IFC Renews ‘Documentary Now,’ Developing Eight New Comedy Shows

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The IFC network announced during their upfront presentation yesterday that not only have they renewed their popular documentary spoof show Documentary Now, but they also have a deep roster of comedies in development — eight in total.

One such show is Todd Barth Can Help You, which was created and executive produced by Bryan Cranston, Steven Weber, and Clay Graham. The show, which is the only project with actors attached to it so far, will follow the story of an insurance adjuster who turns over a new leaf and becomes a self-help guru.

Documentary Now has enjoyed glowing reviews since it first aired last year. The show was created by Bill Hader (SNL,) Fred Armisen (IFC’s Portlandia,) Seth Meyers (Late Night with Seth Meyers,) and Rhys Thomas (producer, SNL.) Dame Helen Mirren acts as the host of the show and guides viewers through faux-documentaries that are shot in the style of successful, real-world documentaries, which always star Hader and Armisen. This upcoming season will feature episodes shot in the style of popular docs Jiro Dreams of Sushi, The War Room, and Salesman.

Some of the other upcoming shows include Detective Lady, a film-noir style detective show, created by BoJack Horseman collaborator Kelly Galuska, which follows detective Annie as she solves crimes and deals with her drinking problem in the small town of Sicily, USA. Laughs in Translation is a travel show, originally produced by Above Average and hosted by SNL’s Brooks Wheelan, which will feature a host that travels the world, speaking to local comics in various locations, in order to find out what (if anything) is objectively funny.

Also in development are shows like the punk rock comedy Canterbury Tales, Tom Ruprecht’s How to Rig an Election, based on the book of the same name, Living With Yourself, created by The Daily Show’s award-winning Tim Greenberg, and This Land of Ours, a story about a group of squatters battling real estate developers in present-day New York.

Jennifer Caserta, IFC president, had this to say of the network’s juicy new slate: “These projects reflect our mission to make great content with cool people. At IFC, we are driven by developing smart comedy that is ‘slightly off’ and working with the very best creative forces, both in front of and behind the camera.”

Judging by the descriptions of these new shows, it looks like IFC is hitting exactly the mark they were aiming for.
[H/T] Hollywood Reporter

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Bill Tressler

Bill is a writer and comedy enthusiast from New York. An avid gamer and podcast fan, he strives to always toe the line between charming irreverence and grating honesty.
Bill Tressler

Bill Tressler

Bill is a writer and comedy enthusiast from New York. An avid gamer and podcast fan, he strives to always toe the line between charming irreverence and grating honesty.