Now that the dust (and tears) have settled from the conclusions of Euphoria and Hacks, and we now turn our attention to House of the Dragon in a couple of weeks, now might be a good time for some documentaries! Luckily, HBO Max has some excellent new and new-ish options at the moment.
For this weekend, I’ve pulled a few that explore common themes of manipulation and obsession, including a much-anticipated new mini-series that looks at a bizarre, secretive society in the 1980s modeling world, the deadly and dark reality behind internet influencers, and a retracing of a controversial murder trial.
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Bring Me the Beauties: A Model Cult
Fashion, fame, and a weird secret cult
Putting the constant Zoolander references going through my head aside, HBO’s newest docuseries, Bring Me the Beauties: A Model Cult, is no laughing matter. The fascinating three-part HBO original is a head-shaking, bizarre exploration of the mysterious new age cult from the ’80s and ’90s known as Eternal Values, made up of models, socialites, and other elites.
Directed by Chris Smith, whose other profile docs include subjects such as Jim Carrey, Andy Kaufman, and Wham!, Bring Me the Beauties centers around Hoyt Richards. Often referred to as the first male supermodel, the series traces Richard’s career and, most fascinatingly, his double life as a member of Eternal Values, a group started and run by eccentric New York socialite Frederick von Mierers, who (wait for it) claimed to be an alien obsessed with youth and beauty.
With a gorgeously retro and airbrushed feel, the series strings together restored archival fashion footage, photos, private audio recordings, and first-person interviews (much of which is from Richards himself) that reveal not only the control von Mierers had over his members, but how many of them found genuine belonging there. Broken up into three wild 55-minute episodes, Bring Me the Beauties is a must-watch.
When the pursuit of online fame turns deadly
“How did we go from social media to you want me dead?” is one of the most telling lines from this Investigation Discovery true-crime series, currently in its second season on HBO Max. Deadly Influence: The Social Media Murders will scare you, shock you, and make you laugh a little, as each of its 45-minute episodes explores what happens when the battle for likes, followers, and online validation festers into something deadly.
With six episodes in season one and seven for season two (still being released every Monday until July 13), each one is a self-contained real case detailing stories across TikTok, YouTube, Facebook, Discord, and more, as those involved share their first-hand accounts, supported by their own social media posts, audio, and other footage.
Quiz
HBO Max movies and shows
Trivia challenge
From Westeros to the ER — how well do you know HBO Max’s biggest hits and most talked-about originals?
DramaComedyFantasyMoviesCharacters
In The Pitt, what type of medical facility serves as the primary setting for the series?
Correct! The Pitt is set in a Pittsburgh hospital emergency room and follows the staff through a single grueling 15-hour shift. The show stars Noah Wyle and was created as a spiritual successor to the classic ER.
Not quite. The Pitt takes place in a Pittsburgh hospital emergency room, not a surgery wing or clinic. The show unfolds in real time over one intense 15-hour shift, giving it a grounded, unrelenting pace.
In Hacks, what is the profession of Deborah Vance, the character played by Jean Smart?
Correct! Deborah Vance is a legendary Las Vegas stand-up comedian who reluctantly teams up with a young, struggling comedy writer named Ava. Jean Smart’s performance earned her widespread critical acclaim and multiple Emmy Awards.
Not quite. Deborah Vance is a veteran stand-up comedian — a Las Vegas legend who is forced to collaborate with a younger comedy writer to reinvent her act. Jean Smart won Emmy Awards for the role.
House of the Dragon is a prequel to Game of Thrones — approximately how many years before the events of Game of Thrones does it take place?
Correct! House of the Dragon is set roughly 200 years before the events of Game of Thrones. It depicts the Targaryen civil war known as the Dance of the Dragons, a catastrophic conflict over succession to the Iron Throne.
Not quite. House of the Dragon is set approximately 200 years before Game of Thrones, not 50 or 100 years. The series is based on George R.R. Martin’s Fire & Blood and covers the Targaryen dynasty at the height of its power.
In the 2025 horror film Sinners, directed by Ryan Coogler, what supernatural threat do twin brothers face in the Deep South?
