If you’re a Paramount+ subscriber looking for a bit of a break from the Duttons, the police procedurals, Stan, Kyle, Cartman, and Kenny, and the entire United Federation of Planets, this is your weekly reminder that the streamer also has an excellent documentary library that’s easy to overlook.
So if you’re in the mood for a real story this weekend, I’ve dug deep and pulled a new season of a beloved docuseries profile real couples laying it all on the table, a look behind the mic at what comedians go through to make us all laugh, and a touching and deep portrait of a musician who refused to compromise on her own beliefs and convictions.
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Couples Therapy (Season 5)
Four new couples in need bear it all
This acclaimed documentary-style reality series isn’t what you might think it is. The word “reality” tends to bring with it certain connotations, which perhaps suggest that it’s full of sensationalized conflict or screaming matches. Thankfully, nothing could be farther from the truth with Couples Therapy, which has managed to do something no other reality show dares: it just sits quietly in the room.
OK, so that might not sound so exciting, but trust me, Couples Therapy is riveting and emotional stuff. Now in its fifth season (new episodes landed on May 15), it follows real couples through genuine therapy sessions with renowned Manhattan psychotherapist Dr. Orna Guralnik, whose calm, precise, and empathetic questions have made her an unlikely streaming star.
Season five introduces nine new episodes and four new couples—Marjorie and Jason, whose differing politics has been boiling over into heated fights; Clinton and Shay, a couple struggling with a recent Autism diagnosis that put a stall on them moving forward; Sienna and Chris, a couple working through Chris’s infidelities; and Nessa and Drea, a couple who were teenage sweethearts and are wondering if they’ve outgrown each other twenty years on. All five seasons of this popular series are available to stream.
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This Is Stand-Up
Comedy greats share what it takes to be funny
Fans of stand-up comedy or those who have any sort of interest in learning what it takes and what actually goes into a career in making rooms full of strangers laugh will be right into This Is Stand-Up. The 2020 Comedy Central documentary, directed by acclaimed filmmakers Paul Toogood and Lloyd Stanton, takes a deep dive into the comedian’s life and the path that must be walked—the open mic nights, the endless travelling and touring, the loneliness, what it means to bomb, what it means to kill, and why keep going in the first place.
Quiz
Netflix documentaries
Trivia challenge
From true crime to nature — see how well you know Netflix’s most gripping documentary films and series.
True CrimeNatureSportsCultureBiography
Which Netflix documentary series follows the story of Steven Avery and his nephew Brendan Dassey, who were convicted of murder in Wisconsin?
Correct! Making a Murderer, released in 2015, became a cultural phenomenon and sparked widespread debate about wrongful convictions and the U.S. justice system. It was directed by Laura Ricciardi and Moira Demos, who spent a decade documenting the case.
Not quite — the answer is Making a Murderer. Released in 2015, this groundbreaking Netflix series followed Steven Avery and Brendan Dassey through their controversial murder convictions. It ignited a massive public conversation about wrongful convictions and legal fairness.
Which Netflix nature documentary series is narrated by David Attenborough and explores the deepest parts of the world’s oceans?
Correct! Our Oceans is a stunning Netflix nature documentary narrated by the legendary David Attenborough, diving into the mysteries of ocean ecosystems around the globe. It showcases some of the most breathtaking and rarely seen underwater environments on Earth.
Not quite — the answer is Our Oceans. While Our Planet is also a beloved Attenborough Netflix series focused on land and sea habitats broadly, Our Oceans specifically dives deep into the world’s ocean environments. Both are worth watching if you love nature documentaries.
The Netflix docuseries Drive to Survive follows which motorsport?
Correct! Drive to Survive offers an behind-the-scenes look at the Formula 1 racing season, giving viewers access to drivers, team principals, and the high-stakes drama of the sport. It’s widely credited with massively growing F1’s fanbase, especially in the United States.
Not quite — the answer is Formula 1. Drive to Survive has been a huge hit for Netflix since its debut in 2019, pulling back the curtain on the glamour, pressure, and politics of the F1 world. The series is often credited with introducing a whole new generation of fans to the sport.
Which Netflix documentary covers the infamous Fyre Festival, a luxury music festival that catastrophically failed in the Bahamas in 2017?
Correct! Fyre: The Greatest Party That Never Happened was released on Netflix in January 2019 and quickly became a viral sensation. It detailed how entrepreneur Billy McFarland and rapper Ja Rule sold thousands of tickets to a luxury festival that was entirely unprepared to host guests.
Not quite — the answer is Fyre: The Greatest Party That Never Happened. Fyre Fraud was a competing documentary released on Hulu around the same time, which actually featured an interview with Billy McFarland himself. Both covered the disaster, but Netflix’s version became the more widely seen of the two.
