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The Best Episodes of Documentary Now!

Every episode of Documentary Now! ranked from best to worst. Let's dive into the Best Episodes of Documentary Now!!

Loving parodies of some of the world's best-known documentaries. Each episode is shot in a different style of documentary filmmaking, and honors some of the most important stories that didn't actually happen.

Genre:Comedy
Network:IFC

Top Episode Ratings Summary

The best episode of "Documentary Now!" is "Waiting for the Artist", rated 8.8/10 from 603 user votes. It was directed by N/A and written by N/A. "Waiting for the Artist" aired on 3/6/2019 and is rated 0.1 point(s) higher than the second highest rated, "Juan Likes Rice & Chicken".

  • Waiting for the Artist
    8.8/10 603 votes

    #1 - Waiting for the Artist

    Season 3 Episode 4 - Aired 3/6/2019

    The story of an internationally-acclaimed performance artist preparing for a major career retrospective while reconciling her relationship with her former lover and performance partner whom she hasn't seen in two decades.

    Director: N/A

    Writer: N/A

  • Juan Likes Rice & Chicken
    8.7/10 687 votes

    #2 - Juan Likes Rice & Chicken

    Season 2 Episode 2 - Aired 9/21/2016

    Young Colombian chefs learn the tricks of the restaurant trade from their strict father Juan, whose celebrated restaurant only serves one dish: chicken and rice.

    Director: N/A

    Writer: N/A

  • Batsh*t Valley (2)
    8.6/10 402 votes

    #3 - Batsh*t Valley (2)

    Season 3 Episode 2 - Aired 2/20/2019

    Self-appointed spiritual guru Father Ra-Shawbard starts a commune in rural Oregon with the help of overly devoted assistant Ra-Sharir. Exasperated FBI agent Bill Doss dedicates himself to exposing the man behind the mantras.

    Director: N/A

    Writer: N/A

  • The Eye Doesn't Lie
    8.5/10 660 votes

    #4 - The Eye Doesn't Lie

    Season 1 Episode 4 - Aired 9/10/2015

    An investigation into the wrongful conviction of a man sentenced to death for the 1986 murder of John Patrick Winslow.

    Director: N/A

    Writer: N/A

  • Sandy Passage
    8.3/10 1,061 votes

    #5 - Sandy Passage

    Season 1 Episode 1 - Aired 8/20/2015

    An in depth look at the daily lives of two aging socialites and their crumbling estate. This mother and daughter live in extreme squalor, but the documentarians find more than just dirt and clutter on the property.

    Director: Rhys Thomas, Alexander Buono

    Writer: Seth Meyers

  • Batsh*t Valley (1)
    8.3/10 427 votes

    #6 - Batsh*t Valley (1)

    Season 3 Episode 1 - Aired 2/20/2019

    In 1980, enigmatic cult leader Father Ra-Shawbard and his followers descended on the small town of Chinook, Oregon, sparking a feud with the local residents that catapulted to national attention.

    Director: N/A

    Writer: N/A

  • Original Cast Album: Co-Op
    8.3/10 645 votes

    #7 - Original Cast Album: Co-Op

    Season 3 Episode 3 - Aired 2/27/2019

    A fly-on-the-wall look at the marathon cast album recording of the ill-fated 1970 Broadway musical comedy centered around a cast of characters who work, live, or want to live in the same co-op.

    Director: N/A

    Writer: N/A

  • Soldier of Illusion (1983) (2)
    8.3/10 213 votes

    #8 - Soldier of Illusion (1983) (2)

    Season 4 Episode 2 - Aired 10/19/2022

    In the early 1980s, a visionary German filmmaker tries to will his magnum opus into existence while working in the remote, punishing conditions of the Russian Ular mountains. Inspired by the Werner Herzog-focused documentary Burden of Dreams.

    Director: Rhys Thomas, Alexander Buono

    Writer: John Mulaney

  • How They Threw Rocks (1996)
    8.3/10 188 votes

    #9 - How They Threw Rocks (1996)

    Season 4 Episode 4 - Aired 11/2/2022

    A chronicle the Welsh sport of Craig Maes, also known as “Field Rock,” and the iconic 1974 bout dubbed “The Melon vs. The Felon” in the vein of When We Were Kingsand other great explorations of sport.

    Director: Rhys Thomas, Alexander Buono

    Writer: Seth Meyers

  • Soldier of Illusion (1983) (1)
    8.2/10 251 votes

    #10 - Soldier of Illusion (1983) (1)

    Season 4 Episode 1 - Aired 10/19/2022

    In the early 1980s, a visionary German filmmaker tries to will his magnum opus into existence while working in the remote, punishing conditions of the Russian Ular mountains. Inspired by the Werner Herzog-focused documentary Burden of Dreams.

    Director: Rhys Thomas, Alexander Buono

    Writer: John Mulaney

  • Gentle and Soft: The Story of the Blue Jean Committee (1)
    8.1/10 510 votes

    #11 - Gentle and Soft: The Story of the Blue Jean Committee (1)

    Season 1 Episode 6 - Aired 9/24/2015

    Part one of the documentary chronicling the rise and fall of a seminal soft-rock band called the Blue Jean Committee.

