Weirdly enough, you'll probably like episodes based on how much you like the documentary they are spoofing in it. If you don't care about the original doc, you just won't be invested in the jokes. But the War Room episode is absolute genius, Hader has never been better. Armisen is a talented, genius creep. Still a creep tho!

I love this sense of humour based on characters having a great consideration for themselves, looking ridiculous from the viewer's perspective, with a pinch of cruelty and tons of nonsense. In short: the character doesn't know he's in a comedy. It isn't common in US comedy, more frequent in GB. This sense of humour requires a perfect execution in the filming and acting and I think that this series has brilliantly achieved it. I'm not an easy laugher and I'm usually the guy with the poker face in the cinema when everyone is exulting. But watching this show, I think I've disturbed my neighbours with my unpracticed heavy laugh. I particularly appreciate the introductions.

*NOTE*: This review is based squarely on the first episode: "Sandy Passage".In my opinion, IFC has produced some of the best alternative comedy in the past decade. From Portlandia to Comedy Bang Bang!, they've raised the stakes for what alt comedy should/could be. Imagine to my surprise when several months ago, while watching the premiere of The Spoils of Babylon, I saw a promo for a new series called Documentary Now! Starring alt comedy darlings Bill Hader and Fred Armisan, produced by Seth Myers and Lorne Micheals, and presented by Helen Friggin' Mirren! My expectations rose to kilimanjaric levels after seeing it. Now, having seen the first installment, I feel as if I have a firm grasp on this series and can review it in full. So, here we go. "Sandy Passage". A "parody" (using that term loosely) of the 1975 classic about a two- man film crew who set their sights on chronicling a mother-daughter pair of socialites living in a ramshackle estate. The episode essentially plays the film beat-by-beat with Armisen being the mother and Hader being the daughter.It's all very funny, satisfying, and even a bit poignant, but the real kicker comes at the very end, when it is revealed that the mother and daughter are murderers; both responsible for the "disappearances" of their former boyfriends and grocery boys. The ending genuinely scarred me, and as someone who often watches horror movies, that's saying something. Though the twist does feel a bit jarring after having sat through something so slow.Overall, "Sandy Passage" is a surprisingly nice little tribute a trailblazer of the documentary industry, and a nice entrance into the world of Documentary Now! I will definitely be watching further episodes. RATING: B+

Aktham Tashtoush who left a bad review below must not have read up on what this is about. To fully appreciate the brilliant comedy in Documentary Now, you need to watch at least part of (or read about) Grey Gardens for the 1st episode, and then watch an episode of VICE on Youtube to fully appreciate the 2nd episode. Bill & Fred have obviously watched and researched the original characters and have portrayed and mocked what is so funny about original shows. If you like morbid comedy, then this delivers. Bill & Fred are hilarious together, and my only complaint is that there is only going to be 6 episodes it appears.