8.8/10609 votesLoading...#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
8.7/10693 votesLoading...#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
8.6/10407 votesLoading...#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
8.5/10668 votesLoading...#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: Rhys Thomas, Alexander Buono
Writer: John Mulaney, Bill Hader
8.3/101,074 votesLoading...#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
8.3/10653 votesLoading...#6 - 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
8.3/10217 votesLoading...#7 - 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
8.3/10193 votesLoading...#8 - 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
8.2/10433 votesLoading...#9 - 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
8.2/10256 votesLoading...#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
8.1/10515 votesLoading...#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: Rhys Thomas, Alexander Buono
Writer: Bill Hader, Fred Armisen, Erik Kenward
8.1/10448 votesLoading...#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: Rhys Thomas, Alexander Buono
Writer: Bill Hader, Fred Armisen, Erik Kenward
8.1/10379 votesLoading...#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
8.0/10314 votesLoading...#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
7.9/10636 votesLoading...#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: Rhys Thomas, Alexander Buono
Writer: Seth Meyers
7.9/10680 votesLoading...#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: Rhys Thomas, Alexander Buono
Writer: Duffy Boudreau, Bill Hader, Rob Klein
7.9/10363 votesLoading...#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
7.9/10150 votesLoading...#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
7.8/10422 votesLoading...#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
7.8/10433 votesLoading...#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
- 7.8/10321 votesLoading...
#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
7.6/10149 votesLoading...#22 - 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
7.5/10222 votesLoading...#23 - 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
7.4/10403 votesLoading...#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
7.1/10506 votesLoading...#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: Rhys Thomas, Alexander Buono
Writer: Seth Meyers, Fred Armisen
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...
Genre:Comedy
Network:IFC
Best Episodes Summary
"Waiting for the Artist" is the best rated episode of "Documentary Now!". It scored 8.8/10 based on 609 votes. Directed by N/A and written by N/A, it aired on 3/6/2019. This episode scored 0.1 points higher than the second highest rated, "Juan Likes Rice & Chicken".