Credit: Lucas Gouveia/How-To GeekParamount+ U.S. subscribers have a pretty great weekend in store, especially if you’re looking for something a bit different. While its streaming calendar isn’t exactly spilling over with new documentaries at the moment, some serious action kicks in on Saturday when UFC 330 makes its way to the octagon—and the lead-up special that precedes it, to get fans focused and ready, is my top pick this weekend.
Additionally, Paramount+ also has a great catalog of non-fiction docs and docuseries on tap, including a chilling cautionary tale about two women’s shared shady ex-husband and an uplifting and fascinating look at some of the world’s hardest-working canines.
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Don’t Date Brandon
An eye-watering cautionary tale told by the women who lived it
So many true-crime documentaries put undue focus on the perpetrators behind the often brutal and heinous stories, but Paramount+’s docuseries Don’t Date Brandon doesn’t—it zeroes in on the victims and their extraordinary story of collaboration, investigation, and recovery.
The victims-no-more leading this charge are Athena Klingerman and Amber Rasmussen, whose popular Ex-Wives Undercover podcast is what this stunning three-part series is based on. It outlines the women’s harrowing story of lies, abuse, and manipulation at the hands of their common ex-husband, Brandon Johnson. The one thing Brandon didn’t see coming, however, was the women joining forces—sharing information, methodically documenting and logging his threats, lies, and actions going back decades, surfacing other women caught in his web, and starting a podcast that helped bring him to justice.
Don’t Date Brandon tells the whole story, driven adeptly by Klingerman and Rasmussen. It’s built using candid sit-down interviews, the women’s own personal footage, and expert commentary—no reenactments, no true-crime theatrics, and without making a notorious figurehead out of whatshisname. Three episodes run roughly an hour each and are all ready to binge.
Quiz
Best true-crime documentaries on Netflix
Trivia challenge
Think you know your cold cases from your con artists? Test your knowledge of
Netflix’s most gripping true-crime stories.
DocumentariesCold CasesCon ArtistsMurdersDocuseries
Docuseries
Which Netflix docuseries follows the story of Steven Avery, a man who was exonerated
after 18 years in prison only to be charged with murder shortly after?
phenomenon and sparked widespread debate about wrongful convictions and the American justice system.
Filmmakers Laura Ricciardi and Monika Chai spent ten years documenting Steven Avery’s case in Manitowoc
County, Wisconsin.
follows Steven Avery, who was exonerated of sexual assault after 18 years only to be charged with the
murder of Teresa Halbach. The series raised serious questions about police misconduct and evidence
tampering.
Con Artists
The Netflix documentary The Tinder Swindler focuses on a con man who posed as a
wealthy heir to which real-world business dynasty?
real Israeli billionaire diamond mogul. He used this fabricated identity to romance women on Tinder and
manipulate them into lending him hundreds of thousands of dollars.
real name is Shimon Hayut, posed as the son of Israeli diamond billionaire Lev Leviev to gain the trust
of women he met on Tinder. He then swindled them out of large sums of money under the guise of being in
danger.
Cold Cases
The Keepers, a 2017 Netflix docuseries, investigates the unsolved murder of which
victim?
teacher in Baltimore whose 1969 murder remains officially unsolved. The Keepers digs into allegations
that her death was connected to a cover-up of sexual abuse at Archbishop Keough High School.
teacher from Baltimore. The Keepers examines her mysterious 1969 murder alongside disturbing allegations
of institutional abuse at the Catholic school where she worked, suggesting the two may be deeply
connected.
Murders
Which Netflix documentary features Robert Durst, a real estate heir, who made a
stunning apparent confession while wearing a hot mic?
production that is widely available and referenced on Netflix platforms. In the final episode, Durst was
caught on a bathroom microphone muttering, ‘What the hell did I do? Killed them all, of course.’ He was
later convicted of murder in 2021.
real estate heir, was the subject of this explosive docuseries. In a bathroom he thought was private, he
was caught on a live microphone apparently confessing to multiple killings, leading to his eventual
arrest and 2021 murder conviction.
Docuseries
Don’t F**k with Cats: Hunting an Internet Killer centers on the online manhunt for a
killer who first gained notoriety by posting what kind of videos online?
of himself killing cats, which prompted a massive online community to try to unmask him before he
escalated. The series shows how amateur internet sleuths tracked him long before he committed murder.
cats. Luka Magnotta posted these videos online, which prompted a group of internet users to attempt to
identify him. Tragically, their investigation came too late to prevent him from murdering Jun Lin in
2012.
