• Events
    • Los Angeles Open Mics
    • Los Angeles Shows
    • New York Open Mics
    • New York Shows
  • Book A Tour
  • Venues
  • News
  • Podcast
  • About
    • About The Comedy Bureau
    • Contact
    • Consulting
    • Digital Wall of Trustees

mockumentary

divider

John Early’s Solo Debut Hour Special “Now More Than Ever” Set for Jun. 17th on HBO

April 10, 2023
News
hbo, john early, mockumentary, now more than ever

Given everything that the brilliant John Early has done in his comedy career, Would It Kill You to Laugh?/555/Search Party, the prospect of Early doing an hour special should be a thing of the past. Early is as deeply funny as he is a boundary pusher and has been doing so for several years (even in bit parts such as he’s wild role as a compulsive liar on I Think You Should Leave).

Yet, Early won’t have had a solo hour comedy special until this Summer (you could count his episodes of Netflix’s The Characters as his own special, but it’s only 35 minutes) per HBO’s announcement of one this morning. It’s refreshing and surprising to hear that it’s something that HBO is ordering up rather than trying to write off for tax purposes.

Per Early’s particularly off-beat/alt/meta sensibilities, the special entitled Now More Than Ever won’t just be John standing on stage going through great bits. Variety reports that it’ll be done in the style of a gritty ’70s rockumentary, which makes it a de facto mockumentary. There will be cover songs, but, as one might expect, there will be interstitials that, maybe, might feel like a comedy version of Daisy Jones and The Six (though we’re sure there are many more layers to it than just that).

It’s hard to say what exactly Early has up his sleeve for us, but the mystery of what John is going to do, whichever of the multitudes of himself he chooses to show up as, is all part of what has been so enthralling about his comedy all this time. That’s why you should set a reminder for Jun. 17th when Now More Than Ever is set to premiere on HBO.

Mel Brooks: Unwrapped Trailer Promises a Never Ending(?) Mel Brooks Interview

December 4, 2019
Uncategorized
comedy special, hbo, mel brooks, mel brooks unwrapped, mockumentary

For decades, a BBC interviewer by the name of Alan Yentob has been interviewing/playing along with the masterful shenanigans of the brilliant, truly legendary Mel Brooks.

This mockumentary comedy special spans generations all the way up to present day Mel Brooks who still seems just as sharp as ever (no matter what your age is when taking in his work).

We can’t wait to see what Brooks and Yentob had hidden up their collective sleeves for all these years (must be pretty big sleeves, right?)  with Mel Brooks: Unwrapped coming to HBO next Friday, Dec. 13th.

Enjoy a delicious taste of what’s to come with this trailer.

Fruit Bats Mini Doc “Getting in a Van Again” Is One of the Funniest Rock Mockumentaries in Recent Memory

November 16, 2018
Uncategorized
demorge brown, elisha yaffe, eric johnson, fruit bats, jonny look, merge records, mockumentary

In anticipation of a new song from folk rockers The Fruit Bats, a “documentary” short film that takes a behind-the-scenes look into the making of their single “Getting in a Van Again” was made by slick director Jonny Look.

You might take notice that the “Emotional Engineer” and manager are played by TCB faves DeMorge Brown and Elisha Yaffe.

Truthfully, even if you didn’t know you needed another fantastic rock mockumentary in your life, we think that Getting In a Van Again is something that you’ve been waiting for.

Please, please, please enjoy it without any further explanation that might ruin any of the magic that lies ahead here.

Also, if you’re digging the music, go get into the Fruit Bats here.

Netflix Will Be Poking Fun at Themselves with Mockumentary “American Vandal”

August 6, 2017
Uncategorized
honest trailers, mini series, mockumentary, netflix, parody, poking fun, satire, trailer

Much of Netflix’s success can be attributed to series like true crime docu-series Making a Murderer and The Keepers.

That being the case, Netflix want to take parodies of their hit series into their own hands. Thus, Tony Yacenda (Pillow Talking), Dan Perrault (Honest Trailers, one of the Internet’s best parody series), and Dan Lagana (from the highly underrated Zach Stone Is Gonna Be Famous) made this new mockumentary series, American Vandal.

Think of it as a bit of a cross between Making a Murderer and Superbad.

See for yourself in the trailer. 

American Vandal streams on Netflix starting on Friday, September 15th.

“David Brent: Life on the Road” Now Streaming on Netflix

February 10, 2017
Uncategorized
bbc films, david brent, entertainment one, life on the road, mockumentary, netflix, now streaming, ricky gervais

It has been years even since David Brent made that cameo on the U.S. version of The Office or gave guitar lessons.

Finally, Ricky Gervais has brought back Brent back in full form, trying to live his dream of becoming a music legend in David Brent: Life on the Road. You can get a taste of it with the trailer.

As of today, the long awaited mockumentary is now streaming on Netflix. 

