Documentary Now!

Documentary Now!
Genre Mockumentary
Created by
Directed by
  • Rhys Thomas
  • Alex Buono
Presented by Helen Mirren
Starring
  • Fred Armisen
  • Bill Hader
Theme music composer Josh Moshier
Country of origin United States
Original language(s) English
No. of seasons 2
No. of episodes 14 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producer(s)
  • Fred Armisen
  • Bill Hader
  • Seth Meyers
  • Lorne Michaels
  • Rhys Thomas
  • Andrew Singer
Production company(s) Broadway Video
Release
Original network IFC
Picture format 1080i (HDTV)
Original release August 20, 2015 (2015-08-20) – present (present)
External links
Official website

Documentary Now! is an American mockumentary television series, created by Fred Armisen, Bill Hader, Seth Meyers, and Rhys Thomas, that premiered on August 20, 2015 on IFC. Armisen and Hader star in the series and Thomas co-directs. The series, hosted by Helen Mirren, spoofs celebrated documentary films by parodying the style of each documentary with a similar, but fictitious, subject. It has been renewed through season three which is scheduled to premiere on February 20, 2019.

Premise

Within the universe of the show itself, Documentary Now! is a long-running news magazine for documentaries, initially celebrating its 50th season. Mirren appears at the beginning of each episode to introduce the documentary that the audience is about to see.

Hader and Armisen usually each play a lead or a prominent supporting character in each episode's documentary, though neither appears in every episode. Otherwise, the cast is entirely different from one episode to the next. The end credits are also made to appear as though they are the credits for the documentary, and not for the show itself.

Episodes

SeasonEpisodesOriginally aired
First airedLast aired
17August 20, 2015 (2015-08-20)September 24, 2015 (2015-09-24)
27September 14, 2016 (2016-09-14)October 26, 2016 (2016-10-26)
37February 20, 2019 (2019-02-20)TBA

Season 1 (2015)

No.
overall		No. in
season		TitleDirected byWritten bySubject parodiedOriginal air dateU.S. viewers
(millions)
11"Sandy Passage"Rhys Thomas
& Alex Buono		Seth MeyersGrey GardensAugust 20, 2015 (2015-08-20)0.16[1]
An in-depth look at the daily lives of two aging socialites and their crumbling estate.
22"Kunuk Uncovered"Rhys Thomas
& Alex Buono		Seth MeyersNanook RevisitedAugust 27, 2015 (2015-08-27)0.25[2]
An investigation into the seminal 1922 documentary Kunuk the Hunter that attempts to separate what is real from what is fabrication.
33"DRONEZ: The Hunt for El Chingon"Rhys Thomas
& Alex Buono		Duffy Boudreau,
Bill Hader, & Rob Klein		VICE News documentariesSeptember 3, 2015 (2015-09-03)0.11[3]
The hipster media empire DRONEZ sends a series of its notoriously fearless journalists to track down Mexico's most wanted drug lord.
44"The Eye Doesn't Lie"Rhys Thomas
& Alex Buono		Bill Hader
& John Mulaney		The Thin Blue LineSeptember 10, 2015 (2015-09-10)0.09[4]
An investigation into the wrongful conviction of a man sentenced to death for a 1976 murder.
55"A Town, a Gangster, a Festival"Rhys Thomas
& Alex Buono		Seth Meyers
& Fred Armisen		HollywoodSeptember 17, 2015 (2015-09-17)0.16[5]
A documentary crew travels to Árborg, Iceland for the annual festival honoring American gangster Al Capone.
66"Gentle & Soft: The Story of the Blue Jean Committee, Part 1"Rhys Thomas
& Alex Buono		Fred Armisen, Bill Hader,
& Erik Kenward		History of the EaglesSeptember 24, 2015 (2015-09-24)0.11[6]
A documentary charting the rise and fall of soft rock's seminal band, the Blue Jean Committee.
77"Gentle & Soft: The Story of the Blue Jean Committee, Part 2"Rhys Thomas
& Alex Buono		Fred Armisen, Bill Hader,
& Erik Kenward		History of the EaglesSeptember 24, 2015 (2015-09-24)0.10[6]
Part two of the documentary of the Blue Jean Committee, the revolutionary Chicago turned California soft rock group.