Which pop star is the subject of the 2021 Netflix documentary Miss Americana?
Correct! Miss Americana is a deeply personal documentary about Taylor Swift, directed by Lana Wilson. It explores Swift’s journey to find her voice, her political awakening, and the intense pressures of being one of the world’s biggest pop stars.
Not quite — the answer is Taylor Swift. Miss Americana offers a rare, candid look at Swift’s life behind the scenes, including her decision to speak out politically for the first time. It debuted at the Sundance Film Festival before arriving on Netflix in early 2020.
The Netflix documentary series The Last Dance primarily focuses on which NBA player’s final season with the Chicago Bulls?
Correct! The Last Dance chronicles Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls during their legendary 1997–98 season, widely considered one of the greatest sports documentaries ever made. It features never-before-seen footage and interviews that reveal the drama and genius behind the dynasty.
Not quite — the answer is Michael Jordan. While The Last Dance features extensive coverage of Scottie Pippen, Dennis Rodman, and coach Phil Jackson, it centers squarely on Jordan’s legacy and the tension-filled final championship run of the Bulls dynasty. It was released in 2020 and became a global phenomenon.
Which Netflix documentary tells the story of Robert Lund and his operation of the Dirty Bird chicken restaurant while secretly running a drug empire?
Correct! Dirty Money is a Netflix documentary series that exposes financial crimes and corruption across multiple episodes, with one episode focusing on a fast-food drug empire. The series covers a wide range of real-world financial scandals involving corporations and powerful individuals.
Not quite — the answer is Dirty Money. This Netflix docuseries examines financial crimes and corporate wrongdoing in gripping detail across its episodes. Produced by Alex Gibney, it has been praised for its investigative depth and compelling storytelling.
Which Netflix documentary, released in 2021, follows conservationist Ric O’Barry and exposes the controversial dolphin hunting practices in Taiji, Japan?
Correct! The Cove is a powerful and award-winning documentary that exposes the annual dolphin drive hunt in Taiji, Japan. It won the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature in 2010 and brought international attention to the controversial practice.
Not quite — the answer is The Cove. This critically acclaimed documentary follows activist Ric O’Barry, who helped capture the dolphins used in the original Flipper TV series and later dedicated his life to protecting them. It won an Oscar for Best Documentary and remains one of the most impactful environmental films ever made.
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Stand-up comedy fans will be blown away by the roster of comics in the film, who all speak to the camera in candid interviews that make up the majority of the doc. The lineup includes Chris Rock, Jerry Seinfeld, Sarah Silverman, Kevin Hart, Amy Schumer, Tiffany Haddish, Jamie Foxx, Maria Bamford, Ricky Gervais, and Garry Shandling (through archival footage), as they share their own career experiences. It also includes appearances by several comedy luminaries we’ve since lost, including Bob Saget and Gilbert Gottfried, giving the doc a bit of a time-capsule feel.
At just under 90 minutes, This Is Stand-Up is a quick and easy watch for an evening, and is full of comedians talking about comedy, the craft, the sacrifices, and what it means to them.
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Nothing Compares
The meteoric rise and tragic exile of a music icon
If you enjoy biographical documentaries that peel back new and fascinating layers of their subjects—last year’s excellent Ozzy: No Escape from Now is a great example—then this deeply reflective and immersive documentary about iconic Irish singer Sinead O’Connor is for you.
Directed by award-winning Belfast-born documentarian Kathryn Ferguson (Taking the Waters, Bogart: Life Comes in Flashes) in her feature debut, Nothing Compares is a Showtime doc that zeroes in on the six rollercoaster years of O’Connor’s life and career from 1987 to 1993, when the prolific artist went from virtual unknown to global phenomenon and then, almost overnight, to a pop culture pariah.
Nothing Compares anchors itself on brilliantly nostalgic archival footage and traces her life and career through her abusive Catholic upbringing, her successful music career, her shaved-head defiance, the notorious 1992 Saturday Night Live moment when she tore up a photo of the Pope on live TV, and the career fallout that followed. But the main draw here is the candid audio interview O’Connor recorded for the film, which gives it the intimate feel of a first-person reflection—and lands differently now, given her death in 2023.
Music, comedy … and therapy?
Eschew the Dutton ranch or the oil fields of Landman for one weekend and take in a documentary or docuseries that’ll give your brain a boost for a change. We pull together roundups of docs on Paramount+, and other streaming services, every week to help enlighten your life.
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Select live sports (NFL on CBS & UEFA Champions League)
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Starting at $8/month or $60/year
Stephan is the sports journalist for the Maple Grove Report.
