You’ve probably been at work recently and someone says, “Oh have you heard of this new Netflix Documentary, it’s…” It’s pretty unavoidable these days because there are so many good ones out there. The trick is knowing which ones are a waste of time and which ones are the next Making A Murderer.
Below I’ve compiled some of the most thrilling documentaries on the platform along with their trailers. Let us know which ones you love and which ones you’ll probably pass on. I know I’m going to watch #6 later tonight…
9. The Staircase
Honestly I just put this here to start us off because it’s the most talked about documentary series since Making A Murderer. It has so many twists and turns, you won’t be able to stop binging.
Plot: Academy Award-winning documentary filmmaker, Jean-Xavier de Lestrade, presents a gripping courtroom thriller, offering a rare and revealing inside look at a high-profile murder trial. In 2001, author Michael Peterson was arraigned for the murder of his wife Kathleen, whose body was discovered lying in a pool of blood on the stairway of their home. Granted unusual access to Peterson’s lawyers, home and immediate family, de Lestrade’s cameras capture the defense team as it considers its strategic options. “The staircase” is an engrossing look at contemporary American justice that features more twists than a legal bestseller.
8. Seeing Allred
Gloria Allred has represented some of the biggest sexual assault cases of our time. From Nicole Simpson to Bill Cosby accusers, she has made her name on helping women and women’s rights be heard.
Plot: Women’s rights attorney Gloria Allred takes on the biggest names in American culture as coverage of sexual assault allegations in the media become more prevalent.
7. Into the Abyss
Now Into the Abyss wasn’t originally made for Netflix, but they have since bought the rights to the documentary. Made by Werner Herzog, it’s a harrowing look into how murder cases are looked at in the justice system.
Plot: Into the abyss explores a triple murder which occurred in the small Texas City of Conroe in 2001. Michael Perry and Jason Burkett, under the influence of alcohol and drugs, murdered a middle-aged housewife; they then gunned down her stepson and his friend. The film features Conversations with the two inmates and those affected by their crime. Unlike many of the films that deal with crimes, into the abyss isn’t concerned with figuring out exactly what happened, but rather serves as an examination of why people – and the state – kill
6. Wild, Wild Country
This is next on my own personal watch list. Wild, Wild Country shows us what went on at a cult in Oregon.
Plot: When the world’s most controversial guru builds a utopian city deep in the Oregon desert, conflict with the locals escalates into a national scandal. A true story.
5. The Keepers
The Keepers is another similar documentary to Making A Murderer in the sense that they are both in small rural towns where everyone knows everyone. A nun is murdered and the case is still open to this day.
Plot: A seven-part docuseries about the unsolved murder of a nun and the horrific secrets and pain that linger nearly five decades after her death.
4. Evil Genius
Evil Genius was another series on Netflix that you must start on a Saturday because you will be binging it all weekend. It details how a bank robbery turned into something much worst than anyone thought in the beginning.
Plot: The extraordinary story of the “pizza bomber heist” and the FBI’s investigation into a bizarre collection of suspects.
3. Mercury 13
If you are looking for a documentary that isn’t crime related, this is the one for you. Even before the #MeToo movement began, these women pushed to be treated equal and it’s a story that has gone unheard for too long.
Plot: This documentary profiles women who were tested in 1961 for spaceflight, but had their dreams dashed when only men were chosen to become astronauts.
2. Get Me Roger Stone
Looking for something that explains how we got into this mess of politics these days? Look no further than “Get Me Roger Stone.” It details the man behind the Trump Election that would do anything for political gains.
Plot: A documentary exploring the life and career of notorious Republican dirty trickster and longtime Trump advisor, Roger Stone, who helped create the real-estate mogul’s political career.
1. Nobody Speak: Trials of the Free Press
Lastly, this documentary details the Hulk Hogan vs. Gawker lawsuit and all the inner workings of it.
Plot: The trial between Hulk Hogan and Gawker Media pitted privacy rights against freedom of the press, and raised important questions about how big money can silence media. This film is an examination of the perils and duties of the free press in an age of inequality.