Skip to content
MovieCove
Big Night Out

Big Night Out

Clive Martin explores how partying has become both an act of rebellion and survival for young people everywhere.

Your rating, lists and review

Where can I watch Big Night Out?

As of October 24, 2026, MovieCove lists Big Night Out to rent or buy on Apple TV and Prime Video, and on no subscription service.

Rent / Buy

Is Big Night Out worth watching?

Big Night Out's Midcredits score is the 23rd percentile of all shows, from 21 ratings across 2 sources (very few ratings yet, so treat it as provisional). 50% liked it (rated it 7 or higher out of 10).

Midcredits score

How well it was received

23rd percentile

Better received than 23% of shows

Very few ratings yet, so treat it as provisional.

17th percentile among Documentary22nd percentile among 2010s
Acclaim (how much people like it)32nd
Approval (how many liked it)17th

Acclaim

Mixed: Rating-distribution shape vs the catalog

How much people like it

67 /100

Very few ratings yet, so treat it as provisional.

32nd percentile of all shows

23rd percentile among Documentary31st percentile among 2010s

Rating distribution

Ratings scatter across the whole scale — one of the most divisive reactions in the catalog.

Approval

How many liked it

50% liked it

17th percentile of all shows

14th percentile among Documentary16th percentile among 2010s
50% rated it 7–1050% rated it 1–6

Reach

How many have seen it

1st percentile

20 ratings across platforms

3rd percentile among Documentary2nd percentile among 2010s
TMDB popularity, last 37 days to Oct 26Up 82% in 30 days

Episodes

1 season

Season 1 · 2016 · 6 episodes

  • S1E1

    Purgatory in Paradise

    Dec 12, 2016
  • S1E2

    Bolero of the Balkans

    Dec 12, 2016
  • S1E3
    S1E3

    Rave in the Rebel State

    Dec 19, 2016
  • S1E4
    S1E4

    Bastards of the Bible Belt

    Dec 26, 2016
  • S1E5
    S1E5

    Dancing on the Devil's Isle

    Dec 26, 2016
  • S1E6
    S1E6

    Locked Off

    Jan 2, 2017Finale

What is Big Night Out like to watch?

Conclusions only — categories and positions, no plot detail.

Earnest, serious and intense — an even-paced watch that leaves you thinking.

ToneFeelDemandexact position · filled zone: the category

What it feels like

Moods
TenseContemplativeCathartic
Heaviest: throughout
Register
Solemn: Grave and dignified; treats its subject with weight and respect.WarmExuberant · 4% of shows: Bursting with energy and joy in its own filmmaking.
Told as
Episodic · 11% of shows: Loosely connected incidents rather than one driving plot.Anthology episodes · 6% of showsStatus quo each season
ToneA VICE documentary that takes youth partying seriously, as rebellion and survival, observing its subjects with care rather than judgment.
The rideThe series maintains a consistent tension and contemplative energy across episodes, exploring the high-stakes act of partying as survival.
StructureEach episode travels to a new city or conflict zone to profile a distinct party culture, loosely linked by the shared theme of youth partying as rebellion and survival.
Episode formatEach episode likely focuses on a different party scene or subculture, with no continuing storyline or cast.
Season formatEpisodes are self-contained and interchangeable, with no season arc; each can be watched independently.

How it leaves you

what you carry away
Thought-provokingHaunting · 9% of shows
Why it leaves you this wayLeaves you mulling over partying as an act of rebellion and survival for young people in bleak conditions, with the Ukraine and refugee contexts lingering.
How it ends · evidence

