A documentary offers you a slice of the real world, and because the real world is so varied, so is this genre. Documentaries can be about your next great travel destination, the best ways to find and appreciate great food, or about a murder case that has been unsolved for decades. What unites great documentaries is the stories they find to tell and the way they tell those stories. The best documentaries on Netflix are a reflection of the best of what the genre has to offer.
It can definitely be overwhelming trying to find the best titles from among an expansive library, though, so we’ve decided to do some of that for you. These Netflix documentaries are sure to fascinate and entertain any audience. If you’re caught up on all of these, you can also check out the best movies or TV shows to watch on Netflix.
Recommended Videos
American Manhunt: The Boston Marathon Bombing (2023)
The Boston Marathon is supposed to a celebration of athletic perseverance and Northeastern grit. These cultural touchstones took on a whole new meaning when the 2013 edition of the marathon ended in tragedy with a terrorist bombing. This great documentary on Netflix sheds new light on the violence that took place in Massachusetts with interviews and expert analysis one decade after the horrors of that day.
High on the Hog: How African American Cuisine Transformed America (2021)
This fantastic show is about both food and the place it’s always had as part of Black culture. It’s led by the ever-entertaining and insightful Stephen Satterfield, a journalist and podcaster with an insatiable appetite for humanity’s relationship with food. It’s an important watch, shedding light on so much marginalized American food history, and in doing so, shedding light on American history more generally.
Tales by Light (2015)
Documentaries don’t get more visually pleasing than this, which is what you might expect from a series that focuses on a new photographer every episode. Viewers are treated to amazing coverage of all kinds of critters from all corners of the globe, shot with distinctive perspectives. It’s inspiring stuff and you’ll no doubt want to power up your SLR camera and get to capturing nature’s beauty the second you finish.
Flint Town (2018)
83%
7.8/10
1 Season
Genre
Documentary, Crime, Action & Adventure
Stars
Timothy Johnson, Bridgette Balasko, Devon Bernritter
Watch on Netflix
If you want to understand America’s many problems, take a close look at Flint, Michigan. This documentary does just that, exposing the systemic racism that keeps equality from every really taking hold in the city, and uses that as a proxy for America’s problems more generally. There’s nothing simple about Flint Town, but that’s part of the point. This doc tackles it all, from the water crisis to a troubled economy to the nature of law enforcement. It demands to be seen.
Wild Wild Country (2018)
79%
8.1/10
1 Season
Genre
Documentary, Crime
Stars
Ma Anand Sheela, Jane Stork, Jon Bowerman
Watch on Netflix
An award-winning documentary, Wild Wild Country follows a little-known cult that blew up in eastern Oregon back in the 1980s. Like most off-the-grid communities, this one, with its followers dubbed the rajneeshees and clad in signature burgundy clothes, is led by a brilliant but conniving leader. This docuseries is highly addictive, and is likely to leave viewers baffled as they try to reckon with the bloody legacy that this particular cult left in its wake.
Cocaine Cowboys: The Kings of Miami (2021)
If you didn’t know that south Florida was essentially built by cocaine before, Cocaine Cowboys is the kind of true crime documentary that will have you convinced. It’s an amazing tale of a real drug empire that pretty much got away with everything, sharing its profits with law enforcement to essentially avoid accountability for decades. It focuses on the clever and sexy side of the drug trade, but before you get any ideas, note that this all went down during a very different era, in a town that lived and breathed on white powder.
Pelé (2021)
61%
7/10
108m
Genre
Documentary
Stars
Pelé, Zagallo, Gilberto Gil
Directed by
David Tryhorn, Ben Nicholas
Watch on Netflix
Pelé allows viewers to take in the extraordinary life of arguably the greatest soccer player of all time. It’s an interesting mix of incredible old highlights from the most famous number 10 in Brazilian history as well as how Pelé’s life on the field interacted with the politics happening around him. Pelé rose to prominence alongside his country, and this documentary follows that parallel rise in compelling fashion.
