Why Taika Waititi’s Wellington Paranormal Took 3 Years To Release In The US

Wellington Paranormal, the paranormal comedy series from Taika Waititi and Jemaine Clement, has finally released in the United States a whole three years after its initial debut in its native New Zealand. It’s a wonder why it took so long for the series to reach American audiences since it’s one of two televised spin-offs of the modern cult classic film What We Do in the Shadows, the other being the same-titled FX series that has amassed critical acclaim and an impressive following in its own right.

Wellington Paranormal follows the inept buddy duo of Officers Minogue and O’Leary, who first appeared in What We Do in the Shadows as a pair of cops investigating the vampire residence for any supernatural activity. In the movie, the two were hypnotized into believing that the vampires weren’t a threat, but the gag is that these two idiots probably didn’t need much convincing. In the show, Minogue and O’Leary are supervised by the also incompetent Sergeant Ruawai Maaka, who recruits the officers to join his paranormal task force.

The series first premiered on New Zealand’s public broadcasting station TVNZ 2 in 2018, which actually means it predates FX’s What We Do in the Shadows show. However, Wellington Paranormal was never granted international distribution rights beyond neighboring Australia until 2021, when British broadcasting giant Sky licensed all three seasons for the company’s Now streaming service as well as its Sky Comedy channel. Similarly, WarnerMedia has bought the American distribution rights to the program under the first joint acquisition between HBO Max and The CW. Due to the deal, new episodes will premiere on The CW before releasing to stream on HBO Max a day later.

The smaller-scale production of Wellington Paranormal may be one reason why the series took so long to travel beyond its native borders. The show is produced by the independent New Zealand Documentary Board, which is actually just Jemaine Clement’s faux-documentary company. In contrast, What We Do in the Shadows has the backing of FX’s in-house production company and incorporates creative talent from outside of New Zealand. The CW and HBO Max are the American distribution platforms for Wellington Paranormal, but FX specifically produces What We Do in the Shadows for its own network.

The difference between production and distribution rights explains why Wellington Paranormal debuted in its native country first, but three years is still a long time for a show to travel to American television screens. The wait may be because no major distributor wanted to take a chance with the show’s distinctly New Zealand humor, chock full of dry, deadpan delivery and references to local Wellington culture and geography. What We Do in the Shadows, with its more recognizable guest stars and cultural commentary, may have seemed more accessible for American audiences. Luckily, the latter’s massive success most likely contributed to the former’s long-awaited arrival to the United States.

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