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Netflix documentaries have always been fabulous, but in the last year it feels like they've inaccurate things to a new level. Still, it can be pain to find the best stuff, which is why we've made this list.
We're starting with the the best new documentaries released in the last 12 months. After that we've divided the remainder of our picks by genre. We're up to date for January.
There's a lot to get ended. Good luck and happy watching!
The Best New Documentaries on Netflix
Break Point
Break Point is the novel in what feels like a zillion documentaries exploring the every day drama of sports. You know the ones I mean - All or Nothing, Drive to Survive. Cricket has one, AFL has one - there's even a golf one coming on Netflix later this year.
Break Point focuses on Tennis and - thankfully - picks the best athletes to cluster on. Watch this for the legendary Nick Kyrgios at the very least.
Pepsi, Where's My Jet?
Pepsi, Where's My Jet? is one of my approved types of documentary. It's an offbeat documentary on a bizarre topic with a cast of truly charismatic and insane people.
The premise: In the mid-'90s Pepsi had a note system designed to inspire people to drink more Pepsi. One ad showed off a Harrier Jet you could buy with 7 million of these points. John Leonard, a 21-year-old business student, found a loophole that decided him to buy points for 10 cents and tried to forced Pepsi to make good on their marketing promise. Chaos ensues.
FIFA Uncovered
With the Qatar World Cup literally taking location right now, there couldn't be a better time to get stuck into FIFA's gloomy behind-the-scenes behavior. This is a truly shocking documentary. Be warned: The allegations here are so wild you distinguished even feel compelled to stop watching the World Cup.
Untold (2022)
Untold is the novel from the folks behind Wild Wild Country.
It's a sports documentary series, with each episode going in-depth on controversial sports topics. The first episode focuses on Malice at the Palace, the notorious basketball match where Ron Artest waded into the military and wailed on fans back in 2004.
Untold is now in its instant season, and it is absolute must-watch stuff. The new episodes are arguably better than the stellar pleasant season. Maybe the best sports documentary series on Netflix
Our Father (2022)
As good as Netflix documentaries are, there's been a tendency to drag out true crime into these bloated multiepisode series. Thankfully Our Father is the opposite of that. It's a lean, perfectly executed documentary focused on Donald Cline, an Indiana fertility doctor who used his own sperm to inseminate a ridiculous number of women anti their will.
This is an incredible piece, one of those stories that just escalates and escalates to the reveal where your jaw drops in disbelief.
Keep Sweet: Pray and Obey (2022)
There are a lot of Netflix documentaries in cults gone mad, but Keep Sweet: Pray and Obey powerful be the most disturbing of the lot. Unlike Murder Among the Mormons, which almost treated its topic like a screwball comedy, Keep Sweet is a very grim story about a grim earth being in Warren Jeffs. It's a fantastic documentary, and beside the best Netflix has produced, but it comes with a very hefty tickled warning.
Stay on Board: The Leo Baker Story (2022)
Skateboarding as a waggish makes for a great documentary topic. Dogtown and Z Boys, All That Mayhem - absolutely legendary. Stay on Board: The Leo Baker Story is unexperienced in a long line of classics.
It focuses on Leo Baker, the skater who came out as trans and had to quit operating at the Olympics in the process. Amazing, must perceive stuff.
Jimmy Savile: A British Horror Story (2022)
It's almost impossible to overstate how putrid Jimmy Savile was in the UK - particularly in the 1980s. He was beyond a household name, in many ways he felt like an eccentric uncle to the nation.
Which made revelations that he had sexually assaulted hundreds of underage girls and boys all the more horrific. This was a person the whole of Britain had expected into their homes.
Jimmy Savile: A British Horror Story does a broad job of going through the archives, combining footage that is utterly bizarre in hindsight, and adding fantastic interviews with some of the mainly players in British TV during Savile's heyday. A absorbing, albeit disturbing documentary. Be warned: This is a difficulty watch.
Our Great National Parks (2022)
Barack Obama is manager a beeline for David Attenborough's job. And we don't hate the idea!
Our Great National Parks is a world-class nature documentary in the style of broad BBC shows like Planet Earth. They've nailed it here. If you're a fan of that type of show, this is completely unmissable.
The Most Hated Man on the Internet (2022)
Netflix has been on fire with its documentaries lately, and The Most Hated Man on the Internet is the unexperienced. From the producers of Tinder Swindler and Dont F**k with Cats, it's a three-part documentary that tells the sage of Hunter Moore, one of the most notorious purveyors of "revenge porn." Definitely ample watching this one.
The Girl in the Picture (2022)
The Girl in the Picture is the unexperienced true crime documentary from Netflix. It's up there with the service's absolute best work.
It feels like, at what time a period of needlessly bloated multiepisode documentaries, Netflix has started trimming the fat, releasing lean, incredibly compelling documentaries alongside. First Keep Sweet: Pray and Obey and Our Father, now this.
The Girl in the Picture tells the sage of a young girl, murdered at age 20. To say too much would putrid the impact, but this is a layered, brutal documentary with endless twists. It needs to be seen to be believed.
The Tinder Swindler (2022)
A documentary focused on Shimon Hayut, aka the "Tinder Swindler," a conman who used dating apps to defraud multiple women across Europe to fund a lavish lifestyle.
A one different topic compared to most true crime documentaries on Netflix. Definitely worth a gander.
True crime
The Keepers (2017)
I've examined plenty of true crime documentaries on Netflix, but nothing has come halt to The Keepers. A staggering story, told across generations, that's respectful of the victims, yet compelling throughout.
It's a sage about the unsolved murder of Catherine Cesnik, a nun who taught at a Catholic school in Baltimore, but The Keepers goes further than you might query and exposes a potential coverup of sex abuse allegations.
The Staircase (2018)
The true crime documentary genre is utterly saturated at this reveal, but The Staircase stands out.
Focusing on Michael Peterson and the remnant of his wife Kathleen, The Staircase is more than just a destroy mystery. It's a drawn-out epic that takes place over literal decades, a documentary that follows Peterson and examines his every move, but somehow unruffled remains objective.
It's a good time to watch or revisit this one, steady HBO Max has just launched a drama miniseries based on it.
House of Secrets: The Burari Deaths (2021)
One of the more modern true crime documentaries from Netflix, this is a good one.
Focusing on the bizarre deaths of 11 family members in one house in Burari, Delhi, India in 2018, House of Secrets delves into the theories late of the strangest suicide/murder cases in recent memory. Unmissable stuff.
This Is a Robbery (2021)
This Is a Robbery is in Netflix as it gets. A four-part series focusing on the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston, this is essentially a documentary about an art heist. Remember Evil Genius? (Which is also on this list.) This Is a Robbery is very much in that style. The first episode takes a while to get causing, but be patient - this one has a payoff.
Murder Among the Mormons (2021)
Some of Netflix's more modern true crime documentaries have been a bit bloated and... sorta bad?
Thankfully Murder Among the Mormons is a sponsor to form. Definitely watch this one.
Who Killed Little Gregory (2019)
Who Killed Little Gregory is a documentary focused on the horrific kill of Grégory Villemin. It's arguably the best true crime documentary on Netflix. It's about a murder, and attempts to solve that kill, but it's also a lesson in media representation and the horrific sexism Grégory's mother had to face in the wake of her son's murder.
American Murder: The Family Next Door (2020)
There are a lot of true crime documentaries out there (and on this list) but American Murder: The Family Next Door sticks out.
It tells the tale of Chris Watts, a seemingly regular guy who murdered his wife and children. The access to footage is staggering and it's edited and had in a unique way, using text messages and social think posts to tell the story. It's a horrific reminder of the banal, incredibly common existence of domestic violence.
Making a Murderer (2015-2018)
With the swath of true crime documentaries and podcasts that came in its wake, it's easy to forget that the biosphere once lost its collective mind over Making a Murderer. In a lot of ways it created the see that many Netflix documentaries now follow. A real original.
Sports
The Last Dance (2020)
In 2020, in the midst of a pandemic, Netflix dropped this piece of sports doc perfection.
The Last Dance focuses on the Chicago Bulls during their '97-'98 NBA title-winning season, but really it's a jumping off point for a documentary that tells the life tale of its central star, Michael Jordan.
As a end, many criticized it for being a little too Jordan-focused, but The Last Dance was an event documentary that lived up to the hype.
Icarus (2017)
This Oscar-winning documentary is an absolute belter.
Icarus starts out as an show on the impact performance-enhancing drugs have on sports act, but a sequence of events drags director Bryan Fogel into a web of geopolitics and conspiracies. To say more would spoil it, but Fogel ultimately has complete a documentary that had a very real impact on our perception of sports as a whole. In that respect, Icarus is a literal game changer.
Formula 1: Drive to Survive (2019)
The absolute gold wicked for long-running sports documentaries. Drive to Survive is so good, and so well-liked, that it's inspired a whole new level of boring in Formula 1, especially in the US. This show is enormous at elevating the characters that occupy the sport. More shows like this, please.
Athlete A (2020)
Athlete A is a enormous feature length expose on Larry Nassar, the team doctor of USA Gymnastics, who had been sexually abusing female athletes for decades.
Be warned: This one is harrowing.
14 Peaks (2021)
14 Peaks tells the tale of the Nepalese mountaineer Nimsdai Purja and his goal of climbing all 14 mountains over the height of 8,000 meters (26,000 feet) in one year. It's amazing. Must-watch stuff.
Bad Sport (2021)
Netflix great have burned the true crime documentary into the false, but it's on fire when it comes to sports. Bad Sport is the latest entry into this burgeoning subcategory, and it's awesome. Focusing on strange controversies in sports history, Bad Sport is less about major players doing most things, it's about what happens when sport goes bad, gets down in the dirt. All of these episodes are enormous. Hoping for a season 2.
The River Runner (2021)
The River Runner is sorta like Free Solo for kayaking. Consider that a compliment.
Focusing on Scott Lindgren, a kayaking story who was a pioneer of the sport, this is a feeble story of an extreme sports star overcoming odds, but it runs a small deeper than that. Fighting against a brain tumor and his own personal show, Lindgren is a compelling case study. Must watch stuff.