Correct! Sinners features vampires as the central supernatural threat. Ryan Coogler’s film stars Michael B. Jordan in a dual role as the twin brothers, and blends horror with themes of race, music, and history in 1930s Mississippi.
Not quite. The supernatural menace in Sinners is vampires. Director Ryan Coogler crafted the film as a genre-bending horror story set in 1930s Mississippi, starring Michael B. Jordan as twin brothers caught in a terrifying night of violence.
Weapons, the 2025 horror anthology film on Max, was written and directed by which filmmaker?
Correct! Weapons was written and directed by Zach Cregger, who previously broke out with the acclaimed horror film Barbarian in 2022. The anthology follows multiple interconnected stories tied together by a disturbing central mystery.
Not quite. Weapons was directed by Zach Cregger, best known for directing Barbarian. Cregger has quickly established himself as one of the most exciting voices in modern horror, and Weapons continued that momentum on Max.
A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms: The Hedge Knight is another Game of Thrones prequel series — which character does it primarily follow?
Correct! The series centers on Ser Duncan the Tall, a hedge knight, and his young squire Egg — who is secretly the young prince Aegon Targaryen. The story is based on George R.R. Martin’s Tales of Dunk and Egg novellas.
Not quite. A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms follows Ser Duncan the Tall, a wandering hedge knight, alongside his squire Egg. The show is adapted from George R.R. Martin’s beloved Dunk and Egg novellas set a century before Game of Thrones.
One Battle After Another, the 2025 Max limited series, is based on a novel by which author?
Correct! One Battle After Another is adapted from Thomas Pynchon’s novel Vineland. The series marks a rare screen adaptation of Pynchon’s notoriously complex work, and generated significant buzz for its ambitious literary source material.
Not quite. The series is based on the work of Thomas Pynchon, one of American literature’s most elusive and celebrated novelists. Adapting Pynchon for television is a rare and ambitious undertaking given the dense, layered nature of his writing.
In Euphoria, what substance addiction is central to the storyline of the main character, Rue, played by Zendaya?
Correct! Rue’s battle with opioid addiction is a core thread running through Euphoria. The show uses her struggle as a lens to explore trauma, identity, and mental health among teenagers, and Zendaya won Emmy Awards for her portrayal.
Not quite. Rue struggles primarily with opioid addiction throughout Euphoria. Creator Sam Levinson drew on personal experience to shape her character, and Zendaya’s raw, emotionally powerful performance earned her back-to-back Emmy wins.
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Season two is off to a great start, with standout episodes including Waiting for the Darkness, which follows TikTokker Cooper Noriega who gets candid online about his mental health issues before being found dead in 2022; and Rags to Riches To Rage, a story about an online mentorship that turns deadly. Of course, you can fill the gaps between season two episodes by binging season one—it’s all there, too.
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A Body in the Snow: The Trial of Karen Read
A dead cop, a snowbank, and a divided town
In contrast to many of the true-crime murder investigation documentaries and series available today, A Body in the Snow: The Trial of Karen Read stands out because the accused murderer is also the show’s main character. Directed by Terry Dunn Meurer (Unsolved Mysteries), this five-part Investigation Discovery program is anchored around extensive interviews with Karen Read, who was charged with the murder of her boyfriend, Boston police officer John O’Keefe. Prosecutors maintained that she ran him over with her SUV and then fled the scene, a fact that she has always vehemently denied.
In A Body in the Snow, Read allows Meurer and a camera crew to follow her around throughout her polarizing murder trial in 2024, which ended in a deadlocked jury and a mistrial. It offers a fascinating closeness and fly-on-the-wall quality to the series, as it blends with courtroom footage, expert analysis, and interviews with law enforcement and attorneys, including Read’s lawyer Alan Jackson. The docuseries only covers up to the end of Read’s first trial, and while she was eventually acquitted of the murder and manslaughter charges against her, she still maintains that she was framed. Read recently filed a lawsuit against the Massachusetts State Police and the town of Canton for misconduct and negligence.
Cults and true crime
Cults, online clout-chasing, and a courtroom that split a town down the middle—proof that the most gripping stories are often the true ones. When you’re ready for what’s next after this weekend, How-To Geek’s streaming guides have you covered.
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Stephan is the sports journalist for the Maple Grove Report.
