‘Louis Theroux’s Forbidden America’ delves into the internet’s dark impact

There are many different scenes in Louis Theroux’s Forbidden America that stand out, but perhaps none more so than the image of the documentary maker being told to “go fuck yourself” by an angry, bearded man wearing a t-shirt with Theroux’s own face plastered all over it.

The man in question is Kentucky-based Matt Evans, also known as Beardson Beardly, a controversial streamer/troll associated with far right U.S. commentator Nick Fuentes (Fuentes has been described by the Anti-Defamation League as a white supremacist). Evans invites Theroux into his home for an interview, before losing his temper after the presenter asks him about a video clip that appears to show him doing a Nazi salute.

The whole sequence is disturbing, uncomfortable to watch, at times almost comical, and perfectly reflective of Theroux’s new series as a whole.

Forbidden America is a three-parter that explores how controversial U.S. subcultures have been affected by the internet and social media. We were given access to the first two episodes for the purposes of this review: Extreme and Online, which sees Theroux speaking to younger, often deplatformed members of the far right, and Rap’s New Frontline, which sees him exploring the often dangerous line between music and gang violence in the Florida trap scene. A third episode, Porn and Power, will focus on the way the #MeToo movement has impacted the porn industry.

Theroux’s new series feels both new and familiar. The presenter has long made a career of exploring complex niches of U.S. society, and the style of his new show features the same formula as usual: Theroux in front of the camera, speaking with multiple interviewees at their homes or various events and not being afraid to ask questions that lead to more than a few uncomfortable exchanges. In the two episodes we watched, as well as getting kicked out of Evans’ home, Theroux has numerous face-to-face confrontations with members of the far right, challenges a rapper about a possible drug deal caught on a hot mic, and questions a different rapper charged with five counts of attempted murder about the violent lyrics in one of his songs.

Credit: BBC / Mindhouse Productions / Dan Dewsbury

In the wrong hands these interviews, sensitive as they are, could have been disastrous. But Theroux is no stranger to difficult conversations. He handles everything with his usual polite (but assertive) calm, disarming his interviewees with small talk before ramping up the seriousness of his questioning. There is a point to be made about whether or not a documentary featuring the far right is problematic in its own right given ongoing conversations around deplatforming, and this was something Theroux was asked during a virtual Q&A with journalist Anita Anand. His response? That his team had thought it carefully through and he ultimately felt confident enough in challenging his interview subjects to feel that their views wouldn’t be presented unscrutinised.

I think he’s right to some extent. Theroux certainly doesn’t back down from disagreeing with the people in Extreme and Online or countering some of their points, but I did feel there was perhaps room for more of this in the documentary (just like there was probably room for less of Theroux’s own rapping in Rap’s New Frontline, which was a cringey-but-amusing throwback to the days of his old Weird Weekends documentaries).

Ultimately, though, the documentaries are solid. Like most of Theroux’s work they offer insights on both a societal and human level, shining a spotlight on places and people that don’t often feature in the mainstream while also digging into the psychology of the people existing in those spaces. There’s a wide range of interviewees, good access – the production team have clearly done a thorough job – and enough conflict and tension to make the hour-long episode runtime fly by almost too quickly.

Like many of Theroux’s documentaries, they’re not always easy to watch — but rather than wanting them to end, I was left feeling that, if anything, each episode could have been a series in its own right.

Louis Theroux’s Forbidden America premieres on BBC Two and iPlayer on Feb. 13, with new episodes dropping each week.