The Devil’s In The Details: The Mesmerizing Accuracy of “Documentary Now!”

David Reiser
Nov 3 · 2 min read
Fred Armisen and Bill Hader, creators of “Documentary Now!”

Parody is one of my favorite forms of comedy. However, I feel as if it can be extremely hit-or-miss depending on the delivery. An example of this would be movies such as Stan Helsing or Meet The Spartans, which are full of cheap shot jokes and feel like nothing more than actors wearing Spirit Halloween costumes. However, when done well, you’re left with something special like IFC’s Documentary Now!


Bill Hader and Fred Armisen, Documentary Now

Documentary Now! is a comedy “mockumentary” series created by Saturday Night Live alum Bill Hader, Fred Armisen and Seth Meyers. The series parodies real world documentaries such as Alison Ellwood’s History of The Eagles and 1993’s The War Room. While each episode twists each documentary’s subject and provides plenty of laughs, what really makes Documentary Now! significant is its faithfulness.

What stood out most to me is how accurate each episode looks to not only the documentary it parodies, but the time period the footage is supposed to be from. Whether it’s supposed to be a documentary about a fictitious rock band from the 70’s, or a look into the life of door-to-door globe salesmen from the 50’s, Documentary Now! never loses its authenticity. This surprisingly is all done digitally rather than actually being on film, as noted by directors Rhys Thomas and Alex Buono.


Along with the authenticity of its style, Documentary Now! borrows many of its key points from the actual documentaries it parodies, in some cases directly copying the same shots and beats as its subject. While this isn’t necessarily unique to Documentary Now!, there’s an undeniable charm in how close it comes to the source material.

Along with its faithful style, it’s downright funny and odd, delivered in a way that only the Saturday Night Live crew of the past could. If you’re interested in documentaries, looking for something to laugh at, or just a sucker for authenticity, Documentary Now! is worth a watch.

Documentary Now! can be seen on the IFC channel, along with being available to stream on Netflix.

David Reiser

Written by

22. M. East Coast Born and Raised. Lover of video games, movies, and whatever kind of media you can digest.

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