Comedy has been going to some unlikely places recently, with shows like Portlandia and Key & Peele bringing a comedy of obscure cultural references to an entire generation of viewers reared on obscure cultural references. So what might the next logical step look like for this particularly wacky and sophisticated crop of SNL and MadTV veterans?
Well, pending Key and Peele’s post-Comedy Central announcement, it appears we have the answer in the form of Documentary Now!, the latest oddball endeavor from SNL classmates Bill Hader, Fred Armisen, and Seth Meyers. The unlikely series will feature weekly send-ups of canonical documentaries like the Maysles Brothers’ Grey Gardens or Robert Flaherty’s Nanook of the North. Who better than IFC to make a bet on film nerd comedy? They’ve ordered a six-episode first season.
Now those of us who passed on Documentary History 101 might feel a little out of the loop with all the show’s artsy references and quotes, but it looks like there’s going to be at least one episode that any millennial with a stable Internet connection can get down with.
Dronez: The Hunt For El Chingón takes on Vice’s 21st-century model of pompous hipster journalism, mashes it up with Drug Lord: The Legend of Shorty, throws in Jack Black as a stand in for Vice’s CEO Shane Smith, and has a blast. The fictional Dronez media empire has all the trappings of a hip Brooklyn-based media boutique, including exposed brick EVERYTHING, reclaimed wood floors, artisanal whiskey, and vintage bikes cruising through the office.
The Hunt For El Chingón will follow our bearded new media warriors to the city of Juárez, Mexico where, in the words of Jack Black’s fictional CEO Jamison Friend, “the war on drugs has turned this once beautiful city into the deadliest place on earth.” Along the way we can assume that hipster bravado gets a rude awakening when it comes face-to-face with the fictional Salvez Cartel and their bloodthirsty capo, El Chingón. Whether or not they make it out unscathed, this one is sure to be hilarious. To drum up anticipation for the late August premiere, IFC has released the entire The Hunt for El Chingón episode for streaming online. Hit play on the video above to watch or click here.
Documentary Now! premieres on IFC August 20 at 10pm.