    Director: N/A

    Writer: N/A

  • Gentle and Soft: The Story of the Blue Jean Committee (2)
    8.1/10 443 votes

    #12 - Gentle and Soft: The Story of the Blue Jean Committee (2)

    Season 1 Episode 7 - Aired 9/24/2015

    Part two of the documentary chronicling the rise and fall of a seminal soft-rock band called the Blue Jean Committee.

    Director: N/A

    Writer: N/A

  • Globesman
    8.1/10 375 votes

    #13 - Globesman

    Season 2 Episode 4 - Aired 10/5/2016

    A landmark documentary from the Fein Brothers (Sandy Passage) follows four door-to-door salesmen as they travel across the country selling globes and battling rejection.

    Director: N/A

    Writer: N/A

  • Mr. Runner Up: My Life as an Oscar Bridesmaid (2)
    8.0/10 310 votes

    #14 - Mr. Runner Up: My Life as an Oscar Bridesmaid (2)

    Season 2 Episode 7 - Aired 10/26/2016

    A fun and candid docu-memoir of Hollywood Legend Jerry Wallach, and his forty-year quest to win an Oscar.

    Director: N/A

    Writer: N/A

  • Kunuk Uncovered
    7.9/10 633 votes

    #15 - Kunuk Uncovered

    Season 1 Episode 2 - Aired 8/27/2015

    An investigation into the seminal documentary “Kunuk The Hunter” that attempts to separate what is real from what is fabrication.

    Director: N/A

    Writer: N/A

  • DRONEZ: The Hunt for El Chingon
    7.9/10 674 votes

    #16 - DRONEZ: The Hunt for El Chingon

    Season 1 Episode 3 - Aired 9/3/2015

    The hipster media empire DRONEZ sends two of its notoriously fearless journalists to track down Mexico’s most wanted drug lord.

    Director: N/A

    Writer: N/A

  • Any Given Saturday Afternoon
    7.9/10 357 votes

    #17 - Any Given Saturday Afternoon

    Season 3 Episode 7 - Aired 3/27/2019

    A profile of life at the top of the Professional Bowling League during the 2003 tournament season, shining a spotlight on the highs and lows of its three most beloved competitors.

    Director: N/A

    Writer: N/A

  • Trouver Frisson (2000)
    7.9/10 147 votes

    #18 - Trouver Frisson (2000)

    Season 4 Episode 6 - Aired 11/16/2022

    Celebrated French filmmaker Ida Leos searches for why she no longer experiences “frisson” – the goosebumps that have always been her guide. Inspired by Agnes Varda’s Gleaners and I and Beaches of Agnes.

    Director: Alexander Buono, Micah Gardner

    Writer: Matt Pacult, Tamsin Rawady

  • The Bunker
    7.8/10 419 votes

    #19 - The Bunker

    Season 2 Episode 1 - Aired 9/14/2016

    A different and interesting look at the 1992 Ohio Gubernatorial campaign.

    Director: N/A

    Writer: N/A

  • Parker Gail's Location Is Everything
    7.8/10 430 votes

    #20 - Parker Gail's Location Is Everything

    Season 2 Episode 3 - Aired 9/28/2016

    Monologist Parker Gail and director Harrison Renzi team up to present Gail's theater piece, "Location Is Everything".

    Director: N/A

    Writer: N/A

  • Mr. Runner Up: My Life as an Oscar Bridesmaid (1)
    7.8/10 317 votes

    #21 - Mr. Runner Up: My Life as an Oscar Bridesmaid (1)

    Season 2 Episode 6 - Aired 10/26/2016

    A fun and candid docu-memoir of Hollywood Legend Jerry Wallach, and his forty-year quest to win an Oscar.

    Director: N/A

    Writer: N/A

  • Two Hairdressers in Bagglyport (1994)
    7.6/10 219 votes

    #22 - Two Hairdressers in Bagglyport (1994)

    Season 4 Episode 3 - Aired 10/26/2022

    A fly-on-the-wall portrait of a hair salon in the small coastal town of Bagglyport as they prepare their annual stylebook in an homage to documentaries 3 Salons at the Seaside and The September Issue.

    Director: Rhys Thomas, Alexander Buono

    Writer: Seth Meyers

  • My Monkey Grifter (2020)
    7.6/10 146 votes

    #23 - My Monkey Grifter (2020)

    Season 4 Episode 5 - Aired 11/9/2022

    Drawing inspiration from My Octopus Teacher, filmmaker Benjamin Clay forms a deep, emotional, and financially taxing relationship with a monkey who may have ulterior motives.

    Director: Alexander Buono

    Writer: Seth Meyers

  • Final Transmission
    7.4/10 398 votes

    #24 - Final Transmission

    Season 2 Episode 5 - Aired 10/12/2016

    A new wave band from the late 1970s and early 1980s play their final concert.

    Director: N/A

    Writer: N/A

  • A Town, A Gangster, A Festival
    7.1/10 503 votes

    #25 - A Town, A Gangster, A Festival

    Season 1 Episode 5 - Aired 9/17/2015

    A documentary crew travels to Arborg, Iceland for the annual festival honoring American gangster Al Capone.

    Director: N/A

    Writer: N/A