Season 2 (2016)

No.
overall		No. in
season		TitleDirected byWritten bySubject parodiedOriginal air dateU.S. viewers
(millions)
81"The Bunker"Rhys Thomas
& Alex Buono		John MulaneyThe War RoomSeptember 14, 2016 (2016-09-14)0.12[7]
A behind-the-scenes view of Ben Herndon's 1992 run for governor of Ohio, focusing on his core campaign staff.
92"Juan Likes Rice & Chicken"Rhys Thomas
& Alex Buono		Seth MeyersJiro Dreams of SushiSeptember 21, 2016 (2016-09-21)0.11[8]
A look at the strict owner of a remote Colombian restaurant famed for its rice and chicken, and the son he has tutored and hopes will take over for him some day.
103"Parker Gail's Location Is Everything"Rhys Thomas
& Alex Buono		John Mulaney
& Bill Hader		Swimming to CambodiaSeptember 28, 2016 (2016-09-28)0.11[9]
Parker Gail performs a stream of consciousness monologue about the day he was kicked out of his New York City apartment.
114"Globesman"Rhys Thomas
& Alex Buono		Seth MeyersSalesmanOctober 5, 2016 (2016-10-05)0.13[10]
Four 1960s salesmen go door to door trying to sell globes to uninterested people.
125"Final Transmission"Rhys Thomas
& Alex Buono		Fred Armisen
& Erik Kenward		Stop Making SenseOctober 12, 2016 (2016-10-12)0.120[11]
In 1987, new wave band Test Pattern plays its final concert.
136"Mr. Runner Up: My Life as an Oscar Bridesmaid, Part 1"Rhys Thomas
& Alex Buono		John Mulaney
& Bill Hader		The Kid Stays in the PictureOctober 26, 2016 (2016-10-26)0.062[12]
A candid docu-memoir of Hollywood legend Jerry Wallach, and his 40-year quest to win an Oscar.
147"Mr. Runner Up: My Life as an Oscar Bridesmaid, Part 2"Rhys Thomas
& Alex Buono		John Mulaney
& Bill Hader		The Kid Stays in the PictureOctober 26, 2016 (2016-10-26)0.090[12]
The conclusion of Jerry Wallach's tale, from Blondes, Blondes, Blondes and a Millionaire to Robot Bachelor.

Season 3 (2019)

No.
overall		No. in
season		TitleDirected byWritten bySubject parodiedOriginal air dateU.S. viewers
(millions)
151"Batsh*t Valley"[13]Alex BuonoSeth MeyersWild Wild Country
& The Source Family		February 20, 2019 (2019-02-20)TBD

Production

Background

The idea for the series was born out of a pre-tape short film from Saturday Night Live, where Armisen, Hader and Meyers were former cast members. In 2013, Armisen and Hader portrayed faded British punk rock stars in a sketch titled, Ian Rubbish and the Bizzaros: History of Punk, produced in the style of This Is Spinal Tap.[14]

Development

On March 20, 2014, it was announced that IFC had given the production, then titled American Documentary, a series order for a first season consisting of six episodes. Executive producers were set to include Lorne Michaels, Seth Meyers, Fred Armisen, and Bill Hader. Production companies involved with the series were slated to consist of Broadway Video and Rhys Thomas was expected to serve as director.[15] The six-episode order limited the first season of the show, as Seth Meyers revealed in an interview with Collider, stating that they were not able to spoof Michael Moore documentaries, or the HBO documentary miniseries The Jinx: The Life and Deaths of Robert Durst. Meyers further explained saying, "The Jinx happened a little too late for us. We almost tried to pull it off. We talked a lot about that kind of documentary, where the filmmaker sets out to make a documentary, and then, very slowly, it becomes clear the documentary is about himself."[16] The producers also declined to do another This is Spinal Tap–type mockumentary and consciously avoided any similarities in editing or style. Armisen commented, "Spinal Tap set such a great precedent that we had to watch out for repeating any of those same beats. It’s one of the greatest movies ever."[16]

On July 31, 2015, it was announced at the Television Critics Association's annual summer press tour that Meyers, Hader and Armisen would serve as writers for the series and that additional executive producers would include Thomas and Andrew Singer.[17] On August 18, 2015, it was reported that IFC had renewed the series for a second and third season. It was additionally reported that the series had been co-created by Thomas who was also expected to serve in the role of director along with Alex Buono. John Mulaney was slated to be a consulting producer and Erik Kenward a supervising producer.[18] On August 27, 2015, it was announced that IFC had decided to delay the premiere of the series' second episode "DRONEZ: The Hunt for El Chingon" following the live broadcast of two television news station employees' murders in Virginia the previous day. The episode "Kunuk Uncovered", originally set to air as the series' third episode, was broadcast in its place.[19]

On August 1, 2018, it was announced that the third season would premiere on February 20, 2019. Additionally, it was reported that one of the episodes would be titled "Waiting for the Artist" and parody the documentary film Marina Abramovic: The Artist is Present.[20] Later that month, it was announced that another episode, entitled "Original Cast Album: Co-Op", would parody D.A. Pennebaker’s 1970 documentary Original Cast Album: Company.[21] On October 10, 2018, it was announced that the season three premiere episode had been titled Batsh*t Valley and that it would be a parody of Wild Wild Country and The Source Family.[13]

