Documentary Now! to Spoof Jiro Dreams of Sushi, '90s Politics and More in Season Two
Once it was announced that the masterful Documentary Now! was given the greenlight to mock another fresh batch of real-life documentaries, fans were pondering which classic nonfiction films creators Bill Hader, Fred Armisen, Seth Meyers and Rhys Thomas would choose. Well, have we got some awesome news for you.
During IFC's upfront event, Seth Meyers revealed the inspirations behind and plots for three upcoming Documentary Now! episodes.
First we have The Bunker, which uses the 1993 political documentary The War Room with James Carville and George Stephanopoulos to skewer the insane world of '90s politics. The episode follows two scheming, cocky campaign managers (Hader and Armisen) working on the heated race for the Governor of Ohio. Lies will be told, death threats will be made, and questionable '90s fashion choices will surface, all in the camcorder-documented fight to get their underdog candidate to the top. We loved Bill's impression of Carville on SNL, so we can't wait to see what he and Fred have cooked up for The Bunker.
Next is Juan Likes Rice and Chicken which, you may have already guessed, is a satirical take on the charming 2011 documentary Jiro Dreams of Sushi. Shot in Colombia, the episode follows young chef Arturo (Armisen) and his brother as they learn the tricks of the trade from their stern, no-nonsense father Juan -- who just happens to run a highly-acclaimed restaurant that only serves one dish made with painstaking precision: chicken and buttered rice. (Watch the trailer for Jiro Dreams of Sushi below.)
https://youtu.be/buF540VBwAE
And finally there's Globesmen, which is a parody of the 1968 Maysles Brothers' documentary Salesman that followed a wearied quartet of door-to-door Bible salesmen. In Doc Now!, however, four hard-working businessmen try their best to sell globes to a community of people who find them too expensive and ultimately prefer atlases. Feeling pressure from their regional manager, and dealing with the constant rejection from customers, the salesmen do anything they can to reinvent the globe as a need-to-have household item. The last time Bill and Fred tackled a Mayles' doc (the classic film Grey Gardens), we got the sweatpants headwrap-wearing great dames of Sandy Passage. You probably want to check out the trailer for Salesman below to bone up before Bill and Fred unleash their comedic magic on another groundbreaking documentary.
https://youtu.be/p54GqvD_sss
We'll have to wait until this fall to catch the full seven episode second season of Documentary Now!, but be sure to catch up on season one right now on Netflix and iTunes. And keep checking back with IFC.com to catch sneak peeks and exclusive content prior to the season two premiere.