The 20 Best Documentaries on Netflix Right Now

The 20 Best Documentaries on Netflix Right Now

Netflix offers some of the best documentaries on their platform; these are the top 20 available on the streaming service right now.

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It’s widely known that Netflix currently boasts some of the best documentaries around. Easily the most popular streaming service worldwide, Netflix is a titan of industry that rose to the top thanks to quality programming. While Netflix Original shows like Orange is the New Black and Stranger Things helped distinguish the platform by offering edgy and unique stories, there have been just as many documentaries on the platform that took the world by storm.

The power of Netflix lies in the platform’s ability to offer a wide variety of content to a global audience. There are, of course, movies and television series that debuted elsewhere and that the service acquired streaming rights to; however, what often gives Netflix an edge is its original content, as well as its willingness to offer more diverse offerings than its competitors. This includes a wide spectrum of documentaries that cover all manner of niche topics.

The plethora of movie and television content on Netflix in 2021 is vast, with its documentary catalog, in particular, appearing particularly daunting. Whether spooling through endless title tiles for true crime, nature, or art documentaries, Netflix has swathes of options to choose from. To help narrow it down, these are the 20 best documentaries available on Netflix right now.

The Raincoat Killer: Chasing A Predator In Korea

One of the freshest additions to Netflix’s vast self-produced, true-crime documentary roster, The Raincoat Killer is a harrowing journey into the darkest depths of human depravity. The dark narrative, framed by haunting testimony from police officers that worked the case, centers around Yoo Young-Chul, a South Korean serial killer, sex offender, and self-confessed cannibal. Young-Chul’s murders rocked central Seoul to its core in the early 2000s; the horror-movie-style documentary provides a fascinating look at one of the first heavily-publicized serial killing cases in South Korea. While certainly not for the squeamish or sensitive, The Raincoat Killer is a compelling true-crime documentary series of the highest order that provides an unflinching look at the hidden underbelly of Seoul that allowed Young-Chul to evade capture for so long.

The Last Dance

Co-produced by ESPN Films and Netflix, The Last Dance views like poetry in motion as the documentary miniseries transports audiences back to Michael Jordan’s final season with the Chicago Bulls in 1997-98. While acting as a documentary chronicling Jordan’s legendary NBA career, the true wealth of The Last Dance comes from previously unseen archival footage of Jordan’s fated final season leading the Bulls. Netflix’s The Last Dance is a portrait worthy of a timeless sporting icon, with the miniseries providing ample servings of drama and thrills that bolster Jordan’s enduring legend both on and off the court.

Cocaine Cowboys: The Kings Of Miami

Netflix’s Cocaine Cowboys: The Kings of Miami is a six-part docuseries chronicling the rise and fall of Miami drug kingpins Sal Magluta and Willy Falcon in what is a wildly entertaining ride from start to finish. The series is directed by Billy Corben, whose previous experience directing three separate Cocaine Cowboys features across film and TV shines through in the Netflix documentary. Corben’s intimacy with the source material, coupled with an unbelievable story containing sex, violence, and 75 tons of cocaine, ensures Cocaine Cowboys’ Falcon and Magluta story remains one of the most binge-able Netflix docuseries in recent memory.

Jeffrey Epstein: Filthy Rich

Ghislaine Maxwell’s impending trial for her part in Jeffrey Epstein’s sickening pyramid of sexual abuse means there has never been a more poignant time to watch Filthy Rich. The sheer scope of Epstein’s reach and perversion is staggering, with the Netflix documentary refusing to shy away from unearthing disturbing connections between Epstein and other senior political figures such as Donald Trump and Prince Andrew. The miniseries is based on the 2016 book of the same name by James Patterson and co-written by John Connolly and Tim Malloy, making the conviction in which Jeffrey Epstein: Filthy Rich states its case compelling. The documentary also does well to ensure Epstein’s victims’ voices are at the fore of the production after these young women were coerced into silence for far too long.

The Staircase

The Staircase is one of those rare documentaries that constantly balances between despair and disbelief as it tracks the story of novelist Michael Peterson, who calls to report his wife’s fall down a set of stairs in their Forest Hills mansion. Despite covering 12 years, The Staircase’s narrative veers at breakneck speed between the prosecution and the defense as each side lays out their equally enthralling arguments. The question as to whether Michael’s second wife truly fell awkwardly, or was bludgeoned and thrown down the eponymous staircase, is only the tip of the iceberg for one of Netflix’s first revealing landmark documentary miniseries that holds up as well now as it did upon its 2004 Primetime release.

