Stream It Or Skip It: ‘Behind the Music’ on Paramount+, In Which The Ex-VH1 Docuseries Is Reborn For A New Age

Streaming platforms are the new basic cable, as Paramount+ proves with its Behind the Music reboot, part of a larger migration of legacy titles that once lived in the 120’s or 75’s, depending on your system’s channel lineup. The new version often revists the old version, aligning vintage footage with brand-new interviews.

BEHIND THE MUSIC: STREAM IT OR SKIP IT?

Opening Shot: “I really hope I’ve changed since the last time we did this documentary,” Ricky Martin says, and contemporary footage of Martin looking fit and tan flickers alongside archival shots of a younger, more wide-eyed version of himself dating from his first go-round with Behind the Music in 2000, an episode was then updated in 2011.

The Gist: Unearthed from the depths of late-1990’s basic cable programming marathons, Paramount Plus has returned Behind the Music to the public consciousness as part of the streamer’s repackaging of various VH1 and MTV-affiliated legacy titles, a strategy that also includes a reboot of Unplugged. The list of artists set to tell their once-was, hard luck, full of glory, or still kicking story for Behind the Music includes LL Cool J, Busta Rhymes, Jennifer Lopez, Huey Lewis, Duran Duran, Fat Joe, and Bret Michels (Hm, is a reboot of VH1’s Rock of Love with Bret Michaels in the works, too? Let’s hope not…), but first up is Ricky Martin, the favorite son of Puerto Rico, former Menudo boy band member, seller of hundreds of millions of Latin music records, and singer of the worldwide smash and wedding reception favorite “Livin’ la Vida Loca.”

The format of the new Behind the Music ties in footage from the old version, aligning it with new interviews and even engagement from the artist in the chair with that archival material. In Martin’s case, this includes his coming out as a gay man, in both the anxiety surrounding that decision and the exhilaration of it happening. “We’re normalizing what a beautiful, modern family is,” Martin says today of his husband Jwan Yosef and their four children. But as he looks at footage of his teen self with Menudo, Martin says that while “it was very emotional and very beautiful to remember where I was,” he describes himself as being free of the fears that once gripped him.

As Behind the Music continues, there are testimonials from fellow Puerto Rican artists like Bad Bunny and profiles of Martin’s humanitarian work, particularly as an advocate for social justice in his native Puerto Rico. Footage of his early career with the global sensation that was Menudo gives Martin a chance to compare his twelve-year-old self of then with his twelve-year-old twins of now, and later, he’s seen chuckling at a 1999 performance on The Rosie O’Donnell Show where the host called him a “cutie patootie,” and discussing his 2020 release Pausa, which took home the Latin Grammy for Best Album.

What Shows Will It Remind You Of? The original Behind the Music was ubiquitous, often being broadcast in the sort of bingeable marathons that are standard in today’s click and stream age. It was part of an era and style of program that also included Pop Up Video, any of the I Love the… shows built out of blurby riffs on popular culture detritus, and also the E! True Hollywood Story, which itself returned to the airwaves in 2019.

Our Take: “At the age of 29, Ricky Martin had finally conquered the US market. But he was terrified that his hard-earned success could all be taken away if the world discovered that he was gay.” It’s good to hear Jim Forbes’ voiceover again, especially when he matches the perfect amount of tension and foreshadowing to crux moments like this. Behind the Music was always great at building its narrative arc around the inevitable dark moments in an artist’s life and career, and this rebooted version retains that quality even as it feeds in its brand new takes. In Martin’s case, the exhaustion and frustration stemming from the early 2000’s peak of his success leads to a soul-searching journey, his becoming a practitioner of yoga, the establishment of a foundation to fight human trafficking, the adoption of twins, and his 2010 decision to come out. It’s the kind of story Behind the Music‘s format was born to express, which was probably a factor in choosing Martin as the subject for this premiere of the program’s streaming platform reboot.

Sex and Skin: Just Ricky, boogying and sashaying, sometimes shirtless, like on General Hospital in the ‘80s, and often rocking a vest only, like in his many live performances.

Parting Shot: “Yeah, it’s funny, because you were asking me before, ‘How have you changed?’ and I didn’t know how to answer, and I can say for sure, one thing that I still have from ten years ago is that I have this obsession with healing. So once again I am here talking to you with one priority in mind — for my soul to heal and for everyone to heal.” Can you feel the love Ricky Martin is transmitting to you?

Sleeper Star: Puerto Rican rapper and songwriter Bad Bunny proves to be an insightful and engaging interview, giving his perspective on Martin as a fellow Puerto Rican superstar and also how that status plays in the country, from its demands to its benefits.

Most Pilot-y Line: “That’s all that I worked for, that level of fame. But then when I had it, I was afraid.” Whether it’s 2000, 2011, or 2021 Ricky Martin speaking, he’s always able to contextualize his life experience with real conviction and grace.

Our Call: SKIP IT. Behind the Music, in this new format, feels like a rerun you might discover on a late night channel scroll, despite being buoyed by Martin’s unfailing charisma.

Johnny Loftus is an independent writer and editor living at large in Chicagoland. His work has appeared in The Village Voice, All Music Guide, Pitchfork Media, and Nicki Swift. Follow him on Twitter: @glennganges

Watch Behind The Music on Paramount+