The Legend of Alan Partridge Continues on Seeso with “Scissored Isle”

November 17, 2016
Uncategorized
alan partridge, mockumentary, scissored isle, seeso, steve coogan

Seeso continues a healthy stream of UK comedy imports with the Alan Partridge’s Scissored Isle mockumentary. It follows Steve Coogan’s hilarious, long-running, bumbling radio DJ character Alan Partridge in his latest escapades, which are mostly his own fault.

Get a taste of the special here and here, then go watch (or sign-up, then watch) on Seeso.

Andy Samberg & Murray Miller Return To HBO With Sports Doping Mockumentary

July 15, 2016
Uncategorized
andy samberg, doping, hbo, mockumentary, murray miller

Andy Samberg & Murray Miller Return To HBO With Sports Doping Mockumentary

A spiritual sequel to 7 Days in Hell? 

Funny or Die Is Bringing Jemaine Clement and Taika Waititi’s “What We Do In The Shadows” to The States on Feb. 13th

December 5, 2014
Uncategorized
funny or die, jemaine clement, mockumentary, taika waititi, what we do in the shadows

New Zealand vampire mockumentary has probably not been fully formed as a sub genre yet, but, nonetheless, we’re still pretty excited that Jemaine Clement and Taika Waititi’s What We Do In The Shadows is coming stateside. 

Funny or Die is now presenting the release and has made a date for Feb. 13th to roll What We Do In The Shadows out.

This is probably going to be a pretty good movie whether you’re celebrating Valentine’s Day that weekend or ardently ignoring it. 

Jon Dore Made a Mockumentary About Winnipeg That’s Appropriately Title “A Dore to Winnipeg”

August 14, 2014
Uncategorized
canada, cbc, jon dore, mockumentary, winnipeg

The hysterical Jon Dore went to Winnipeg for two reasons. 1) The Winnipeg Comedy Festival this past April 2) to make a mockumentary of exploring Winnipeg, Canada.

The result is Jon’s “A Dore to Winnipeg” that will premiere on CBC this Fri. at 9PM EST. While many of us here in LA don’t have CBC, you can get a glimpse of what will hopefully come stateside with this clip of Dore visiting the childhood home of Neil Young.

Perhaps, there could be a DVD box set of this and the other experimental documentary set in Winnipeg, Guy Maddin’s My Winnipeg.

Ricky Gervais Will Make David Brent Rock Mockumentary “Life On The Road” Starting Next Year

August 5, 2014
Uncategorized
david brent, life on the road, mockumentary, ricky gervais, the office

(via The Telegraph)

Looks like David Brent is headed the way of Alan Partridge. He’s not going to be held up in a radio station as a hostage like Steve Coogan’s Partridge, but Ricky Gervais’ Brent from the original The Office is officially getting a full length feature movie.

Following his escapades into making a go at his dream of being a rock star, Life On The Road will follow Brent on a self-financed tour. Production starts in 2015 and we can only now ponder if Gervais playing music as the character of David Brent is going better when Gervais made a legitimate attempt at being a pop star.

HBO Making a Wimbledon Mockumentary with Andy Samberg and Kit Harrington

July 24, 2014
Uncategorized
andy samberg, hbo, kit harrington, mockumentary, wimbledon

(via The Hollywood Reporter)

HBO is pushing forward with their comedy branding by doing a sports mockumentary, specifically of the legendary tennis tournament known as Wimbledon. Andy Samberg and Kit Harrington will star as rival tennis players and Fred Armisen, Lena Dunham, Karen Gillan, Michael, Sheen, and more have also been cast.

This is being billed as an one-off comedy event at HBO, perhaps similar to those Greatest Events in Television History at Adult Swim. 

Netflix to Debut Rhys Darby’s Mockumentary Series ‘Short Poppies’

March 20, 2014
Uncategorized
mockumentary, netflix, rhys darby

Netflix to Debut Rhys Darby’s Mockumentary Series ‘Short Poppies’

The amazing Rhys Darby is getting his own show on Netflix set for a release next month, specifically Apr. 3rd.

Short Poppies should be a good thing to queue up next in your binge watching list.  

Watch Trailer for Mockumentary of “Break Up at a Wedding”

June 19, 2013
Uncategorized
break-up, mockumentary, wedding

It’s been awhile since we’ve seen a good mockumentary or even really thought of the word despite shows like The Office being such a phenomenon. Still, “Break Up at Wedding” seems to be just that mockumentary we’re looking for following a videographer not cutting out any of a disastrous wedding he just shot.

Watch the trailer here.

Recent News

divider

  • The Comedy Bureau Field Report Ep. 263: Shannon O’Neill & Molding Comedy Into a Potholder - While many of you have to come, know, and love the fantastic Shannon O'Neill through… Read More
  • The Comedy Bureau Field Report Ep. 262: David Drake & The Power of Bowling Alleys - From just the look of Big Break, David Drake's third and latest hour, you might… Read More
  • The Comedy Bureau Field Report Ep. 261: Linzy Beltran & Comedia Por Todo - At the same time, comedy can indeed speak truth to power and also express joy… Read More

Sign up For The Newsletter

Copyright © 2020 The Comedy Bureau
All rights reserved