What We Do in the Shadows was a hit, not only in New Zealand, but also America.

Wellington's hipster vampires will be returning to screens, but this time on television with a Taika Waititi made spin-off series.

The new comedy by Waititi and Jemaine Clement features on a list of new shows announced by TVNZ at their 2018 season launch on Wednesday night.

The network planned to release 19 new local shows, including a hoard of reality television programmes.

SUPPLIED Taika Waititi as the vampire Viago in What We Do In The Shadows's police scene.

Clement has said before that the new television series would centre on the two police characters from What We Do in the Shadows, Officer Minogue and Officer O'Leary.

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Discussions about the series had been going on for years. In 2015, TVNZ confirmed it was looking to make a spinoff with the pair, based on their 2014 mockumentary hit.

Officers Minogue (Mike Minogue) and O'Leary (Karen O'Leary) in What We Do In The Shadows.

It was understood the show would follow the "paranormal activity division of the New Zealand police". In the film, officers Minogue and O'Leary were hypnotised so neither noticed the blood or dead bodies in the vampires' home. Aptly, they had named the show Paranormal Unit.

TVNZ would also screen six locally made reality television shows next year, including four shows new to New Zealand, it said. The network also announced it planned to import at least 14 offshore reality television.

Its local titles included reality shows such as Heartbreak Island and the first ever Project Runway New Zealand. In a statement, TVNZ director of content Cate Slater said Project Runway would "unearth a new sartorial star". Another real estate show was also in the works, called Design Junkies.

SUPPLIED Love Island will return to TVNZ.

Descriptions of Heartbreak Island painted a picture where 20 singles were locked on an island to find love an a $100,000 cash prize. The show sounded similar to a much hyped reality import currently screening on TVNZ2, Love Island.

On its third season in the UK, Love Island took off as one of the most talked about shows of the year. Following its success, TVNZ snatched up the show where attractive singles swap partners while trapped in an artificial world. Love Island would be returning next year, TVNZ said, alongside global imports such as Naked Attraction and Love Connection.

Waititi and Clement's series was one of seven local comedy series due to screen online and on air. TVNZ announced three new web series, including a newblood iniative called Oddly Even and Baby Mama's Club. Paranormal Unit was the only local comedy due to screen on television.