Louis Theroux: Life on the Edge

In the first episode of this look back at his career, Louis explores how some people’s most fervent beliefs can bring them into conflict with mainstream society. From his visits with survivalists and UFO hunters, to his now notorious documentary about the White Aryan Resistance, he has always been willing to confront those whose beliefs seem bizarre, baffling or, in some cases, abhorrent.

Louis explores how America has managed to take some of our darkest desires, commodify them and turn them into a product that’s sold back to us. He delves into the worlds of porn, gambling, rap and the opioid crisis and investigates the very human tendency to jump to extremes when seeking out pleasure. Why is it that, for some people, hedonism inevitably tips over into danger or addiction?

Louis reflects on the criminal justice system in the USA, which has more prisoners than any other country. He spends time with hundreds of incarcerated men, discovering a world with its own rules and codes in a system that seems to be completely broken. The brutal, bewildering life behind bars is exposed in all its horror. Can anything be done to change this endless loop of crime and punishment?

One of Louis’s most memorable encounters was with the Phelps clan of the Westboro Baptist Church and their particularly distorted view of religious devotion. Since his initial visit with them, the family has been torn apart. As Louis revisits them and other troubled households and fractured relationships, he questions why families can be such a source of love, and of destruction.