Con Artists
Bad Vegan: Fame. Fraud. Fugitives. tells the story of Sarma Melngailis, a celebrity
restaurateur who was manipulated into committing financial fraud by a man who claimed he could do
what?
had mystical powers and could make her beloved dog Leon immortal if she proved her loyalty — which she
did by funneling money and going on the run with him. The story is as bizarre as it sounds.
immortal. Anthony Strangis used this outlandish promise, along with psychological manipulation, to
convince Sarma Melngailis to embezzle money from her own acclaimed New York restaurant, Pure Food and
Wine, and eventually flee with him as fugitives.
Cults
Which Netflix true-crime docuseries examines NXIVM, the organization accused of
being a cult that recruited women as ‘slaves’ and branded them?
self-improvement organization led by Keith Raniere that prosecutors proved was actually a criminal
enterprise. Former members describe how they were manipulated into a secret sorority called DOS, where
women were branded with Raniere’s initials.
examines NXIVM and its leader Keith Raniere, who was ultimately convicted of sex trafficking and
racketeering in 2019. Several high-profile members, including Smallville actress Allison Mack, were also
charged in connection with the organization.
Murders
The Staircase, one of the earliest true-crime docuseries on Netflix, follows the
trial of Michael Peterson, who was accused of murdering his wife at the bottom of what?
the bottom of a staircase in their Durham, North Carolina home in 2001. The case became famous for the
bizarre ‘owl theory’ defense and was later adapted into a scripted HBO drama series of the same name.
home. Michael Peterson claimed his wife Kathleen fell accidentally, but prosecutors argued she was
beaten to death. The case is also famous for the unusual ‘owl theory,’ which suggested an owl attack may
have caused her injuries before she fell.
Your Score
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2
Dogs with Extraordinary Jobs
Hard-working dogs are the heroes of this excellent docuseries
Paramount+ is home to all kinds of great docs and series from the Smithsonian Channel, and while they may not be as flashy as some of the Showtime or Paramount-produced titles, what they do really well is dig up some of life’s most interesting worlds, subcultures, and professions. With that, I give you Dogs with Extraordinary Jobs, an awe- (and aww-) inducing five-episode series that profiles more than 25 working canines, spanning the globe from Massachusetts to the British countryside to South Africa and Namibia.
Narrated by renowned British dog trainer Victoria Stilwell—the creator and star of the hit TV series It’s Me or the Dog—the series follows dog trainers and handlers through their training routines and on the job in some remarkable professions that only dogs can do. The 44-minute episodes are broken up into their unique fields: The Rescuers, The Lifesavers, The Partners, The Protectors, and The Detectives, with standout good dogs including George the Great Dane, who takes care of a young girl with mobility-limiting Morquio syndrome, and a black lab with a nose for sniffing out disease in beehives.
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This Is UFC: Makhachev vs. Machado Garry
Your homework before Saturday’s title doubleheader
Credit: CBS/Paramount+Not a documentary in the purest sense, I know, but where This Is UFC: Makhachev vs. Machado Garrydoes qualify is that it provides all the background knowledge, storylines, and profile information you need to prep for this weekend’s UFC 330 event in Philly.
The one-hour special, which airs on CBS on Friday, August 14 at 8:00 p.m. ET before hitting Paramount+ the next day, is hosted by lead anchor Kate Scott, with the help of analysts and former UFC greats Daniel Cormier, Paul Felder, and Chris Weidman. Expect the special to go in-depth with weigh-in and archival footage, fighter interviews, behind-the-scenes access, and more, to paint a full picture of welterweight champion Islam Makhachev, who’ll be defending his title against number one contender Ian Machado Garry.
The context is important here, too, and This Is UFC is known for giving fans (or slackers, like me) the stories, stakes, grudges, and gossip behind the fights. The 28-1 Makhachev, for example, is on a 16-fight winning streak and is just one win away from beating legend Anderson Silva’s all-time UFC record. It’s a classic striker versus grappler fight, and This Is UFC lays out why this is important, setting the stage perfectly for Saturday night’s fight. The co-main event also features Mackenzie Dern in her first strawweight defense against fifth-ranked Gillian Robertson.
Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K
Operating System
Fire OS
Resolution
4K
Three great weekend contenders
Whichever option you go with this weekend, you’ll end up rooting for someone—two women who refused to stay quiet, a Great Dane taking care of a girl in need, a champion chasing a record, or a challenger hoping to dethrone him.
Subscription with ads
Yes, $8/month
Simultaneous streams
3
Live TV
Select live sports (NFL on CBS & UEFA Champions League)
Price
Starting at $8/month or $60/year
