Since What We Do in the Shadows debuted on FX in 2019, it has nabbed two Emmy nominations for Outstanding Comedy Series, multiple nods for writing and directing, a slew of technical honors, and the 2022 Emmy for Outstanding Fantasy/Sci-Fi Costumes. Last week, it garnered four new nominations in technical categories, but failed to make the Best Comedy race. Still, the biggest awards snub for What We Do in the Shadows to date has to be the fact that no one in its incredible ensemble cast has ever been nominated for their outrageously hilarious performances.

Matt Berry‘s line readings as Laszlo repeatedly go viral for their ingenious rhythms. Fans dissect the nuances in every Nandor (Kayvan Novak) and Guillermo (Harvey Guillén) interaction. Natasia Demetriou does double duty playing both herself and her demented “Dolly.” Mark Proksch spent last season going from a manic infant version of his character to a showtune-loving child until he was back as his original Energy Vampire Colin Robinson self. And Kristen Schaal has taken a nameless supporting character and transformed her into part of the main cast. Nevertheless, the Emmys ignore these incredible performances year after year.

“We’re furious,” What We Do in the Shadows star Kayvan Novak said with a total deadpan.

“This is dangerous territory because I do have a lot of opinions about this,” Kristen Schaal, who plays The Guide, said with a laugh.

Decider caught up with the cast of What We Do in the Shadows a few weeks ago — well ahead of the start of the SAG-AFTRA strike — and we asked the actors who they felt deserved a nomination the most. Instead of singling anyone out, everyone we spoke to sang the whole production’s praises…while still offering some fascinating theories as to why they weren’t receiving the same level of awards attention as some of their peers.

“I don’t know maybe I’m being insane or naive, but I think it’s so much better for the whole show to be nominated than if like one [person] because that kind of encompasses everyone who works so hard on the show and stuff. And like if I just got nominated, just being like, [in an annoying voice] ‘Thank you, it’s just me,‘ I’d feel really embarrassed, I think. So, yeah, that’s my very humble opinion,” Natasia Demetriou said.

“I do think getting the cast nominated would be great as a whole. Like, you know, as an ensemble. It’d just be great,” Harvey Guillén, who plays the fan favorite “familiar” Guillermo, said. “I think because it’s such a fun show and because it is about vampires, it’s easy to [be] like, ‘That show’s fantastic. Let’s nominate it for everything else but the actual performers because it’s such a great show.'”

“I think it’s a testament to us being a good ensemble, which happened, you know, that was Allison Jones and her team in the casting,” Mark Proksch said, shouting out one of the industry’s greatest casting agents of all time. In addition to What We Do in the Shadows, Jones has assembled casts of future superstars on titles like Freaks & Geeks, Parks & Recreation, and Scott Pilgrim vs. The World.

Proksch went on to muse: “I think people see us as a whole [unit] a lot of times and that’s good. That’s probably why we’re going into Season 6 instead of a couple of us getting Emmys in Season 2 and people focusing on those people and those people going off and trying to become big stars or what have you. I think it’s not a bad thing that we haven’t gotten nominated.”

“I think that at the end of the day, as long as the fans love it and the critics love it, and everyone knows what good TV is, and everyone knows what good comedy looks like,” Guillén said. “If everyone knows, it’s like, you don’t need to necessarily win the blue ribbon at the fair to know that it’s a prize.”

“Well said. Well said. I agree,” Schaal said. “As long as people are finding it and watching it, the awards… It’s a whole other thing and I don’t understand it anymore.”

Schaal went on to assert that “there’s so much good TV” right now that she didn’t feel there was a single show or performance that was pushing What We Do in the Shadows out of contention.

“Like nobody’s mad because there was like a weird show that got nominated. Everyone deserves to be nominated. The TV is awesome right now,” Schaal said before offering an addendum.

“I was gonna say that I do wish there was a category for comedy-comedy. You know, like, I feel like it’s getting a little crowded in our little comedy category — with incredible shows. My favorite shows that are just doing something different. The end. Thank you.”

What Schaal might have been referring to is the fact that many of the most critically-acclaimed shows nominated for comedy Emmys are technically dramedies. The Bear deals with grief, tension, and trauma with occasional laugh lines and some standout supporting comic turns, but it’s hardly aiming for the same the laughs per minute that What We Do in the Shadows or a more traditional network sitcom like Abbott Elementary are. Nevetherless, The Bear Season 1 wound up with 13 Emmy nominations in various comedy categories.

“I mean, awards, you know, are they are they important?” Novak asked. “I don’t know.”

Demetriou sarcastically replied, “Yes, they’re the most important thing.”

“Are they, though?” Novak wondered aloud again.

“I mean, you don’t remember who won last time,” Proksch said.

“Exactly,” Novak said before offering his hypothesis for why Emmy voters ignore What We Do in the Shadows‘s cast year after year.

“I have a different theory. I think people watch the show and think, ‘They’re having too much fun on that show,'” Novak said. “It’s actually incredibly consistently hilarious. You know, the the amount of plates that these writers and production teams spin for us actors. They make it look easy. And I think people want to give awards to things that seem like they were a struggle or they were a pain or they were difficult or they really suffered making that.”

“And actually we all suffer making this and it’s time to get a fucking award!” Novak said with a laugh before launching into a rant that felt like a combination of a joke and perhaps the truth.

“What the fuck? And now Barry‘s gonna fucking win everything because you know, it’s the last season and, [in an insipid voice] ‘Oh, Bill Hader! Oh, he’s-he’s-he’s doing something. Come on! So underrated.’ He’s been making shows for 10 years in fucking Hollywood, man! This is it for us!”

Barry coincidentally did rake in 11 Emmy nominations last week for its fourth and final season.

“As long as I’m working. I don’t care,” Schaal said, seemingly summing up her co-stars’ opinions. “I do support the awards shows but I also just want to keep working. That’s an award in itself.”

And for fans of What We Do in the Shadows, the show’s continued success and consistent hilarity is all the prize we need.