15 Best Documentaries On Netflix 2026

Explore our hand-picked selection of 15 titles. Ratings, reviews, and streaming options included.

Searching for the best documentaries on netflix 2026? This curated list highlights must-see nonfiction from 2026 and beyond, featuring intimate portraiture like Maternal Instinct (2026), hard-hitting crime reporting in The Kings of Tupelo: A Southern Crime Saga (2024), and the irreverent This Is a Gardening Show (2026). Whether you’re after biography, history, or true-crime thrills, our top best documentaries on netflix 2026 breakdown gives quick synopses, why each film stands out, and who it’s best for. Expect short blurbs, genre tags, and viewing notes so you can pick your next binge with confidence.

Table of Contents

1. Maternal Instinct
2. The Kings of Tupelo: A Southern Crime Saga
3. Naked Ambition
4. The Crash
5. Trust Me: The False Prophet
6. The American Experiment
7. This Is a Gardening Show
8. Theodore Roosevelt
9. Jackass 4.5
10. Louis Theroux: Inside the Manosphere
11. Caterpillar
12. America's Sweethearts: Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders
13. Washington
14. Best of Enemies: Buckley vs. Vidal
15. The Perfect Neighbor

1. Maternal Instinct

Year: 2026 | Rating: 7.3/10 | Type: Movie

Genres: documentary, crime

Police pull over a woman who claims she just gave birth. But the baby — and the blood — aren't hers. Twisted lies unravel in this true-crime documentary.

Available on: Netflix

Directed by: Jessica Dimmock

2. The Kings of Tupelo: A Southern Crime Saga

Year: 2024 | Rating: 6.6/10 | Type: Movie

Genres: documentary, crime

An Elvis impersonator's conspiracy theory sets off a feud that spirals into an attempted presidential assassination.

Available on: Netflix

Directed by: Chapman Way, Maclain Way

3. Naked Ambition

Year: 2023 | Rating: 7/10 | Type: Movie

Genres: documentary, biography

Bunny Yeager, once heralded as the world's prettiest photographer, had a huge influence in 20th-century pop culture though few people know her name. Whether by popularizing the bikini, helping discover Bettie Page, shaping the image of Playboy or inventing the selfie, Bunny was a trailblazer whose work bucked against conservative 1950s America and helped pave the way for the feminist movement and the sexual revolution. Yet the very changes she helped usher in would soon render her a forgotten relic...till now.

Available on: Netflix, Amazon Prime Video

Directed by: Dennis Scholl, Kareem Tabsch

4. The Crash

Year: 2026 | Rating: 6.5/10 | Type: Movie

Genres: documentary, crime

A teen slams her car into a building, killing her boyfriend and his friend. What seems like a tragic accident becomes a murder case.

Available on: Netflix

Directed by: Gareth Johnson

5. Trust Me: The False Prophet

Year: 2026 | Rating: 7.6/10 | Type: Movie

Genres: documentary

A cult expert and her videographer husband embed themselves in a vulnerable FLDS community in Utah, where they discover disturbing evidence about Samuel Bateman, who claims to be the successor to imprisoned prophet Warren Jeffs.

Available on: Netflix

Directed by: Rachel Dretzin, Jamila Ephron, Rachel Beth Anderson, Elise Coker

6. The American Experiment

Year: 2026 | Rating: 5.9/10 | Type: Movie

Genres: documentary, history

A documentary examining the origins of American democracy and the concept of self-rule, featuring insights from politicians, scholars, judges, Indigenous leaders, and commentators representing various political viewpoints.

Available on: Netflix

Directed by: Brian Knappenberger

7. This Is a Gardening Show

Year: 2026 | Rating: 7.6/10 | Type: Movie

Genres: documentary, comedy, reality-tv

Follows Zach Galifianakis as he approaches gardening with curiosity and self-effacing humor, blending comedy with appreciation for the planet while providing accessible tools and tips.