Casting

Alongside the series order announcement, it was confirmed that Fred Armisen and Bill Hader would star in the series.[15] On August 1, 2018, it was announced that Cate Blanchett would guest star in the third season episode "Waiting for the Artist" as Barta, a performance artist.[20] Later that month, it was reported that Taran Killam, John Mulaney, James Urbaniak, Alex Brightman, Richard Kind, Paula Pell, and Renee Elise Goldsberry would appear in a third season episode titled "Original Cast Album: Co-Op".[21] On October 10, 2018, it was announced that Owen Wilson, Michael Keaton, and Necar Zadegan would guest star in the third season premiere episode "Batsh*t Valley".[13]

Filming

In season one, two of the episodes were shot in Iceland and DRONEZ: The Hunt for El Chingon was filmed in Tijuana.[16] To film the second-season episode "Final Transmission", the Documentary Now! crew staged a real-life concert (attracting around 1,000 people) in which Armisen, Hader, and guest star Maya Rudolph performed as the Talking Heads-inspired band the episode centers around.[22] The season three episode "Waiting for the Artist" was filmed in Budapest, Hungary in mid-2018.[20]

Reception

Critical response

Season Critical response
Rotten Tomatoes Metacritic
1 88% (26 reviews) 77 (17 reviews)
2 100% (13 reviews) 74 (7 reviews)

Season 1

The first season was met with a positive response from critics upon its premiere. On the review aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes, the season holds a 88% approval rating, with an average rating of 7.86 out of 10 based on 26 reviews. The website's critical consensus reads, "Boasting a talented cast and smart writing, Documentary Now! is a clever send-up of non-fiction filmmaking, though some may find themselves outside the narrow scope of its humor."[23] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the season a score of 77 out of 100 based on 17 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews."[24]

In its year-end roundup, the New York Times named Documentary Now! as one of "The Best TV Shows of 2015". "This series, introduced in August," wrote Times critic Neil Genzlinger, "consists not of actual documentaries but of parodies of actual documentaries. It sure is funny, though."[25]

Season 2

The second season was met with a positive response from critics upon its premiere. On the review aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes, the season holds a 100% approval rating, with an average rating of 7.84 out of 10 based on 13 reviews. The website's critical consensus reads, "With extreme attention to detail, Documentary Now! furthers its hilarious tribute to vintage documentaries through showcasing creators Hader and Armisen's multi-talents, topped with brilliantly by earnestly dramatic introductions by Dame Helen Mirren."[26] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the season a score of 74 out of 100 based on 7 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews."[27]

Awards and nominations

Year Ceremony Category Nominee(s) Result Ref.
2016 Primetime Emmy Awards Outstanding Variety Sketch Series Documentary Now! Nominated [28]
Critics' Choice Television Awards Best Actor in a Comedy Series Bill Hader Nominated [29]
2017 Writers Guild of America Awards Comedy/Variety - Sketch Series Fred Armisen, Bill Hader, Erik Kenward, John Mulaney, Seth Meyers Nominated [30]
Primetime Emmy Awards Outstanding Variety Sketch Series Documentary Now! Nominated [31]

