Last updated on 2023-08-04, by Cassie

15 Best Documentaries on Netflix to Watch Right Now

Remarkably, of all forms of film, the documentary genre provides a story more bizarre than fiction. And if any streamer knows that, it’s Netflix. Netflix documentaries are strong stuff, with many of the streaming service’s films and series proving several most talked about watches of certain times in our lives. Ready for a Netflix binge session? We’ve done the hard yards for you and rounded up the 15 best Netflix documentaries to watch right now.

Part 1: 15 Best Documentaries on Netflix to Watch Right Now

No matter what kinds of documentaries you’re looking for to expand your mind, these top documentaries on Netflix will meet your needs.

◎ 1. BLACKPINK: Light Up the Sky

If you are a fan of K-pop music, then there is no way you haven’t heard about the famous K-pop group Blackpink. As one of the best documentaries on Netflix, this documentary movie tells the story of Blackpink as bandmates as well as individuals, and how they rose to fame. It was described as a captivating film that focuses on each member’s individuality.

◎ 2. Jeffrey Epstein: Filthy Rich

This is one of the top documentaries on Netflix that is about a convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and how he used his power and wealth to abuse people. The documentary mini-series features interviews with survivors, staff members, and a former police chief. This is a must-watch documentary series based on a true crime story.

◎ 3. Athlete A

One of the best Netflix documentaries in recent years, “Athlete A” works on multiple fronts. First, it effectively chronicles the abuse perpetrated by Larry Nassar, a former sports medicine physician who used his position at USA Gymnastics to sexually abuse hundreds of children and young women. Second, it contextualizes how the elite gymnastics culture and the leadership of USA Gymnastics. Finally, it shows the vital importance of investigative journalism.

◎ 4. American Factory

This is an Oscar-winning movie that is about a Chinese company that reopens an abandoned factory in Ohio. But what begins as hope soon turns into a culture clash between America and China. American Factory is the first film that was acquired by Higher Ground Productions, owned by Barack Obama and Michelle Obama.

◎ 5. Trust No One: The Hunt for the Crypto King

In the list of ‘best documentaries on Netflix 2022’, there is no way we can miss Trust No One: The Hunt for the Crypto King. When Gerry Cotten, a cryptocurrency millionaire dies, a group of cryptocurrency investigators tries to solve the mystery of his suspicious death as well as the $250 million that they believe he stole from them.

◎ 6. Crime Scene: The Vanishing at the Cecil Hotel

It is about the infamous Cecil Hotel wherein a young girl Elisa Lam vanishes from the hotel room, leaving behind all of her belongings in the room. Elisa Lam was found dead after a month at the hotel’s water tank. This popular Netflix documentary movie doesn’t solve the murder mystery but logically follows the possible leads that may have contributed to the crime.

◎ 7. The Tinder Swindler

As the name suggests, The Tinder Swindler is about a man who pretends to be a wealthy man on Tinder and then dupes women out of millions of dollars. To watch documentaries, you cannot miss this series, for it will make you want to be careful about people as it is based on a true story and is about a man who poses to be an affluent man on the famous dating application Tinder to connect with women, woo them, and then ask them for money saying that he needed it to escape his enemies.

◎ 8. American Murder: The Family Next Door

The story follows Shannan Watts and her two young daughters Bella and Celeste who disappeared in Colorado in 2018. Using raw footage, this documentary on Netflix unravels the mystery of the disappearance of Shannan Watts and her young daughters, and the heartbreaking events that followed. This is one of the best documentaries on Netflix ever made as it shows firsthand footage, audio clips, and text messages of this murder mystery.

◎ 9. Our Father

Netflix’s our father tells the true story of a fertility doctor who used his own sperm on patients. During the 1970s and ’80s, a fertility specialist in Indiana named Dr. Donald Cline inseminated dozens of patients with his own sperm, without their knowledge or consent. How has happened later? Watch documentaries and find out for yourself.

