Sorry, but Jackie Daytona won’t appear in What We Do In The Shadows season 3
The "human bartender," played so memorably by Matt Berry, might return in season 4, though.
Jackie Daytona stans, prepare to be disappointed. During the 2021 Television Critics Association summer press tour, What We Do In The Shadows executive producers and writers Paul Simms and Stefani Robinson revealed that Matt Berry won’t don Jackie Daytona’s bartending hat in the upcoming third season of the FX comedy.
Berry plays centuries-old vampire Laszlo Cravensworth in the show. Laszlo lives in a grimy, huge Staten Island mansion with fellow vampires Nadja, (Natasia Demetriou), Nandor (Kayvan Novak), and Colin Robinson (Mark Proksch), as well as a human familiar, Guillermo (Harvey Guillén). In season two’s sixth episode, “On The Run,” Laszlo has to disappear when another vampire named Jim (guest star Mark Hamill) is after him for not paying rent for a month 167 years ago. While on the lam, Laszlo settles in Pennsylvania—because it sounds like Translyvania—and adopts a new “full-proof human disguise” as a bartender named Jackie Daytona.
While he lasted only for one episode, Jackie Daytona was instantly beloved by fans and critics alike, thanks to Berry’s performance. However, Simms and Robinson revealed at the TCA session that they decided not to bring this avatar back just yet because it would be difficult to top his appearance in the well-received season-two episode. “We talked about it, and we felt like it would be pandering to try to bring him back,” Simms said. Robinson added that when the timing is correct, Jackie Daytona might make an appearance again. Luckily, the chances are looking good because FX has renewed What We Do In The Shadows for season four already. Meanwhile, season three will feature more of Laszlo and wife Nadja’s musical escapades, while Laszlo seems to be playing a lawyer with a great wig, as seen in the newly released trailer.
What We Do In The Shadows season three premieres with two episodes on September 2 at 10 p.m. ET on FX, with episodes streaming the next day on FX on Hulu.