Available on: Netflix

Directed by: Brook Linder

8. Theodore Roosevelt

Year: 2022 | Rating: 8.1/10 | Type: Movie

Genres: documentary, biography, history

The two-part premium miniseries event on Theodore Roosevelt, the first modern President of the United States, will provide a rich, panoramic biography weaving Roosevelt's captivating personal story while revealing little-known truths behind his expansive curiosity, restless spirit and the profound, lasting impact he has had on the country.

Available on: Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Hulu

Directed by: Malcolm Venville

9. Jackass 4.5

Year: 2022 | Rating: 6.5/10 | Type: Movie

Genres: documentary, action, comedy

Through outrageous, never-before-seen footage, witness the making of the Jackass crew's last go at wild stunts.

Available on: Netflix

Directed by: Jeff Tremaine

10. Louis Theroux: Inside the Manosphere

Year: 2026 | Rating: 6.9/10 | Type: Movie

Genres: documentary

With rare access and no holds barred, the acclaimed documentarian investigates a growing ultra-masculine network and its controversial influencers.

Available on: Netflix

Directed by: Adrian Choa

11. Caterpillar

Year: 2023 | Rating: 6.4/10 | Type: Movie

Genres: documentary

Endlessly struggling to feel seen, David becomes infatuated with a mysterious company's promise to transform people's lives by permanently changing the color of their eyes. After traveling to India to get the controversial procedure, he begins to question if this artificial beauty will give him the fulfillment he truly seeks.

Available on: Netflix

Directed by: Liza Mandelup

12. America's Sweethearts: Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders

Year: 2024 | Rating: 7.1/10 | Type: Movie

Genres: documentary

Follow the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders from auditions to training camp and the NFL season as they chase their dreams and a coveted spot on the squad.

Available on: Netflix

Directed by: Greg Whiteley, Chelsea Yarnell, Zoe Lyrintzis, Claire Onderdonk

13. Washington

Year: 2020 | Rating: 7.9/10 | Type: Movie

Genres: documentary, biography, drama, history

The story of how a fatherless young soldier full of personal ambition becomes a leader of men willing to sacrifice all for the common cause. How a once-loyal British subject rises to battle an empire in a liberty-or-death campaign to forge a new nation. And then how, at the zenith of his power, the victorious general voluntarily steps down, becoming what King George III would call “the greatest man in the world.”

Available on: Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Hulu

Directed by: Matthew Ginsburg, Roel Reiné

14. Best of Enemies: Buckley vs. Vidal

Year: 2015 | Rating: 7.6/10 | Type: Movie

Genres: documentary, biography, history

A documentary about the legendary series of nationally televised debates in 1968 between two great public intellectuals, the liberal Gore Vidal and the conservative William F. Buckley Jr. Intended as commentary on the issues of their day, these vitriolic and explosive encounters came to define the modern era of public discourse in the media, marking the big bang moment of our contemporary media landscape when spectacle trumped content and argument replaced substance. Best of Enemies delves into the entangled biographies of these two great thinkers, and luxuriates in the language and the theater of their debates, begging the question, "What has television done to the way we discuss politics in our democracy today?"

Available on: Netflix, Amazon Prime Video

Directed by: Robert Gordon, Morgan Neville

15. The Perfect Neighbor

Year: 2025 | Rating: 7.1/10 | Type: Movie

Genres: documentary, crime, drama, thriller

Police bodycam footage reveals how a long-running neighborhood dispute turned fatal in this documentary about fear, prejudice and Stand Your Ground laws.

Available on: Netflix

Directed by: Geeta Gandbhir

Wrapping Up

This roundup of the best documentaries on netflix 2026 delivers a cross-section of genres—from crime and biography to history and comedy—paired with ratings, runtime highlights, and reasons to watch each pick. We update this list regularly to add fresh releases like The Crash (2026) and Trust Me: The False Prophet (2026) and to remove titles that rotate off the service. Bookmark this page, share it with fellow documentary fans, and return often for updates and new additions. Ready for more? Explore the full list, check current streaming availability, and dive into the titles that match your interests.

Last updated: July 12, 2026