Athlete A (2020)
85%
7.6/10
104m
Genre
Documentary
Stars
Maggie Nichols, Jamie Dantzscher, Mark Alesia
Directed by
Jon Shenk, Bonni Cohen
Watch on Netflix
This damning film looks at the culture of sexual abuse that’s dominated women’s gymnastics for an entire generation. It’s not always easy viewing, but the details it offers about just how extensive and normalized abuse in this world had become are hugely important. Amidst all the pain and hurt that the documentary rightly emphasizes, it’s also a story about a group of young women who come together to take down a system that no one of them could topple on their own.
My Octopus Teacher (2020)
82%
8.1/10
84m
Genre
Documentary
Stars
Craig Foster, Tom Foster
Directed by
James Reed, Philippa Ehrlich
Watch on Netflix
This film will reinvigorate your love for both man and nature. It tracks a diver who befriends an octopus and swims by its side daily, learning its ways and becoming one with nature more generally as a result. The footage here is remarkable, the story is heartwarming, and it’s all packaged in a remarkably concise running time. There are many interesting ideas at play here, including an important reminder that people and the planet can coexist as long as there is mutual love and respect.
The Toys That Made Us (2017)
8.0/10
3 Seasons
Genre
Documentary
Stars
Donald Ian Black
Created by
Brian Volk-Weiss
Watch on Netflix
This docuseries offers all the context even the geekiest fan would need about why certain childhood toys came into existence. We’re talking about things like Legos and Barbie and every other toy that most kids love growing up. You’ll love returning to your childhood while taking on some factoids and background info that’ll serve as great icebreakers and conversation starters during your next communal meal or cocktail party.
Becoming (2020)
66%
6.8/10
89m
Genre
Documentary
Stars
Michelle Obama, Barack Obama, Phoebe Robinson
Directed by
Nadia Hallgren
Watch on Netflix
This one could fit in a number of documentary categories, as it mixes biographical and political elements in fascinating ways. At its core, though, Becoming is a feel-good documentary that showcases the empowering and uplifting ways Michelle Obama has lived her life. You feel like you’re by her side throughout and can’t help but absorb her positive spirit and optimistic outlook.
Quincy (2018)
60%
7.6/10
124m
Genre
Documentary, Music
Stars
Quincy Jones, Rashida Jones, Tom Hanks
Directed by
Rashida Jones, Alan Hicks
Watch on Netflix
One of the most dynamic musical minds ever, Quincy Jones is a living legend with a career spanning seven decades. This documentary tells Mr. Jones’ story, with its countless hits and strokes of production genius, not to mention the reverence he gets from the entire music industry. Even if you think you know the guy and his discography, this doc will make you appreciate him even more than before.
American Nightmare (2024)
This a a true harrowing story of a young couple, Denise Huskins and Aaron Quinn, who report a terrifying home invasion and kidnapping in Vallejo, California. Denise is abducted, leaving Aaron shaken and confused. The police investigation, however, takes a turn for the worse when inconsistencies in Aaron’s story and Denise’s eventual reappearance lead them to suspect the couple of staging the whole ordeal. American Nightmare delves deep into this complex case, exploring the media frenzy, victim blaming, and ultimately, the pursuit of justice.
Man on Wire (2008)
94m
Genre
Documentary
Stars
Philippe Petit, Jean François Heckel, Jean-Louis Blondeau
Directed by
James Marsh
Watch on Netflix
One of the great documentaries ever made, Man on Wire tells the story of Philippe Petit, and his daring attempt to walk between the two towers of the World Trade Center in 1974. Petit’s story is one part a document of a man’s sheer will to do something unimaginable, and one part a heist movie, as he and his team carefully plan and then execute their break into the buildings themselves. Although it’s only retelling events that happened decades earlier, Man on Wire nevertheless feels genuinely thrilling as you watch it.