Story archetype

where it sits among all shows
Monster — 18% of shows. A threat menaces the hero's world and must be defeated.Rags — 3% of shows. A rise from lowliness to fortune, status, or recognition.Quest — 6% of shows. A journey toward a defined objective, with companions and obstacles.Voyage — 2% of shows. Into a strange world and back again, changed.Comedy — 12% of shows. Confusion and cross-purposes resolved into harmony.Tragedy — 4% of shows. A flaw or fixation drives the protagonist to ruin.Rebirth — 7% of shows. A stalled or darkened life reopened and renewed.Mystery — 8% of shows. A question drives the story — who did it, what happened, what is real — until it is answered.No archetype — 40% of showsPredator — 7% of shows. A creature or killer hunts the protagonists (Jaws, Alien).Tyrant — 3% of shows. A human villain holds power over the hero's world (Die Hard).Invasion — 2% of shows. An external force attacks the home or world (Independence Day).Oppressive state — 3% of shows. A government, its agencies or a secret faction inside them is the monster (V for Vendetta).Corporate villainy — 1% of shows. A company or its bosses are the monster (Erin Brockovich).Institutional injustice — 1% of shows. A court, prison, police force, school or church is itself the enemy (Spotlight).Class system — under 1% of shows. The gap between rich and poor, or a rigid hierarchy, is the monster (Parasite).Technology turns — under 1% of shows. Technology people rely on becomes the threat (The Terminator).Inner demon — 1% of shows. The monster is within — addiction, illness, a dark double.Underdog triumph — 2% of shows. Rise through competition or contest (Rocky).Social ascent — 1% of shows. A climb in class or status (Pretty Woman).Fame and fortune — under 1% of shows. An artistic or showbiz rise (A Star Is Born).Rise and fall — under 1% of shows. Wealth or power gained, self lost (Scarface).Hidden worth revealed — under 1% of shows. The protagonist's true value finally recognized.Treasure hunt — 1% of shows. Retrieve an object of value (Raiders of the Lost Ark).Rescue — 2% of shows. Retrieve or save a person (Saving Private Ryan).Mission — 4% of shows. Accomplish or destroy a defined objective (Mission: Impossible).Journey home — under 1% of shows. The goal is getting back (Finding Nemo).Pilgrimage — under 1% of shows. The journey itself transforms; the destination is symbolic.Portal fantasy — under 1% of shows. Transported into another world (The Wizard of Oz).Fish out of water — 1% of shows. Displaced into an unfamiliar social world (Elf).Survival ordeal — under 1% of shows. Trapped in a hostile environment, fighting back (Cast Away).Time displacement — under 1% of shows. Unstuck in time (Back to the Future).Descent — under 1% of shows. A night-journey into an underworld or subculture (After Hours).Romantic comedy — 2% of shows. Lovers kept apart by confusion, united at last.Comedy of errors — 3% of shows. Mistaken identity or misunderstanding drives the plot.Farce — 2% of shows. Escalating absurd chaos and coincidence (The Hangover).Buddy comedy — 1% of shows. A mismatched pair forced together (Rush Hour).Comedy of manners — 2% of shows. Social codes and class satirized (Clueless).Hubris — 1% of shows. Pride or ambition invites the fall (There Will Be Blood).Obsession — under 1% of shows. A fixation consumes the protagonist (Black Swan).Corruption arc — 1% of shows. Step-by-step moral decay (The Godfather).Doomed love — 1% of shows. Love destroyed by circumstance (Brokeback Mountain).Crushed by fate — 1% of shows. Destroyed by forces beyond the protagonist's control.Redemption — 1% of shows. Moral reawakening of a hardened soul (A Christmas Carol).Healing — 3% of shows. Recovery from grief or trauma (Good Will Hunting).Liberation — 2% of shows. Breaking free of a confining life (Room).Second chance — 1% of shows. A stagnant life re-opened to love or purpose (Groundhog Day).Puzzle — 1% of shows. A clue-by-clue puzzle you can try to solve before the reveal (Knives Out, Clue).Investigation — 6% of shows. A long pursuit of the truth that may never be fully solved (Zodiac, Memories of Murder).Enigma — 1% of shows. The mystery is what is real, or what is actually happening (Mulholland Drive).
Every story archetype, clockwise from the top
  • Monster 18%: Predator 7% · Tyrant 3% · Invasion 2% · Oppressive state 3% · Corporate villainy 1% · Institutional injustice 1% · Class system under 1% · Technology turns under 1% · Inner demon 1%
  • Rags 3%: Underdog triumph 2% · Social ascent 1% · Fame and fortune under 1% · Rise and fall under 1% · Hidden worth revealed under 1%
  • Quest 6%: Treasure hunt 1% · Rescue 2% · Mission 4% · Journey home under 1% · Pilgrimage under 1%
  • Voyage 2%: Portal fantasy under 1% · Fish out of water 1% · Survival ordeal under 1% · Time displacement under 1% · Descent under 1%
  • Comedy 12%: Romantic comedy 2% · Comedy of errors 3% · Farce 2% · Buddy comedy 1% · Comedy of manners 2%
  • Tragedy 4%: Hubris 1% · Obsession under 1% · Corruption arc 1% · Doomed love 1% · Crushed by fate 1%
  • Rebirth 7%: Redemption 1% · Healing 3% · Liberation 2% · Second chance 1%
  • Mystery 8%: Puzzle 1% · Investigation 6% · Enigma 1%
  • No archetype 40% (this title)

No archetype fits — true of 40% of shows: ensemble pieces, satire, slice-of-life.

