A comedy series that parodies various documentaries is already a typical idea for a TV show, but “Documentary Now!” For the makers of the show, tinkering in Specific is part of the fun — and part of what makes the show so fan-favorite is its small but devoted fan base.
“The good news is, I think we always tell them it’s going to be someone’s favorite,” executive producer, co-creator and writer Seth Meyers told TheWrap in an interview related to Season 4. “And this is very true of Agnes. Varda [episode], As I guess for some people, it might be a bit condensed to enter and it’s in French, but it will be for people – and again, you’re leaving a lot of money on the table when you don’t go Varda fans after — but they will be blown away that so much care and attention was put into the Agnes Varda parody.”
French film director “Documentary Now!” One of the subjects of Season 4, which premieres on IFC on October 19, is streaming on AMC+. While the previous season tackled iconic documentaries such as “Grey Gardens,” “The Thin Blue Line” and “Stop Making Sense” in its fourth season, the show continues its distinctive nature with the aforementioned Verda episode and Werner Herzog’s “Burden.” Hugging. of dreams.”
So what is the IFC’s reaction when Meyers, Fred Armen and directors/executive producers Rhys Thomas and Alex Buono pitched these ideas? is there anything very Niche for the network?
“IFC has been an incredible partner, and I really can’t believe they let us keep it up,” Meyers said with a laugh. “With that said, I think it’s very fitting that they didn’t jump off the roof with excitement when they said we were doing Agnes Varda.”
“It was a bit of a slow push up the hill,” said Rice Thomas, who directs most of the episode with Buono. “But it always seemed to me that if we could believe it, they would be behind us, which was it. It’s a rare condition to know they’re ultimately very permissive.”
And Season 4 isn’t without its recognizable documentaries. One standout episode is a take on the Oscar-winning Netflix documentary “My Octopus Teacher” called “My Monkey Grifter,” starring Jamie Demetrio (“The Afterparty”) as a filmmaker who accompanies a monkey. Creates a deep emotional bond.
“The hardest part of the whole process is always coming up with five or six documentaries, because they both inspire an idea and don’t clash against previous episodes,” Meyers said. , “And so I think Alex and Rice recognize that this was a unique case where it was a movie that I think, because it was on Netflix, watched by so many people, it was a rare case of a documentary that had So when it came out, we felt it would be fun to do where people know the source material because one of the others is about a BBC documentary that’s only available on YouTube ( laughing).
Armison appears in a memorable role in “My Monkey Grifter” and has been a frequent onscreen presence throughout the show (Bill Hader co-starred in the first few seasons, and remains an EP and writer, but his acting efforts Given Armison’s chameleon-like nature as a cast member on his HBO series “Barry.”), Is There Ever a “Documentary Now!” Did he turn down the role?
“This season, Agnes Varda One, I knew I couldn’t do it because it was in French. Because it’s a documentary, you can’t fake it. I can’t do a bad version of French, I can’t do the language. doesn’t speak well,” Armisen said before adding tongue-in-cheek, “I mean I speak it really OK, but that episode doesn’t have enough to be convincing. ,
Demonstrating that passion for the genre that comes in every episode, Armen continued: “I think what’s more important to me is that the episode is good. That it works on its own.”
Indeed, while “Documentary Now!” Critically described as a parody series, it is clear that every episode comes from a place of love for documentaries, and is often the result of truly emotional and compelling storylines (such as the season 2 standout “Juan Like Rice and Chicken”).
It’s a testament to the passion that works as well on the show, and there’s no doubt that actors like Cate Blanchett, Alexander Skarsgard, and Tom Jones jumped at the chance to be a part of Season 4.
“Documentary Now!” Season 4 premieres at IFC 19 October and new episodes will be streaming on AMC+.
