Television Mockumentary: Reflexivity, Satire and a Call to Play

Mockumentary is now an established part of the spectrum of television styles, with both deep roots in television history and a key part of innovations in the sitcom genre since the 1990s. Tracing the development of mockumentary series within the broader history of traditions of satire, drama, and nonfiction programming, the author uses detailed discussions of popular and innovative television series from Britain, the United States, Canada, Ireland, Australia, and New Zealand. This is the first detailed study of the rich vein of mockumentary television programs, covering series such as The Larry Sanders Show, The Daily Show, and the British and American versions of The Office to discuss how producers have experimented with mockumentary as a distinctive approach to storytelling.