(CNN)Much similar Caitlyn Jenner's coming-out acquisition successful "I Am Cait," "The Bachelor" alum Colton Underwood approaches the process of telling the satellite who helium is astir similar an anthropologist successful the six-part Netflix docuseries "Coming Out Colton." It's a cautiously constructed showcase for idiosyncratic who, similar Jenner and her extended family, appears accustomed to beingness nether the camera's watchful eye.
The bid notably follows Underwood during the run-up to the "Good Morning America" interview successful which helium revealed that he's gay, documenting a play successful which helium frets astir however his parents, siblings, erstwhile high-school shot manager and others closest to him volition person the quality earlier telling the wide public.
In a classical illustration of reality-TV gimmickry, a fewer of those exchanges unfold aft Underwood expresses his anxiousness astir the conservation, past extremity connected cliffhangers, specified arsenic they are, starring into the adjacent episode.
Still, sharing his information with household is conscionable portion of the show, and arsenic with "I Am Cait," the producers crook Underwood's acquisition into a spot of a primer connected LGBTQ history, arranging on-camera meetings with different shot players who person travel retired -- successful astir instances aft their playing days -- and utilizing Olympic skier Gus Kenworthy arsenic Underwood's usher into the cheery community, including a sojourn to the historical Stonewall Inn arsenic portion of his idiosyncratic probe project.
As Underwood notes, his beingness has been a wide of perceived contradictions that prompted him to support who helium is secret. Concerns astir however others would respond informed his determination to spell connected "The Bachelor," and his roles arsenic a shot subordinate ("my 2nd family," helium says) and devout Christian further analyzable coming to presumption with his existent self.
The main occupation with "Coming Out Colton" is that practically everyone other peripherally featured successful the amusement -- including Kenworthy and Michael Sam, who came retired earlier the NFL draught successful 2014 -- has a communicative that's astatine slightest arsenic interesting, and often much thoughtfully articulated, than the program's ostensible protagonist.
Underwood, present 29, provides an evident work successful utilizing his illustration to item these issues, addressing thoughts of termination and the request to find assistance arsenic good arsenic homophobia helium witnessed successful shot locker rooms, which contributed to his determination to stay closeted. Yet the programme besides falls unfortunate to the quirks of world TV, from the awkwardness of conducting discussions successful beforehand of cameras to the conspicuously produced efforts to physique hostility astir these situations.
On the positive side, if Underwood's communicative helps 1 kid wrestling with akin doubts and apprehensions there's intelligibly a payment to that. And a fewer genuinely touching moments emerge, including Underwood's interactions with his father, Scott, arsenic a root of emotion and support. (Among different things, dada has the bully consciousness to counsel him to halt looking astatine Twitter.)
"Coming Out Colton" makes the constituent that Underwood's communicative couldn't beryllium afloat done justness successful 1 morning-show interview. Nevertheless, arsenic is often existent successful this genre, expanding that into a six-episode bid feels similar a spot of a stretch.
"Coming Out Colton" premieres Dec. 3 connected Netflix.
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