Making A Murderer

If The Staircase put Netflix on the proverbial map as a service that champions documentary series, then Making A Murderer is the title that cemented Netflix as the unquestioned home of high-quality true-crime productions. The story of an almost certainly false conviction and the gross miscarriages of justice that accompanied it enthralled global audiences in 2015, with the galling nature of Avery’s incarceration leading over 500,000 people to sign a White House petition pardoning Steven Avery. Making A Murderer, whose first season was filmed over a decade between 2004 and 2014, is truly the pinnacle of a true-crime series’ potential, containing twists, compelling characters, and suspense that outclasses the vast majority of scripted television drama.

Bob Ross: Happy Accidents, Betrayal & Greed

One of the most striking aspects of Netflix’s new Bob Ross documentary is how quickly the narrative shifts away from the loveable landscape painter into murkier waters. While Ross’ life was painted as a picture of tranquility, his death and subsequent estate battle proves to be anything but. Happy Accidents, Betrayal & Greed does an excellent job of navigating the complex legal situation still unfurling across the Bob Ross Estate, while also taking steps to ensure that Ross’ legacy as a decidedly pure soul who wanted to help people “unlock the artist inside of them” remains rightfully intact. While there are thankfully no major skeletons in Ross’s personal closet, Bob Ross: Happy Accidents, Betrayal & Greed is a compelling documentary that rightfully questions the callous individuals who profit from his name.

Murder Among The Mormons

The first thing that stands out from Netflix’s three-part miniseries is how wild the story of Murder Among the Mormons quickly becomes. After a short time for exposition, the series dives headfirst into car bombs, ancient Christian text forgeries, and revelations in unexpected places. Yet, the true success of Murder Among the Mormons lies in its respectful and thorough examination of the Mormon community, providing a fascinating insight into an oft-unseen religious group in the modern era.

Dirty Money

There are few series on Netflix, or indeed on any streaming platform, that inspire the levels of righteous indignation which Dirty Money elicits. The Netflix-produced anthology series tells stories of corporate corruption, securities fraud, creative accounting, and generally despicable decisions from those in positions of power. Dirty Money is one of the only shows whose first season to date to hold a 100% Rotten Tomatoes rating, with critics praising the ruthlessness with which the documentary “exposes the single-mindedness of corporate greed.” Netflix’s Dirty Money, therefore, is a must-watch series that chronicles many of the rampant issues that plague capitalist cultures to this day while delivering a tongue-in-cheek look at wholly corrupt organizations.

Don’t F**k With Cats: Hunting an Internet Killer

Netflix’s Don’t F**k with Cats is rightfully accompanied by a pre-credits warning due to the graphic nature of the real, on-tape events the series chronicles. While, in essence, another guilt true-crime pleasure of series that follows the despicable Luca Magnotta, Don’t F**k With Cats at its core is a docuseries that champions the digital web-sleuths that band together to catch a burgeoning serial killer. Magnotta’s life and warped sense of entitlement are fascinating tidbits, but equally impressive is how quickly the collective internet finds and punishes his heinous acts. In an age filled with apparent anonymity, Don’t F**k With Cats acts as a timely reminder that actions both in real life and online still carry tangible consequences to this day.

Seaspiracy

While many documentaries featured on this list approach their subject matter in a balanced and, at least initially, unbiased way, Seaspiracy is successful because it subverts this rule of most documentaries and takes an aggressively one-sided approach. Seaspiracy is adamant in its message that plastic marine debris, ghost nets, and overfishing worldwide are killing the ocean, with much of the film’s ire directed at the impact commercial fisheries have on the sea. While some ocean experts have criticized the science laid out in the documentary, Seaspiracy undoubtedly raises much-needed awareness on humanity’s worsening ecological footprint that expands beyond the sea and demands a poignant examination of modern slavery practices in the fishing industry, with the result being a compelling piece of film on the future of Earth’s oceans.

The Ripper

Not many documentaries capture a vivid sense of time and place better than Netflix’s British true-crime documentary The Ripper, which paints a visceral portrait of a killer’s heinous crimes. Peter Sutcliffe, dubbed The Yorkshire Ripper by the local press, killed at least thirteen women between 1975 and 1980 as his murderous spree gripped the nation in fear. The Ripper frightens and enrages in equal measure, with the Yorkshire police force’s ineptitude and callous indifference to Manchester’s sex workers contributing to Sutcliffe’s continued rampage. While the setting of The Ripper invokes a strong, specific time period, many of the lessons the Netflix documentary teaches surrounding inequality and vigilance are still just as applicable in contemporary culture.

