All was going along swell for the first five episodes of the hit Netflix cheerleading show “Cheer” as the documentary followed the trials and tribulations and (spoiler alert!) ultimate success of the competitive cheer team from tiny Navarro Junior College in rural Corsicana, TX.

Let’s clear something up right away: Yes, I did binge watch “Cheer” on Netflix last month, but only the first and last episodes. I just wasn’t that interested in the personal exploits of Gabi and Lexi and the rest of the boys and girls. It was certainly compelling documentary work...