The Atlantic will present an exclusive screening of IFC’s new television series Documentary Now!followed by a discussion with the show’s stars and creators Fred Armisen and Bill Hader, producer and writer Seth Meyers, and director and producer Rhys Thomas, on Tuesday, August 18 at 8PM in New York City. This is the first time the comedy network has picked up additional seasons of a series prior to its network debut. It generated more than 250,000 views within the first week.
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Documentary Now! parodies the world’s best documentaries. “We’re immensely proud of what they’ve created”. IFC also added a seventh episode to Season 1, up from the initial order of six episodes, which premieres at 10 PM. It has all the usual documentary trappings, including Errol Morris-like reenactments and grainy footage of weirdos a la the Maysles Brothers. The series is hosted by Helen Mirren who introduces the documentary of the week.
Directed by Rhys Thomas and Alex Buono, the series – which not surprisingly grew out of the principals’ collaboration on “SNL” – is described as an homage to these films, and it certainly feels that way.
Created by the SNL alum triumvirate of Bill Hader, Fred Armisen, and Seth Meyers, the series pays parodical tribute to famous documentaries and apes various styles of storytelling in that genre. The finale episode, titled “Gentle & Soft: The Story of the Blue Jean Committee”, chronicles a Chicago soft rock band’s rise to fame with their hit album Catalina Breeze (obviously), which will now air as a two-part episode.
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The second episode of Documentary Now! is currently pre-premiering on VICE.com, IFC.com, YouTube, VOD, DISH channel 102, iGuide, and on TV Everywhere platforms across IFC’s distribution partners.
