Feel like keeping things real this summer? Why take your mind to fictional, imaginary universes when there's so much great drama ripped straight from real life? Fiction can be fun, as the wise Ace Ventura once told us, but for those like him who find the reference section much more enlightening, here's a list of the best documentaries to stream right now on Paramount+.

Best documentaries on Paramount+ (July 2023)

I Am Richard Pryor – Famous for taking on topics like race, addiction and sexuality, groundbreaking comedian Richard Pryor walked the thin line between comedy and tragedy, both on stage and off.

The Fire That Took Her – Mother-of-two Judy Malinowski was doused in gasoline and set on fire by her ex-boyfriend – becoming one of the first people to testify at her own murder trial. Her case asks a timely question: How much must women suffer in order to be believed?

George Michael: A Different Story – A Different Story is a deep dive into the life of the late, great British singer. It covers major turning points in George Michael's life, from forming Wham! to embarking on a solo career as well as the more controversial moments in his career.

ANGOLA Do you hear us? – The story of playwright Liza Jessie Peterson's shutdown 2020 performance of her acclaimed play The Peculiar Patriot at Angola, the Louisiana State Penitentiary, America's largest prison-plantation.

R.I.P. T-Shirts – R.I.P. T-Shirts takes an intimate look at gun violence, and the aftermath it can have on families, through the eyes of a T-shirt shop owner just outside Washington, D.C. Each day, families and friends of recently murdered young Black people visit Jonathan Robinson's shop, commissioning wearable tributes to their loved ones.

Pocahontas: Beyond the Myth – The story of Pocahontas has been passed down through the centuries. Her relationship with John Smith has been characterized as a romance that united two cultures and created lasting peace. However, the life of this American Indian princess was anything but a fairytale. Pocahontas: Beyond the Myth looks beyond the fiction and reveals the real story of Pocahontas, a tale of kidnapping, conflict, starvation, ocean journeys, and the future of an entire civilization.

Mystery of the Ice Age Giants – When the Ice Age ended 12,000 years ago, it also marked the end for many species of large mammals across the globe, such as mammoths, cave bears, and giant sloths. The common theory has been that climate change wiped out most of these animals, but recent discoveries are pointing to another culprit: our distant ancestors. Follow paleontologist Dick Mol and his colleagues on their hunt for clues to the extinction of the Ice Age giants, and to determine whether they were truly the victims of the environment, or of humankind.

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Building Star Trek – When Star Trek first aired in 1966, it expanded the viewers' imaginations about what was possible in their lifetimes. Today, many of the space-age technologies displayed on the show, like space shuttles, cell phones, and desktop computers, have already gone from science fiction to science fact. Other innovations, like warp drive, teleportation, and medical tricorders are actively in development. Building Star Trek celebrates the 50th Anniversary of the series – a show that continues to inform, enrich, and inspire.

Console Wars – An Official Selection of the 2020 SXSW Film Festival, Console Wars takes viewers back to 1990 when Sega, a fledgling arcade company, assembled a team of underdogs to take on the greatest video game company in the world, Nintendo. It was a once-in-a-lifetime, no-holds-barred conflict that pit brother against brother, kids against grownups, Sonic against Mario, and America's unique brand of capitalism against centuries-old Japanese tradition. For the first time ever, the men and women who fought on the front lines for Sega and Nintendo discuss this battle that defined a generation.

76 Days – A look at life in the earliest days of the COVID-19 crisis in Wuhan, China, 76 Days focuses on frontline hospital workers and their patients, bearing witness to the human resilience that persists in times of profound tragedy.

St. Louis Superman – This Oscar-nominated film documents the journey of Ferguson activist and battle rapper Bruce Franks Jr., who faces tough barriers upon joining Missouri's GOP-dominated state legislature.

Going to Pot – You've got questions about weed? Well, MTV has the answers! Can you really get a contact high? Why do we call it 420? Will pot improve your sex life?! Everything you wanted to know and weren't afraid to ask. So kick back and get smart … about weed.

Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band: The Legendary 1979 No Nukes Concert – Legendary performances by Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band at the 1979 No Nukes concerts. Features all 13 songs newly edited from original film footage, restored and remixed in HD.

Already binged all of those? Seriously? Well good for you! Now get up from the couch, stretch your legs for a bit and then check out our lists of the best movies and TV shows to binge on Paramount+ as well.