I remember watching “Documentary Now!” when it first premiered in 2015 and thinking that its hyper-specific parody would only work for a small audience. I include myself in that audience of connoisseurs of classic and contemporary documentary films, but I underestimated the extent to which others would appreciate the spot-on spoofs from “Documentary Now!” creators Bill Hader, Fred Armisen, Seth Meyers and Rhys Thomas.
The viewership for documentaries has greatly expanded in the decade or so since “Documentary Now!” debuted, and the show has generated enough interest for four seasons of gentle mockery of the nonfiction art form. One of the main reasons for the increased popularity is their proliferation on Netflix, and “Documentary Now!,” which originally aired on cable channel IFC, has been right at home streaming on Netflix.
