Season 4 of Documentary Now! is finally here. The highly-anticipated new series premieres Wednesday, October 19 on IFC and AMC+ and audiences will be treated to a two-part special, titled "Soldier of Illusion."
Created by Bill Hader, Fred Armisen, Seth Meyers, and Rhys Thomas, episodes of Documentary Now! will air every Wednesday.
For its fourth installment, there are a whole host of famous faces appearing in the show's episodes including co-creators Hader and Armisen.
Deb Hiett returns as the show's narrator and The Queen's Helen Mirren is back to introduce the hilarious new series.
Newsweek has everything you need to know about the cast of Documentary Now!
All the Documentary Now! Season 4 Special Guests
Episode 1: "Soldier of Illusion" — Wednesday, October 19
Episode 1 of Documentary Now! Season 4 is titled "Soldier of Illusion."
"Soldier of Illusion" takes place in the 1980s and follows a German director who aims to produce his best piece of work about the lives of Duskir People of the Russian Ular mountains as well as film the pilot for the CBS sitcom, Bachelor Nanny.
The star-studded cast appearing in "Soldier of Illusion" are:
- Big Little Lies star Alexander Skarsgård
- Succession's Nicholas Braun
- Miracle Workers' Kevin Bishop
- Wonder Woman's Gana Bayarsaikhan
- Ludzie i Bogowie's Matthias Rimpler
- Salt's August Diehl
In the trailer for Documentary Now!, Skarsgård's character can be heard shouting: "Before we begin, I'm going to need a list of crew members who have died of exposure," before he is told by a director, "no one can see this."
Episode 2: "Two Hairdressers in Bagglyport" — Wednesday, October 26
"Two Hairdressers in Bagglyport" takes inspiration from the fashion documentary series Three Salons at the Seaside and Vogue's The September Issue.
The episode, written by Meyers, follows two hairdressers as they create their yearly stylebook for a small town. The two hairdressers are played no other than by Thor: Ragnarok's Cate Blanchett and Killing Eve's Dame Harriet Walter.
Episode 3: "How They Threw Rocks" — Wednesday, November 2
Episode 3 in Documentary Now! Season 4 is a parody of the Oscar-winning documentary When We Were Kings about the "Rumble in the Jungle" heavyweight championship match between George Foreman and Muhammad Ali in October 1974.
"How They Threw Rocks" stars The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power's Trystan Gravelle as the prodigy of the Welsh sport, Craig Maes, and sees two competitors throw rocks at each other until one loses.
The episode is narrated by The Crown's Jonathan Pryce and also stars Indiana Jones legend John Rhys-Davies and Hanna's Sam Wilson.
Episode 4: "My Monkey Grifter" — Wednesday, November 9
Fleabag and Stath Lets Flats' Jamie Demetriou stars as a filmmaker who forms a deep bond with a monkey named Lulu in "My Monkey Grifter."
In the trailer, Demetriou can be seen telling filmmakers: "I was closer to Lulu than I had ever been to another human being."
Episode 5: "Trouver Frisson" — Wednesday, November 16
The final installment of Documentary Now! Season 4 is titled "Trouver Frisson" and delves into the story of a French filmmaker and her search for her "frisson," the goosebumps she needs to be creative.
The episode is a homage to the late Academy-award nominated filmmaker Agnès Varda and guest stars Liliane Rovère as filmmaker Ida Leos.
Rovère is best known for her role as Arlette Azémar in Call My Agent!
Documentary Now! airs Wednesdays at 10 p.m. ET on IFC and AMC+
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
Molli Mitchell is a Senior SEO TV and Film Newsweek Reporter based in London, UK. Her focus is reporting on ... Read more
