With a long and chaotic 30 years in the industry, it’s hard to encapsulate Robbie Williams’ whole musical career in a documentary. There are plenty of songs to tackle, plenty of scandals to explain, and Netflix tries to portray it all through its latest four part docuseries. Given its lengthy subject matter, it’s impossible to tackle everything, of course, so it mainly focuses on the artists’ mindset and mental health as Robbie Williams himself looks back at previous footage of himself. There’s some comfort in the fact that the singer now feels more settled in himself, something comforting in the idea that depression can be handled and overcome, but it makes this docuseries a fairly vulnerable one for the artist, and it’s an intriguing behind the scenes look for his fans.

Netflix has created plenty of great documentaries about famous singers, going in depth into their personal struggles, artistic motivations, and creative processes that would intrigue fans and inspire future artists. Robbie William’s turn in his Netflix docuseries doesn’t immediately feel inspiring– to be honest, there seems to be an undercurrent of uncomfortable self-consciousness as he watches previous footage of himself, at times apologizing for the trash talking he’s given to his previous bandmates and explaining the mindset that kept him isolated from other people. While the series doesn’t delve deep into his artistry, it does delve deep into his struggles in mental health. It makes the docuseries feel like a chat with an old friend you haven’t seen in a while after a bout of depression. It makes it feel like it’s warning people from pursuing fame.