozy, side-hustling familiar who isn’t looking for eventual vampirism, much to Guillermo’s confusion. Topher’s arrogance ultimately leads to his shocking death. That’s when Nadja contacts her old friend Wallace, played by MCU star Benedict Wong, to resurrect him. But the singing necromancer’s reanimation makes Topher come back as a wild, high-fiving zombie trying to eat Guillermo. Osment and Wong’s comedic performances of these eccentric characters are highlights of not just of season 2 but the entire series.

Prolific actress Cree Summer has voiced numerous iconic animated characters including Susie Carmichael in “Rugrats,” Penny in “Inspector Gadget,” and Elmyra in “Tiny Toon Adventures.” But in season 3 of “What We Do in the Shadows”, she’s live and in action as Jan, the vampiric leader of the Post-Chiropteran Wellness Center for vampires who want to be human again. Nandor originally visits the Center on some Vampiric Council business, but gets pulled in by Jan and starts embracing their bizarre, eccentric lifestyle. Summer showed off her comedic skills as the manipulative cult leader and Nandor’s casual romantic interest. She even did some improv with Jan teaching women how to smile which made it into the episode. As a fan of the series, Summer has already expressed interest in returning!

In season 1, Colin Robinson meets another form of psychic vampire, specifically the emotional vampire Evie Russell played by “Saturday Night Live” alum Vanessa Bayer. The two energy suckers start as enemies but end up dating for a brief time. Colin Robinson seems genuinely upset when they break up but Evie’s constant emotional manipulation makes it impossible to know how she really feels about anything. We were pretty bummed, too, since Bayer’s amazingly funny performance as Evie Russell complements Mark Proksch’s expert portrayal of the energy vampire so well. The writers must’ve felt the same because she returned in season 5, rekindling her toxic relationship with Colin Robinson to aid in his run for comptroller which, unsurprisingly, ends shortly after it started.

We’ve known Baron Afanas since the pilot episode when he made a surprise arrival at the home of Nandor, Nadja, Laszlo, and Colin Robinson. Underneath the Baron’s decrepit visage was the legendary creature actor Doug Jones. As a frequent collaborator of Guillermo del Toro, Jones knows a thing or two about spending hours in the makeup chair, so he’s perfect to embody the ancient vampire. After his accidental demise in season 1, he returned in seasons 3, 4, and 5, in different stages, from a burnt torso to his former glorious self. The Baron also shared scenes with Kristen Schaal’s The Guide, who started as a guest star in the first season and rightfully became a series regular by the fourth.

In season 1, fans were pleasantly surprised to see Taika Waititi, Jonathan Brugh, and Jemaine Clement reprise their roles as Viago, Deacon, and Vladislav the Poker from the 2014 film of the same name. The trio are now a part of the powerful Vampiric Council led by Tilda. Yes, Tilda Swinton, who starred in “Only Lovers Left Alive,” appears as a vampiric variant of herself, along with other actors behind notable vampire characters. Evan Rachel Wood from HBO’s “True Blood,” Danny Trejo from “From Dusk till Dawn,” Paul Reubens from “Buffy the Vampire Slayer,” and Wesley Snipes, the titular Daywalker from the “Blade” franchise. Dave Bautista is also in this star-studded episode as Garret, a prisoner Nandor, Nadja, and Laszlo mistake for a council member.

Nick Kroll is one of the few performers who’ve been in more than one episode of “What We Do in the Shadows.” Manhattan vampire Simon the Devious was first introduced in the first season as Laszlo’s longtime rival. We also met the Leather Skins, his ever-growing crew of vamps, and a human-turned-zombie. Kroll returned in the second season as a sewer-dwelling Simon with a dwindled crew. But his most unexpected appearance comes in season 4’s “Go Flip Yourself,” when he explains his ridiculously elaborate ruse. The reason? To get Laszlo’s witch-skin hat, of course. Kroll plays off of the talented Matt Berry perfectly, and the rivals match each other’s theatricality and pettiness with every encounter, always leaving us in stitches.

Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions.

The Supreme Council of Energy Vampires, “The Campaign”
A Lowkey Organization Made Up of Wonderfully Monotone Comedians

Craig Robinson, “Brain Scramblies” & “The Curse”
Claude Leads the Mosquito Collectors of the Tri-State Area Who Are Secretly Vampire Hunters

Lucy Punch, “Witches”
A Humorously Evil Performance as Nadja’s Former Witch Friend-Turned-Enemy, Lilith

John Slattery, “Urgent Care”
Colin Robinson Gets Into an Accident with a Mad Man

Fred Armisen, “The Grand Opening”
The “Portlandia” Creator Guest Stars as Doctor Tom, Richie Suck’s Overbearing Familiar/Manager/DJ

Mark Hamill is known for his phenomenal performances as iconic characters, particularly Luke Skywalker in the “Star Wars” franchise and the Joker in “Batman: The Animated Series.” The legendary actor guest starred in arguably one of if not the best episodes of “What We Do in the Shadows.” In “On the Run,” Laszlo decides to start a new life instead of repaying Jim the Vampire. But the two come face-to-face again when Jim strolls into Laszlo’s (aka Jackie Daytona’s) bar to lament about his current search. Hamill and Berry’s bar fight is peak physical comedy, especially their brief lightsaber-like moment. In the end, Jim realizes he’s been swindled by Laz once again which gives us hope Hamill will make a return.