As you might know, the acclaimed mockumentary series Documentary Now! has kicked off Season 53 (or Season 4, but who cares about numbers, really) earlier this month, and it’s already reaching its halfway mark on the unfairly short season. As we can’t get enough of this show, IFC and AMC+ decided to share with us an exclusive clip from the series’ upcoming episode, as well as the poster that illustrates the story that will be told next.
The exclusive clip reveals a crucial moment in the development of the episode: A recurring thievery of… sheep, and angry people who witnessed a sheep-stealer get away with it. The clip also features the 1969 black-and-white footage of a protest of farmers during which sheep larceny is equated, of course, with horrific crimes like grand theft auto and infant kidnapping.
The episode, titled “How They Threw Rocks,” mimics the 1996 Academy Award-winning film When We Were Kings, which chronicled the heavyweight boxing championship that featured George Foreman and then-underdog Muhammad Ali. In the episode, however, the subject will be Welsh sport of Craig Maes, also known as "Field Rock,” and the iconic 1974 bout dubbed "The Melon vs. The Felon.” The episode stars Trystan Gravelle (Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power), Jonathan Pryce (Game of Thrones), and John Rhys-Davies (Lord of the Rings trilogy). The episode is written by series co-creator Seth Meyers.
This season, Documentary Now! has featured some major guest stars, including Cate Blanchett and Alexander Skarsgård. After this week, the two upcoming episodes will parody Academy Award-nominated documentary My Octopus Teacher and Agnès Varda’s Gleaners. In the former, a filmmaker forms a deep, emotional, and financially taxing relationship with a monkey which has ulterior motives. In the latter, a celebrated French filmmaker searches for why she no longer experiences “frisson” (the goosebumps that have always been her guide) in her movies.
The History of Documentary Now!
Documentary Now! is created by Fred Armisen, Rhys Thomas, Bill Hader, and Meyers. 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. Across its run, the series has featured several notable guest stars, including Cameron Crowe, Alana Haim, Owen Wilson, Michael Keaton, Michael C. Hall, Jack Black, and Anne Hathaway.
The new episode of Documentary Now! debuts on IFC this Wednesday, November 2. Check out the exclusive clip below: