25 of the best Netflix documentaries to watch right now

There are also gripping and thought-provoking movie-length documentaries such as The Social Dilemma, alongside important and timely features such as Trans representation film, Disclosure.

Basically, there is no shortage of documentaries for you to watch on Netflix and we have rounded up 25 of the best for you below.

The Vanishing at The Cecil Hotel

One of the more recent docuseries to air on Netflix, The Vanishing at The Cecil is also one of the most chilling. Elisa Lam, on holiday from Canada, vanished at the hotel and was last seen acting strangely in the lift in footage that has been circulating since 2013.

With so many possible explanations as to what happened to her, from the sinister to evil forces taking control of her, this show looks at them all and does its best to come up with a conclusion as to what happened. It actually ends up being a sad, tragic story rather than a sensational one and this mini-series is all the better for it. It also recounts the history of the hotel that was known as a dangerous place long before Elisa ever checked in.

The Night Stalker

Los Angeles in the mid-80s' was a particularly dangerous place to be and one of those reasons was the Night Stalker murders that took place for over a year from the spring of 1984. The crimes were gruesome and barbaric, the police had no idea who they were looking for, and the public was making it known how unsafe they felt. A gripping recounting of the events, this documentary talks to the people that helped track the killer down, and shows us what can happen when the public unite.

Ripper

From a serial killer in Los Angeles in the 80s to one who struck in the midlands her in the UK, Ripper is the story of the murders and crimes committed by Peter Sutcliffe - otherwise known as the Yorkshire Ripper. Sutcliffe murdered 13 people and harmed many more during his reign of terror and this is a look at those affected by his actions and those who were hellbent on seeing him brought to justice.

The Social Dilemma

Arguably one of autumn's most talked-about documentaries, The Social Dilemma is an unsettling look at the rise of social media and the damage it has caused, from the spreading of conspiracy theories, its use in political elections and its addictive design.

Directed by Jeff Orlowski, this film features interviews with a number of technological bosses, from the co-creator of Facebook's like button to a former Google design ethicist, which are spliced together with dramatised scenes starring Skyler Gisondo (Booksmart), Kara Hayward (Moonrise Kingdom) and Vincent Kartheiser (Mad Men).

Louis Theroux's Weird Weekends

When you think of British documentarians, most people immediately think of Louis Theroux, with his dead-pan exploration into a variety of interesting, hilarious and lewd topics and fascinating investigative work. But for those unfamiliar with the BAFTA-winning broadcaster, Louis Theroux's Weird Weekends is a great place to start.

Now available to stream on Netflix, this 1998 docuseries follows Theroux as he investigates a number of wild topics, from porn and Born Again Christians, to UFOs and the world of wrestling.

With three series to get through, Weird Weekends is bound to keep you entertained by providing a glimpse into various subsections of society.

Fyre: The Greatest Party That Never Happened

Remember when Ja Rule set about organising the best party that the world had ever seen - and it did not go very well? Well, this is a feature-length documentary about that very fiasco where you will learn all about what happened, and what went wrong, with the island based shindig that was far from the perfect getaway for those in attendance.

American Murder: The Family Next Door

Despite seeming like they all lived the perfect family life, Shannon Watts and her two children mysteriously vanished and the finger of suspicion ended up pointing at the husband and father. This is not the happiest of stories, obviously, but it is a compelling one that makes you remember that you truly never know for sure what is going on behind closed doors. Chilling stuff.

Unsolved Mysteries

Netflix's reboot of the iconic true-crime docuseries, Unsolved Mysteries, has proved to be immensely popular with subscribers, who have taken it upon themselves to find an answer to these open criminal cases.

The episodes available on the platform look at completely six unsolved cases by identifying potential suspects and interviewing friends and family of the deceased – and with Volume 2 now available to stream, there's a whole bunch of new mysteries to dive into.

From the "unexplained" rooftop death of Rey Rivera and killing of an entire family in France, to the disappearance of a hairdresser in broad daylight and a UFO sighting – every episode of Unsolved Mysteries brings out the amateur detectives amongst viewers and encourages people to come forward with potential leads.

A Secret Love

This emotional documentary chronicles the decades long love story between two women, Pat Henschel and Terry Donahue, who first met and fell in love in 1947 but who had to keep their relationship hidden for a long time due to society's regressive attitudes towards homosexuality at the time.

The film explores several aspects of their lives, including the successful interior decorating business the pair ran together, Donahue's earlier career in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League and the fact that they had to keep their relationship a secret from their families for almost seven decades. It's a moving and heartfelt film, directed sensitively by Donahue's great-nephew, and will be sure to leave you bawling your eyes out.

Wild Wild Country

True crime has become one of Netflix’s specialist genres, and there are few better examples of it than Wild Wild Country, the bizarre story of an Indian guru, Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh, who attempts to build a utopian city in the Oregon desert – and soon sees his followers come into conflict with the locals ranchers.

Released in 2018, the show used extensive archive footage and interviews to chronicle the story, which goes in some pretty unexpected directions that include an attempt at fixing a local election, the first bioterror attack in the United States and a massive case of illegal wiretapping. There are some extremely memorable and beguiling interviewees none more so than that with the candid and charismatic Ma Anand Sheela, who had served as Bhagwan’s right hand woman.

Cheer

If you thought cheerleading was a light-weight, frivolous activity, this six-part docuseries is looking to prove you wrong.

Cheer follows the Navarro College Bulldogs Cheer Team in Texas, a nationally ranked cheerleading squad, as they prepare for the National Cheerleading Championship held in Florida. The series looks at the lives of individual cheerleaders, the dedication required to become the best squad in the country and how physically and emotionally intense the competition can get.

Watching the team shed blood, sweat and tears to make it to the Championship Finals makes for engrossing and educational television – well worth the watch if you're a fan of sporting documentaries.

Jeffrey Epstein: Filthy Rich

Netflix’s hit four-part docu-series Jeffrey Epstein: Filthy Rich brings to life the stories that made newspaper headlines last year when financier Jeffrey Epstein died in prison while facing charges of sex trafficking.

But what sets this true-crime series aside from many others is that it prioritises the survivors rather than the perpetrator.

Using footage of Epstein being interviewed for an earlier charge (and disdainfully refusing to answer questions) alongside comments from prosecutors, associates and investigators, plus film of Epstein’s homes (including his private island in the Caribbean), director Lisa Bryant’s documentary is a fascinating and horrifying look at how one man escaped justice for decades, possibly with the help of wealthy connections.

The Last Dance

You don't have to be a b-ball fan to get into The Last Dance, but for those who are, you will get to see a whole new side to the legend and man they called "Air."

In the fall of 1997, Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls began their quest to win a sixth NBA title in eight years. But despite all Jordan had achieved since his sensational debut 13 years earlier, “The Last Dance,” as coach Phil Jackson called it, would be shadowed by tension with the club’s front office and the overwhelming sense that this was the last time the world would ever see the greatest player of all time, and his extraordinary teammates, in full flight.

Reportedly over taking Tiger King as the most in-demand documentary, the 10-part series charts the Chicago Bulls' 1997/98 season with never-seen-before footage and interviews with Michael Jordan and some of his closest friends and enemies.

The joint ESPN/Netflix production dives deep into what makes one of the biggest icons of the 20th Century tick: the feuds, the fights with front office, and the family stories.

Becoming

If you loved Michelle Obama's book, then this documentary is right up your street! And even if you haven't you should watch this anyway because she's truly amazing as this film shows.

Becoming gives us an intimate look at the life of the former FLOTUS, as she embarks on a 34-city tour.

It highlights the power of community to bridge our divides and the spirit of connection that comes when we openly and honestly share our stories.

Offering a rare and up-close look at her life, we get to see Mrs Obama in ways we've never seen before. You'll learn all about how she came to be the First Lady - and her extensive academic career before deciding to stand by her husband's side and mentor him (yes, she did that!) - as well as the media scrutiny she faced during the eight years they served in the White House.

Disclosure

Netflix's new documentary Disclosure is perfectly timed. The Pride Month viewing details the history of transgender representation in film and TV.

Get ready to confront society's unexamined assumptions, as this series doesn't mince its words. The eye-opening film traces a history that is at once dehumanizing, yet also evolving, complex, and sometimes humorous.

With the help of leading trans thinkers and creatives, including Laverne Cox, Lilly Wachowski, Yance Ford, MJ Rodriguez, Jamie Clayton, and Chaz Bono, reveals how Hollywood simultaneously reflects and manufactures our deepest anxieties about gender.

The Staircase

Focusing on the death of Kathleen Peterson, The Staircase follows the case and the subsequent trial of her husband, Michael, who was accused of pushing her down the stairs and causing her demise. This is actually only half a Netflix original as the first few episodes were made years before the second batch and the additional episodes follow the new investigation that was then underway. This one needs to be seen to be believed as there are many theories and they are all explored; including whether she was killed by an owl and no, we aren't joking. Gripping stuff.

The Disappearance of Madeleine McCann

Everyone knows the story of little Madeleine McCann who went missing and started a massive search back in 2007 - a search that is still ongoing 14 years later. This Netflix documentary goes into as much detail as it can about not just the night she was last seen, but the investigation afterwards and where we are at with the case today. A gripping watch this that may just change your mind about any preconceived notions you have about what happened.

Don't F**k with Cats: Hunting an Internet Killer

The limited series actually landed on the streaming site last year, but since lockdown, people have been tuning in and it's absolutely cat-astrophic!

Not one for the faint-hearted, Don’t F**k with Cats, tells the true story of one of Canada’s most infamous murderers, Luka Magnotta.

The show explores how a group of amateur online sleuths attempted to track him down after he posted a video online killing two kittens. However, as the cat and mouse chase gets deepers, it only encourages Luka to post even more disturbing videos - one of which eventually shows him killing a human.

Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem and Madness

You've seen the memes, you've seen the Tiger King himself, you've seen all of the world's problems being blamed on a lady named Carole Baskin, now it's probably time you got up to speed.