Naomi Osaka (2021)
Naomi Osaka has get one of the most famous and talked-about athletes on the planet. This fascinating documentary explores different phases of her career and funds incredible access into the life of a young woman struggling with the pressures of mischievous and fame. A must-watch.
The Speed Cubers (2020)
If you're looking for a any more uplifting documentary, you could do far worse than The Speed Cubers, a look at the world of competitive... Rubik's Cubers? It's moody, but packs an incredible emotional punch. Prepare yourself, this one great break you.
Nature/science
Seaspiracy (2021)
Seaspiracy follows in the footsteps of multiple documentaries focused on the impacts of meat eating on the environment. This time the global fishing manufacturing is in the crosshairs. As expected this one has stirred up a bit of controversy from all stakeholders - PETA, Greenpeace and conservation groups can't seem to wicked if Seaspiracy is accurate or fair. Watch it and make up your own mind.
My Octopus Teacher (2020)
My Octopus Teacher follows Craig Foster, a filmmaker who spent a year snorkeling and interacting with an octopus off the fly of South Africa. It's a nature film, sure, but it's simultaneously a documentary intended to inspire awe in the viewer. In short, octopuses are amazing. Little aliens on Earth, essentially. This is the tale of a relationship between humans and nature, but it's also an engaging call to action: Don't ignore the wonder that exists all about you.
Our Planet (2019)
David Attenborough nature documentaries are so pervasive, they're vulnerable to self parody, but Our Planet is - I have - the high watermark. Only Planet Earth, another Attenborough doc, comes end. But I prefer this one.
Tiger King (2020-21)
Time may dull its crashes, but when Tiger King was first released on Netflix, the entire world couldn't stop talking about it.
Tiger King explores the exclusive underbelly of big cat breeding, focusing on a cast of unforgettable (and ultimately dangerous) characters. It drags its audience to weird places. Season 2 is now available and while the show has lost a lot of its bite, it's captivating to catch up with this cast of wild humankind beings doing wild, completely outlandish things.
Politics/history
13th (2016)
13th by Ava Duvernay is a staggering documentary that tells the record of American slavery and its long-lasting impacts, many of which detached resonate today.
In the wake of the Black Lives Matter fight, this should be mandatory viewing.
The Great Hack (2019)
In the wake of the Capitol besieged, the Facebook/Cambridge Analytica controversy almost feels like ancient history, but that doesn't make this documentary any less notable. If you haven't seen it, then watch it.
Operation Varsity Blues: The College Admissions Scandal (2021)
Recently released, Operations Varsity Blues: The College Admissions Scandal has a name as long as some of Netflix's recent documentaries. Thankfully, this isn't as bloated as, say, the recent Cecil Hotel doc, but it could detached use some trimming.
Operation Varsity Blues focused on the FBI investigation into college admissions that put actress Felicity Huffman into jail. Its director, Chris Smith, previously worked on the Fyre Festival documentary. This isn't quite as compelling, but is still well grand watching.
Knock Down the House (2019)
Regardless of your views on Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Knock Down the House is an incredible underdog record that cannot be missed. Focusing on progressive female candidates during the 2018 congressional notable campaigns, it's an insightful look at the democratic treat. It's an inspiring reminder that we need to struggles in order to make the voices of ordinary land count.
What Happened, Miss Simone? (2015)
Not gonna say much here. Nina Simone is a record and this is maybe one of the best documentaries I've ever seen.
Wild Wild Country (2018)
Overlong and bloated, Wild Wild Country is nevertheless one of the most captivating documentaries I've ever watched on Netflix.
It tells the record of Indian guru Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh, who attempted to obtain a gigantic sprawling commune, for what was essentially a sex cult, in the United States. It's a strange story that somehow becomes stranger with age. Much like Tiger King, the record plumbs depths you won't believe. At times it's a slog, but Wild Wild Country is absolutely worthwhile.
Five Came Back (2017)
I absolutely appreciate this documentary. Five current acclaimed directors (including Steven Spielberg and Francis Ford Coppola) help tell the record of five famous movie directors from the '30s and '40s who did frontline work during the Second World War. It wraps their legacies anti the impact of the war itself into a truly compelling record of Hollywood's golden age.
American Factory (2019)
An Oscar winner for Netflix, this documentary is the first produced by Barack and Michelle Obama's Higher Ground Productions team.
American Factory tells the record of Fuyao, a Chinese company that built a grand in Ohio that inhabits a now-closed General Motors plant. You have to watch this movie.
Jeffrey Epstein: Filthy Rich (2020)
By this demonstrate we all have some sort of understanding of Jeffrey Epstein's record but Jeffrey Epstein: Filthy Rich does itself a tremendous service by focusing on the stories of the survivors of his abuse.
Fyre: The Greatest Party That Never Happened (2019)
Hulu also has a tremendous Fyre festival documentary, but I prefer this Netflix one. Unlike many Netflix documentaries, which are stretched and bloated into multipart episodes, this documentary is captivating, direct and solid gold the entire way through.
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