Killer Inside: The Mind of Aaron Hernandez

Netflix’s Killer Inside: The Mind of Aaron Hernandez is a highly ambitious documentary that competently tackles the rise, fall, and eventual suicide of professional football player Aaron Hernandez, who was sentenced to life in prison after his conviction for the 2013 murder of his friend Odin Lloyd. The Netflix series asks searching questions of the NFL safeguards to protect long-term head injuries while also unsurprisingly asking if nature or nurture ultimately drove Hernandez to kill. Killer Inside: The Mind of Aaron Hernandez is a unique proposition for true crime audiences as the series ends on a wave of melancholy as Hernandez’s wasted potential is pored over in detail.

American Murder: The Family Next Door

American Murder: The Family Next Door is Netflix’s most-watched feature documentary to date, and with good reason. American Murder really goes beyond the harrowing details of the Watts family murders themselves and instead focuses on examining the institution of modern marriage alongside the deceptions of social media, while also taking a nuanced approach to the claims of domestic abuse that occurred in the Watts household. Chris Watts’ deceptions and crimes are, of course, truly sickening, but the way in which American Murder reconstructs a timeline of events through security camera footage and never-before-seen police interrogations creates a captivating story of infidelity and murder in Midwest America.

Fyre: The Greatest Party That Never Happened

VICE’s take on the Fyre Festival backstory, Fyre: The Greatest Party That Never Happened, is just as compelling as the film itself, with the social media agency Jerry Media responsible for promoting the festival and covering up the fraud actually being the ones to approach VICE with the idea of a documentary. Put simply, the Fyre festival documentary is the story of an idea that spirals dangerously out of control, with convicted felon Billy McFarland at the center of this fraudulent debacle. Fyre’s tongue-in-cheek approach sets it apart from other documentaries on this list, with the film itself translating as a hilarious look at one con man’s infinitely swelling ego. Fyre may not carry the grit or viscera of other documentary options, but that does not make it any less entertaining.

The Disappearance of Madeleine McCann

The miniseries The Disappearance of Madeleine McCann is widely considered the most exhaustive reconstruction ever made of the heartbreaking events that led to a three-year-old vanishing from an Algarve holiday apartment in 2007. The controversial Netflix docuseries does right by a grieving McCann family so often wronged by the British tabloid press, while also painstakingly detailing the movements of the parties involved in the days preceding and immediately after Madeleine’s disappearance. The series also finally sheds new light on what may have happened to the young girl, with its investigative reporting on potential human trafficking in Portugal particularly striking.

Evil Genius: The True Story of America’s Most Diabolical Bank Heist

What jumps out immediately when viewing Netflix’s Evil Genius is how the series’ real-life story is akin to something from an Ian Fleming novel. The heartbreaking death of Brian Wells was a high-profile incident in 2003 and sparked the beginning of a twisted game of cat and mouse between a dogged filmmaker and self-appointed “criminal mastermind” Marjorie Diehl-Armstrong. The series’ most chilling chapter is the “collar-bomb” scene: a piece of television that stays with the viewer long after Netflix’s Evil Genius plot has concluded.

The Confession Killer

The Confession Killer centers around the 1983 case of Henry Lee Lucas, a self-confessed serial-killer who strolls into a Texas police station and brazenly admits to over 200 murders. The salacious details of The Confession Killer’s story are reason enough to watch this five-part docuseries, yet it is the show’s intense deconstruction of police corruption that makes it a true work of art. The story of Henry Lee Lucas is a harrowing one, just not in the visceral way that the Netflix series’ title leads audiences to expect.

Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem, and Madness

Joe Exotic’s rise to worldwide notoriety amidst a global pandemic may be old news, but the announcement of Tiger King’s imminent season 2 means there has never been a better time to get reacquainted with the larger-than-life zookeeper and his cohort of crooks. The now infamous series focuses on the small but deeply interconnected society of big cat conservationists such as Carole Baskin, owner of Big Cat Rescue, and collectors such as Exotic, whom Baskin accuses of abusing and exploiting wild animals. More interestingly, though, is the implication in the Netflix docuseries that Carole Baskin is actually a stone-cold murderer, with the series veering on a separate tangent that investigates the viability of Exotic’s claims that she killed her first husband, Don Lewis. Put simply, Tiger King is unmissable television and still one of the best documentaries on Netflix right now.

Link Source : https://screenrant.com/best-documentaries-on-netflix/

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