The show started life as an exposé on the shady trading of big cats and exotic animals in the US, but very quickly it began to focus on the men and women on the other side of the fence. Introducing roadside zoo owner Joe Exotic.

Joe is the self-professed Tiger King possesses hundreds of big cats, but it's his ferocious war with animal rights activist Carole Baskin that dominates the show. The series is a moral quagmire, with few definitive facts, but the vast majority of those documented come out of this tale horribly. The story is progressively more explosive with each passing episode and well worth a visit.

Our Planet

A nature documentary observing the glories of the natural world narrated by David Attenborough. We've been here before and Our Planet is similar fare to Planet Earth I + II, Frozen Planet, Africa, Blue Planet or any other Attenborough documentary... and that's exactly why you should soak up every moment of it.

It's the ultimate 'if it ain't broke' series, and that's not a bad thing, with stunning landscapes explored and breathtaking footage of all manner of creatures we share this big ol' rock with. There is one difference, however.

While Planet Earth II moved to boost its eco-conscious narrative, Our Planet makes no apologies about thrusting the topic of climate change directly into your conscience. This may be an instant turn-off for some who simply want a zoo-like observational experience, but it brings greater purpose to the footage on screen having such a narrative behind it. Whatever your motive for watching the show, you won't be let down.

Pandemic

The timing is quite remarkable – Pandemic launched on 22nd January this year while the coronavirus was bubbling away in Wuhan, an inconvenience to China as opposed to a shutting down of the world. The six-part series observes the frontline defence against outbreaks of influenza, featuring stories and anecdotes from the health workers tasked with shutting down viruses.

Coronavirus was yet to emerge on the global stage during filming, meaning the expert predictions that the world is due a fresh pandemic in the very first episode take on a whole new haunting relevance.

This isn't a perfect series, it is presented to the layman, those uneducated in exotic diseases, and therefore may not tell the full picture, but it's still fascinating enough to paint brushstrokes of how outbreaks behave and what may lie ahead.

Anelka: Misunderstood

Former French international striker Nicolas Anelka had a hugely impressive career, playing for the likes of Arsenal, Real Madrid and Chelsea - but his goalscoring exploits were often overshadowed by his controversial off-field behaviour and allegations of a bad attitude.

This feature length documentary focuses on the career and legacy of Anelka, with one particularly high profile incident, which saw him excluded from France’s 2010 World Cup squad after directing comments against coach Raymond Domenech, discussed in depth.

The film includes interviews with some of the finest footballing talent of Anelka’s generation, with former team-mates and managers including Arsène Wenger, Thierry Henry, Didier Drogba, Emmanuel Petit and Paul Pogba having their say – in addition to input from Anelka himself - all asking the question: was he inscrutable, incomparable or both?

13th

This impactful film is a straight down the line exploration of the racial divide in the US. The 13th Amendment of the Constitution reads: "Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States."

Filmmaker Ava DuVernay hones in on the 'except as a punishment for crime' exception for slavery line. She explores the idea that while the 13th was designed to officially criminalise slavery, it has served to turn slavery into a far more subtle, equally exploitative industry given the immensity of the nation's prison system.

The documentary opens with the words of former President Barack Obama stating that while the US boasts five per cent of the world's population, it has 25 per cent of the planet's prisoners, many of whom have been forced to work and serve a variety of masters...

Shirkers

One of the more unconventional documentaries on the list - but also one of the best - Shirkers is the feature debut of Singapore-born filmmaker Sandi Tan, and uses archive footage to tell an intriguing and puzzling story from her teenage years.

The film documents the making of an independent film - titled Shirkers - that was made by Tan with her friends Jasmine Ng and Sophia Siddique and their mentor Georges Cardona, and tells how Cardona disappeared with the footage before the film could be finished.

In September 2011, four years after Cardona has passed away, his ex-wife got in touch with Tan explaining that she had found the footage, which is used to make the film, mixed in with interviews of those involved with the film and others who knew Cardona.

Icarus

Some have sought to knock Icarus for its 'incompatible halves' of footage being mashed together into one film, when this is arguably its strongest selling point. The pivot from a one-man experiment designed to beat the system erupts into a global scandal proving the system has already fallen.

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Filmmaker Bryan Fogel starts out attempting to win a cycling road race in Switzerland with the assistance of performance enhancing drugs – and get away with it. His journey leads to Grigory Rodchenkov and nothing is quite the same afterwards.

The Russian nonchalantly spills details on a widespread doping scandal across his homeland, of which he was a part, and that he claims stretches all the way up to Vladimir Putin himself. The floodgates open, the scandals explodes, Rodchenkov flees into hiding while leaking details of the plot to Fogel.

The theme of doping in sport is an ever-simmering pot, but one that by its very nature is a secretive, abstract operation. Icarus thrusts first-hand evidence explicitly in front of your face. The unravelling of the story, the scale of it, is remarkable to witness.

Check out our list of the best series on Netflix, our dedicated documentary hub, or see what else is on with our TV Guide.