Critic Reviews
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80
Metascore
Generally Favorable
positive
36(86%)
mixed
6(14%)
negative
0(0%)
Showing 42 Critic Reviews
Aug 20, 2015
100
Documentary Now! is so good, you’ll be forced to reassess Meyers, whose comedy writing is so crisp and correct, he should give up his late-night NBC show because nothing he does there will ever be as good or as funny.
Feb 19, 2019
100
Season 3 shows that, while Hader and Armisen are missed, this series could go on for many, many years as long as the core writing, producing, and directing team remains. The show is as funny and fresh as ever.
Feb 20, 2019
100
Documentary Now! is better than it’s ever been: absurd, joyful, and characteristically precise. And the new episodes still manage to pick thoughtfully at the intentions and methods of filmmakers, particularly when it comes to portraying genius.
Oct 19, 2022
100
The show’s as sharp as ever in “Soldier of Illusion,” the two-parter that opens Season 4. As pure entertainment, it adroitly combines a high concept with lowbrow humor, including Alexander Skarsgård in a role that might take you back to his orange mocha frappuccino days. And like so many of the best Documentary Now! episodes, it shines because it’s remarkably ambitious. ... Documentary Now! has pretty much perfected that formula [satirizing something both highly specific and kind of obscure can yield incredible results].
Sep 14, 2016
91
Season 2 shows every sign of being as inspired and resonant as season 1.
Aug 17, 2015
90
Clever. This is a funny, smart comedy for fans of documentaries or even just those who wish they had more time to watch non-fiction filmmaking. In fact, Documentary Now! is so good that it should spark more interest in the very art form it satirizes but also clearly loves.
Aug 18, 2015
90
Documentary Now! is dazzlingly smart.... It's true that Documentary Now! is funnier if you're at least vaguely familiar with the movies that serve as the inspirations.
Aug 20, 2015
90
The humor has as much to do with the form as the content, and much care and cleverness have been devoted to making these pieces look right, from film stock and lighting, to period graphics, to furniture and clothing; the art direction is exceptional, and as such, delightful throughout.
Feb 14, 2019
90
Documentary Now! goes to new heights of comic inspiration. ... I mean this as the highest compliment when I say it's almost as good as the real thing. [18 Feb - 3 Mar 2019, p.14]