Why this archetypeA non-narrative documentary series: each episode documents a different underground party scene and its context, with no single story for a plot archetype to fit.

What it's about

7 groups · 53 themes
Bonds — 31% of showsSelf — 27% of showsPower — 7% of showsMorality — 11% of showsSurvival — 9% of showsSociety — 10% of showsIdeas — 5% of showsRomantic love — 10% of showsMarriage — 2% of showsFamily bonds — 22% of showsParenthood — 1% of showsFriendship — 18% of showsLoyalty — 7% of showsIdentity — 20% of showsComing of age — 9% of showsAging — under 1% of showsSelf-worth — 7% of showsAmbition — 14% of showsPurpose — 16% of showsMemory — 3% of showsObsession — 2% of shows. A fixation consumes the protagonist (Black Swan).Power — 5% of showsCorruption — 3% of showsGreed — 2% of showsClass — 4% of showsOppression — 2% of showsFreedom — 4% of showsJustice — 14% of showsDuty — 2% of showsRevenge — 1% of showsGuilt — 1% of showsRedemption — 3% of shows. Moral reawakening of a hardened soul (A Christmas Carol).Forgiveness — under 1% of showsSacrifice — 2% of showsBetrayal — 3% of showsDeception — 6% of showsSurvival — 12% of showsWar — 1% of showsViolence — 2% of showsMortality — 2% of showsGrief — 4% of showsTrauma — 5% of showsMental illness — under 1% of showsAddiction — under 1% of showsIllness and disability — under 1% of showsCommunity — 25% of shows. Consequences reach a town, institution or group.Isolation — 3% of showsPrejudice — 2% of showsDisplacement — 1% of showsFaith — 1% of showsTradition vs change — 3% of showsFame — 5% of showsLegacy — 3% of showsFate — 1% of showsFree will — under 1% of showsTruth — 6% of showsHope — 4% of showsNature — 3% of showsArt — 2% of showsTechnology — 1% of showsSelfFriendship
Every theme, clockwise from the top
  • Bonds 31% (this title): Romantic love 10% · Marriage 2% · Family bonds 22% · Parenthood 1% · Friendship 18% (this title) · Loyalty 7%
  • Self 27%: Identity 20% (this title) · Coming of age 9% · Aging under 1% · Self-worth 7% · Ambition 14% · Purpose 16% · Memory 3% · Obsession 2%
  • Power 7%: Power 5% · Corruption 3% · Greed 2% · Class 4% · Oppression 2% · Freedom 4% (this title)
  • Morality 11%: Justice 14% · Duty 2% · Revenge 1% · Guilt 1% · Redemption 3% · Forgiveness under 1% · Sacrifice 2% · Betrayal 3% · Deception 6%
  • Survival 9%: Survival 12% · War 1% · Violence 2% · Mortality 2% · Grief 4% · Trauma 5% · Mental illness under 1% · Addiction under 1% · Illness and disability under 1%
  • Society 10%: Community 25% · Isolation 3% · Prejudice 2% · Displacement 1% · Faith 1% · Tradition vs change 3% · Fame 5% · Legacy 3%
  • Ideas 5%: Fate 1% · Free will under 1% · Truth 6% · Hope 4% · Nature 3% · Art 2% · Technology 1%

Bonds

FriendshipIdentityFreedom · 4% of shows
Observes its theme: Presents its theme neutrally, declining to judge.Community stakes: Consequences reach a town, institution or group.Ensemble lead
How it treats its themeThe series explores how collective rebellion and survival shape identity and community among young people.
StanceThe documentary observes without overt judgment, letting the subjects' stories speak for themselves.

The world

ContemporaryUrbanRealistic
ElectronicForeground music · diegetic only
Settingunderground party scenes across global cities
MusicMixes the actual party soundtracks with ambient noise, anchoring the viewer in the scene.

Is Big Night Out okay for kids?

TV-14

Big Night Out is rated TV-14.

No detailed content scores for this title yet.

What content warnings does Big Night Out have?

Not screened for content warnings yet.

Who is in Big Night Out?

What are shows like Big Night Out?

TMDB's suggestions for shows like Big Night Out include History 101 (2020), Eli Roth's History of Horror (2018) and Hot Girls Wanted: Turned On (2017).

Like this, but

What other shows share a tag with Big Night Out?

312 other shows share the rarest tag below, kind of show: music documentary. Each tag opens Browse with the shows that share it.