The king of documentaries, Louis Theroux, is back with a new three-part series this autumn and we can't wait to see how many awkward situations he finds himself in while exploring the world of polyamory. Two other documentaries coming in November, titled Altered States, will see the acclaimed journalist and documentary maker investigate adoption and euthanasia, both in California. The first episode will air on the 4th November.
Polyamory, or "ethical non-monogamy", is certainly a hot topic right now, with everyone from young Silicon Valley millennials to a British middle-aged, middle-class couple in the BBC drama Wanderlust apparently giving it a try, so it was only a matter of time before it received the Theroux treatment.
In Maximum Love, he travels to Portland, Oregon, known as the US polyamory capital and for its motto "Keep Portland Weird", to immerse himself in the movement. With nearly half of marriages in the US ending in divorce, 2018 seems like a fitting time to investigate those seeking to rewrite how we conduct intimate relationships and experience family life.
Theroux meets families who have opened up their relationships, whether by inviting others into existing relationships or by allowing partners to seek romance (not just sex) elsewhere. What he finds is a mixed bag: some people take to polyamory like ducks to water, while others are left consumed by jealousy, upset and broken-hearted.
Another episode, Take My Baby, sounds even more emotionally charged. Theroux visits the US adoption capital of California, where most adoptions are carried out privately as part of a multimillion dollar industry. Pregnant women can receive up to $50,000 for giving up their newborn to adoptive parents willing to pay the price, while agencies, facilitators and lawyers can earn thousands of dollars per baby.
In what's sure to make for sensitive viewing, Theroux meets birth mothers preparing to hand over their babies, some of whom have histories of poverty, addiction and abuse, which can push women down the adoption path. He also meets prospective parents, who are often left unsure as to whether the birth mother will actually give her child away once it's born.
The third episode, Choosing Death, will see Theroux explore euthanasia in California, one of the six US states that now offer the terminally ill the option of ending their life with a prescribed cocktail of drugs. He meets people who want control over the end of their life and uncovers some of the moral dilemmas involved when you have complete autonomy over your own death.
"I have always been interested in how people conduct the most intimate aspects of their lives," Theroux said in a statement. "For this series we looked at the new ways Americans are approaching some of humanity’s oldest dilemmas: pregnant mums who feel unequipped to keep their babies and so pick new parents for them; the world of polyamory aka 'ethical non-monogamy'; and people with debilitating conditions who opt to hasten their own deaths."
These stories all "have something a touch utopian about them, involving a kind of idealism and forward thinking that brings new opportunities but also new risks," Theroux continued. This year's miniseries follows on from last year's Dark States, in which Theroux investigated three "uniquely devastating challenges" facing the US: murder, sex trafficking, and opiate dependency.
Like what you see? How about some more R29 goodness, right here?
Louis C.K. Says He Lost $35 Million After Sexual Misconduct Fallout
Jonah Hill's Directorial Debut Mid90s Is As Earnest As He Is
Can You Ever Forgive Me? Is Based On This Wild True Story Of A Con Artist