is an American mockumentary television series created by Fred Armisen, Bill Hader, Seth Meyers, and Rhys Thomas, and premiered on August 20, 2015, on IFC.
The hipster media empire DRONEZ sends a series of its notoriously fearless journalists to track down Mexico's most wanted drug lord.
A documentary crew travels to Árborg, Iceland, for the annual festival honoring American gangster Al Capone.
A look at the strict owner of a remote Colombian restaurant famed for its rice and chicken recipe, and the son he has tutored and hopes will take over for him some day.
The marathon studio recording session for the original cast album of the ill-fated 1970 Broadway musical Co-op, with songs detailing the joys and pains of a New York City housing cooperative.
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.
[23] Hader has stated the biggest inspirations for the series were Woody Allen's mockumentary films Take the Money and Run (1969), and Zelig (1983).
"[24][25] 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.
"[27] 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.
[29] 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.
One episode, titled "Any Given Saturday Afternoon", was described as a parody of the 2006 documentary A League of Ordinary Gentlemen and set to feature guest stars including Kevin Dunn, Michael C. Hall, Tim Robinson, and Bobby Moynihan.
The other episode, titled "Long Gone", was described as a parody of the 1988 documentary Let's Get Lost and was expected to include Natasha Lyonne in a guest starring role.
[31] Later that month, it was reported that Taran Killam, John Mulaney, James Urbaniak, Alex Brightman, Richard Kind, Paula Pell, and Renée Elise Goldsberry would appear in a third-season episode titled "Original Cast Album: Co-Op".
[33] 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".
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.
[37] On January 27, 2019, the premiere of the third season was held at the Egyptian Theatre in Park City, Utah during the 2019 Sundance Film Festival.
[40][41] In advance of their television broadcast, the episodes My Monkey Grifter, Two Hairdressers in Bagglyport and Trouver Frisson were premiered in the Documentary slate at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 9, 2022.
furthers its hilarious tribute to vintage documentaries through showcasing creators Hader and Armisen's multi-talents, topped brilliantly with earnestly dramatic introductions by Dame Helen Mirren.
On Rotten Tomatoes, the season holds a 100% approval rating, with a critical consensus of: "Still sprightly while retaining its acerbic irreverence, Documentary Now!