After providing someimportant informationof Season 4 – or Season 53 – ofDocumentary Now!back in mid-July, IFC shared today a glimpse at the upcoming season, its release date, and what we can expect from the new slate of satirical episodes. Introduced byHelen Mirren(The Queen) as usual, the sneak peek shows brief footage and suggests that now, more than ever, the world needsDocumentary Now!. This is, of course, a joke with the fact that the anthology series features “extremely relevant” mockumentaries that both pay homage and satirize famous and celebrated documentaries, most of them starring co-creatorsBill HaderandFred Armisen.
Aside from revealing the specific Fall release date of the upcoming season – which is October 19 – IFC also unveiled what sort of stories the initial three episodes will tell. Season 53 will kick off with a two-parter titled “Soldier of Illusion”, which is inspired by the internationally acclaimed documentaryBurden of Dreamsby German filmmakerWerner Herzog. Written byJohn Mulaney(Saturday Night Live), the episode is set in the early 1980s and centers around a visionary director who tries to will hismagnum opusinto existence while working in the remote, punishing conditions of the Russian Ular mountains. The episode featuresAlexander Skarsgård, Nicholas Braun,Kevin Bishop(Miracle Workers),Gana Bayarsaikhan(Wonder Woman),Matthias Rimpler(Ludzie i Bogowie) and Fred Armisen, withDocumentary Now!alumnusDeb Hiettreturning as narrator.
The second episode is called “Trouver Frisson” and it’s a homage to the late and Academy Award-nominated filmmakerAgnès Varda(Faces, Places). The episode chronicles celebrated French filmmaker Ida Leos (Liliane Rovère) and her search for why she no longer experiences “frisson” – the goosebumps that have always been her guide. The episode is inspired by Varda’s acclaimed filmsGleanersandI And Beaches.
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These two episodes add to previously announced “Two Hairdressers in Bagglyport”, which is a funny take on fashion documentaries such as3 Salons at the Seaside, andThe September Issue, the famous Vogue documentary. The episode starsCate Blanchett(Thor: Ragnarok) andHarriet Walter(Succession) as hairdressers preparing their yearly stylebook for a tiny town.
Also, “How They Threw Rocks” will mimic the 1996 Academy Award-winning filmWhen We Were Kings, which chronicled the heavyweight boxing championship that featuredGeorge Foremanand then-underdogMuhammad Ali, while “My Monkey Grifter” will haveJamie Demetriou(Fleabag) playing a filmmaker who forms a deep, emotional, and financially taxing relationship with a monkey who may have ulterior motives. The episode satirizes Academy Award winnerMy Octopus Teacher, about a man who forms a surprisingly deep bond with an octopus.
Documentary Now!is created by Armisen, Hader,Seth Meyers, andRhys Thomas. It premiered back in 2015 to high praise, and ever since then it has earned multiple nominations across several awards, including six in the Emmys. The series has featured several notable guest stars, includingCameron Crowe,Alana Haim,Owen Wilson,Michael Keaton,Michael C. Hall,Jack Black, andAnne Hathaway.
IFC premieres Season 4 ofDocumentary Now!on October 19. You can watch the sneak peek below:
