Television series
Bring It!
A documentary-style series following Miss D and the Dancing Dolls, a championship dance troupe from Jackson, Mississippi. It's part competition show, part family drama, entirely propulsive—structured around the rituals and tensions of elite youth dance culture. For anyone drawn to underdog stories, the alchemy of mentorship, or just watching young people excel at something difficult with genuine stakes.
Should you watch it?
Watch it if you like reality television that treats competition as a family affair, where the drama comes from mothers, daughters and a demanding coach pushing each other toward a shared goal.
Skip it if you want a tightly edited, plot-driven documentary; this runs long across many seasons and leans on personal conflict and rivalry rather than a single through-line.
What it asks of you: It asks for a long commitment, with five seasons and over a hundred episodes of rehearsal, travel and backstage arguments, so settle in for a slow-building, emotionally loud run.
Not sure? Find tonight's pick in a minute.
If you liked this
Friday Night Lights2006
Small-town community rallies around young athletes pursuing excellence and glory. Captures the same blend of mentorship, rivalry, family pressure, and the way sports become a vehicle for something larger than the game itself.
But Five seasons is a serious commitment, and the show occasionally indulges in soap-opera plotting that derails the core story.
Dance Moms2011
Same competitive-youth-dance premise, but Abby Lee Miller's aggressive coaching style creates constant conflict. If you love the competition and camaraderie in Bring It!, this explores the toxic flipside.
But Heavily produced, sometimes feels manufactured. The drama between moms can overshadow the actual dancing.
Last Chance U2016
Documentary series following college football players fighting for professional careers. The same pressure-cooker intensity, the same dependence on a mentor's faith, the same question of whether excellence justifies the cost.
But Darker and more brutal in its outcomes. No feel-good arc guaranteed, which some viewers find dispiriting.
Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from Bring It!
The wildcard
Something you would not have found on your own.
Tiny Shoulders: Rethinking Barbie2018
Both examine how Black women assert authority, build legacies, and redefine excellence in spaces that weren't originally designed for them.
Documentary about the Barbie doll and the women who shaped it. Unexpected connection: both are about standards of excellence and beauty being redefined by Black women stepping into spaces built by and for others. Miss D doesn't apologize for her vision; neither do these filmmakers.
But Focused on corporate and cultural history rather than individual athletes. Moves slowly and requires patience with institutional storytelling.
More like this (7)
Cheer2020
Follows an elite cheer squad preparing for nationals with the same kinetic energy. Combines stunning athleticism, genuine character development, and the particular bond that forms between teammates pushing toward one shared goal.
But Some viewers find the emphasis on injury and physical toll harder to watch than the triumph.
Project Runway2004
Competition format executed with genuine affection for the contestants. The judging is sharp, the stakes are clear, and there's real craft on display week to week.
But Fashion as subject matter won't grab you if clothes don't matter to you. The judging can feel arbitrary.
The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel2017
Features a young ensemble cast learning their craft under a demanding mentor. The same intergenerational dynamic, the same attention to how excellence gets forged through repetition and conflict.
But Period-piece setup and romantic subplots might feel like detours from what interested you in Bring It!.
Swagger2021
Teen basketball series with similar community focus and mentorship at its heart. Real athletes, real stakes, the same sense that the game is gateway to something bigger.
But Cancelled after two seasons, so no final payoff. Some viewers find the dramatic elements heavier than the sports themselves.
School of Rock2016
Jack Black leads a ragtag group of kids toward a musical competition. Lighter in tone than Bring It!, but hits the same notes about nurturing talent, building team chemistry, and the transformative power of a mentor who believes.
But Sitcom rhythm might feel frothy if you're craving the documentary authenticity of the original show.
Belly1998
Both celebrate Black cultural style and ambition as an end in itself. Both make the performance—the presentation of self—the whole story.
Hype Williams' hip-hop film about ambition, style, and the cost of wanting more. Shot in a visual language of excess and aspiration that mirrors the flash and ritual of dance competition. Not about dance at all, but about the same cultural aesthetic—posturing, competing, proving worth through visibility.
But Dated in places, occasionally overheated. The plot is secondary to mood and style, which won't work for everyone.
Pina2011
Both treat dance not as entertainment but as a form of human expression worthy of absolute seriousness and investment.
Werner Herzog's documentary-essay about the choreographer Pina Bausch, filmed in 3D. An entirely different register: avant-garde, meditative, treating dance as philosophy rather than sport. But it shares Bring It!'s conviction that dance is serious, that it matters, that watching people move at their peak is enough.
But Experimental and slow. Almost no narrative structure. Assumes the audience will sit with dance as its own argument.