◎ 10. Miss Americana

Miss Americana follows the popular singer and songwriter Taylor Swift and her career. It is for sure one of the best documentaries on Netflix to watch, especially for music lovers as it shows how difficult it is to record music and the hurdles faced by celebrities. It focuses on sensitive subjects such as eating disorders, the toxic social media culture, Taylor’s battle with an eating disorder, and media scrutiny. It features various interviews, videos, studio footage, concert recordings, and home videos.

◎ 11. Disclosure: Trans Lives on Screen

Disclosure: Trans Lives on Screen starred famous transgender people in the movie industry such as Alexandra Billings, Leo Shang, Laverne Cox, and so on. It follows the real life of transgender people and how transgender people are portrayed inaccurately in movies and TV shows. As one of the must-watch documentaries, it shows the real-life struggles of transgender and the impact of the stereotypes related to transgenders shown in American cinema.

◎ 12. The Edge of All We Know

This popular Netflix documentary movie follows some famous scientists on their quest to capture the image of a black hole and understand mysterious objects in the universe. If you love sci-fi movies, then this is a must-watch movie for you.

◎ 13. Schumacher

Schumacher is a wonderful sports documentary on Netflix that tells the career of seven-time Formula 1 champion Michael Schumacher, which features family interviews that will help you gain insight into the personal life of Michael Schumacher. This is one of the best documentaries on Netflix to watch if you are an ardent follower of sports.

◎ 14. The Ripper

The Ripper on Netflix follows a serial killer Peter Sutcliffe who killed around 13 women in West Yorkshire and Manchester — the series explores events and the investigation of the murder mystery. The TV mini-series features interviews with survivors, family members of victims, investigators, and journalists. The series was well-received by the critics and the audience.

◎ 15. Seaspiracy

Have you ever wondered how much humans harm ocean life? This is one of the best nature documentaries on Netflix that will show you how marine life is disturbed by the activities of humans. It is about a filmmaker who is passionate about ocean life and embarks on a journey to document the harm that human beings do to marine species.

Above is the list of the best Netflix documentaries that you can watch any time to pass your time and gain some insight into real crime stories, celebrity’s lives, and more.

Part 2: How to Download Netflix Documentaries Online?

How to download and extract the streaming videos from Netflix? Netflix has attracted hundreds of millions of audiences. When you need to download Netflix videos offline or share the videos with others, you can learn about CleverGet Netflix Downloader to download your favorite content on Netflix. It could detect and list all available episodes and even all seasons of TV series. And it also enables users to reserve all audio tracks and subtitles in the original video or selected one(s).

First, free download and install CleverGet Netflix Downloader on PC, which is a module built in CleverGet.

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• CleverGet Netflix Downloader

  – Enable users to download movies, TV shows, serials, etc. to MP4/MKV format.
  – Detect M3U8 links intelligently with an inherent browser to download videos.
  – Download 720P, 1080P Netflix HD videos without quality loss.
  – Support to download TV series episodes of all/certain seasons in batches.

  DownloadDownload

Step 1: Set output directory

Before starting to download documentaries from Netflix, you need to set the output directory. Click the three-dot icon and then “Settings” to pop up the detailed settings panel. Under the “General” tab, set the output directory in the “Save Video To” and change other settings. Finally, click “Save”.

Step 2: Search for the target documentaries and play it back

Log in your Netflix account and search for the Netflix documentaries you would like to download. Play back the video within CleverGet, then click the big download icon at the right-bottom to let CleverGet parse the available sourse for you.

Step 3: Start downloading Netflix documentaries

From the list presented, select the ideal video with the parameters you want (such as quality and format). Once you have confirmed everything, click the download button to initiate your download. You can check the downloading process and downloaded task at the right sidebar.

It is pretty hard to download videos from streaming services like Netflix. If you want to download any videos, CleverGet Netflix Downloader is the best choice, for it is available to all playable videos on Netflix. Better yet, all videos are downloaded to local files with original quality guaranteed. But remember to download it for personal use and do not break the copyright.