References

  1. ↑ Metcalf, Mitch (August 21, 2015). "SHOWBUZZDAILY's Top 100 Thursday Cable Originals (& Network Update): 8.20.2015". Showbuzz Daily. Retrieved August 24, 2015.
  2. ↑ Metcalf, Mitch (August 28, 2015). "SHOWBUZZDAILY's Top 100 Thursday Cable Originals (& Network Update): 8.27.2015". Showbuzz Daily. Retrieved September 10, 2015.
  3. ↑ Metcalf, Mitch (September 4, 2015). "SHOWBUZZDAILY's Top 100 Thursday Cable Originals (& Network Update): 9.3.2015". Showbuzz Daily. Archived from the original on September 5, 2015. Retrieved September 12, 2015.
  4. ↑ Metcalf, Mitch (September 11, 2015). "SHOWBUZZDAILY's Top 100 Thursday Cable Originals (& Network Update): 9.10.2015". Showbuzz Daily. Retrieved September 23, 2015.
  5. ↑ Metcalf, Mitch (September 18, 2015). "SHOWBUZZDAILY's Top 100 Thursday Cable Originals (& Network Update): 9.17.2015". Showbuzz Daily. Retrieved September 23, 2015.
  6. 1 2 Metcalf, Mitch (September 25, 2015). "SHOWBUZZDAILY's Top 100 Thursday Cable Originals ( & Network Update): 9.24.2015". ShowBuzzDaily. Retrieved October 18, 2015.
  7. ↑ Metcalf, Mitch (September 15, 2016). "UPDATED: SHOWBUZZDAILY's Top 150 Wednesday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 9.14.2016". Showbuzz Daily. Retrieved September 17, 2016.
  8. ↑ Metcalf, Mitch (September 22, 2016). "UPDATED: SHOWBUZZDAILY's Top 150 Wednesday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 9.21.2016". Showbuzz Daily. Retrieved September 24, 2016.
  9. ↑ Metcalf, Mitch (September 29, 2016). "UPDATED: SHOWBUZZDAILY's Top 150 Wednesday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 9.28.2016". Showbuzz Daily. Retrieved September 30, 2016.
  10. ↑ Metcalf, Mitch (October 6, 2016). "UPDATED: SHOWBUZZDAILY's Top 150 Wednesday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 10.5.2016". Showbuzz Daily. Retrieved October 8, 2016.
  11. ↑ Metcalf, Mitch (October 13, 2016). "UPDATED: SHOWBUZZDAILY's Top 150 Wednesday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 10.12.2016". Showbuzz Daily. Retrieved October 15, 2016.
  12. 1 2 Metcalf, Mitch (October 27, 2016). "UPDATED: SHOWBUZZDAILY's Top 150 Wednesday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 10.26.2016". Showbuzz Daily. Retrieved October 30, 2016.
  13. 1 2 3 Greene, Steve (October 10, 2018). "Michael Keaton and Owen Wilson to Star in 'Wild Wild Country'-Inspired Episode of Parody Series 'Documentary Now!'". IndieWire. Retrieved October 10, 2018.
  14. ↑ Snierson, Dan (May 15, 2015). "Bill Hader and Fred Armisen channel Grey Gardens in IFC's Documentary Now!". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved August 24, 2015.
  15. 1 2 "IFC Unveils New Comedies From Fred Armisen, Seth Meyers & Rob Huebel As Part Of 2015 Slate". Deadline Hollywood. March 20, 2014. Retrieved August 13, 2018.
  16. 1 2 3 Radish, Christina (August 7, 2015). "13 Things to Know about DOCUMENTARY NOW! Starring Fred Armisen and Bill Hader". Collider. Retrieved August 8, 2015.
  17. ↑ de Moraes, Lisa (July 31, 2015). "'Documentary Now!' Spoof Born Of Love, From Fred Armisen, Seth Meyers & Bill Hader – TCA". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved August 14, 2018.
  18. ↑ Petski, Denise (August 18, 2015). "Fred Armisen, Bill Hader & Seth Meyers' 'Documentary Now!' Renewed For 2 More Seasons". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved August 14, 2018.
  19. ↑ Pedersen, Erik (August 27, 2015). "IFC Delays 'Documentary Now' Episode After News Team's On-Air Shooting". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved August 14, 2018.
  20. 1 2 3 Evans, Greg (August 1, 2018). "Cate Blanchett Set For 'Documentary Now!' Take On Performance Artist". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved August 13, 2018.
  21. 1 2 Evans, Greg (August 13, 2018). "'Documentary Now!' To Tackle Sondheim, Stritch & The Ladies Who Lunch". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved August 13, 2018.
  22. ↑ Erik, Adams (October 10, 2016). ""How did I get here?": Documentary Now!'s little Talking Heads tribute that could". The A.V. Club. Retrieved December 21, 2016.
  23. ↑ "Documentary Now!: Season 1". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango. Retrieved October 10, 2018.
  24. ↑ "Documentary Now!: Season 1". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved October 10, 2018.
  25. ↑ Poniewozik, James; Hale, Mike; Genzlinger, Neil (December 7, 2015). "The Best TV Shows of 2015". The New York Times. Retrieved August 13, 2018.
  26. ↑ "Documentary Now!: Season 2". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango. Retrieved October 10, 2018.
  27. ↑ "Documentary Now!: Season 2". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved October 10, 2018.
  28. ↑ "Outstanding Variety Sketch Series - 2016". Emmys.com. Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. Retrieved July 21, 2017.
  29. ↑ Prudom, Laura (September 7, 2016). "Critics' Choice Awards Reveal Most Exciting New Series Honorees". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved July 21, 2017.
  30. ↑ Petski, Denise (December 5, 2016). "WGA TV Nominations: 'The Americans', 'Stranger Things', 'Westworld', 'This Is Us' Among Nominees". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved July 19, 2017.
  31. ↑ "Outstanding Variety Sketch Series - 2017". Emmys.com. Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. Retrieved July 21, 2017.
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