QAnon was once an internet fringe movement that hugged the shade, lurking on sites such as reddit and the more lawless 4chan. The prurient conspiracy theories it supported—that, for instance, President Trump was putting a stop to a neoliberal cabal of elite pedophiles—have since grown increasingly mainstream and have even infiltrated the House of Representatives. HBO’s new documentary series seeks to examine how Q is reshaping American culture and politics. The show takes an in-depth look at the origins of the group, its fiercest proponents, and its everyday adherents. There is some explanatory power to its documentarian’s no-judgements approach, but such a perspective also runs the risk of spreading more disinformation. That said, amid the documentary’s loopy journey through the swirling baloney of QAnon, there are moments of fresh insight into the anxieties that bred the movement, the insecurities that account for its appeal, and the discontents at the top of its leadership. —C.J.F.

New episodes release each Sunday