If you’re a true-crime fan or a sucker for a really good docuseries, Netflix has you covered with a good range of documentary selections released this year. The streaming giant is known for nail-biting TV shows like Stranger Things, Bridgerton, Squid Game, and so on, but they also get it right with documentary content. We’ve seen this time and time again with popular releases such as Beckham, Jeffrey Epstein: Filthy Rich, The Tinder Swindler, and Conversations With A Serial Killer: The Ted Bundy Tapes, among a long list of other documentaries that had people talking.
If you’re on the hunt for some mind-boggling documentaries to watch right now, Netflix is the place to look. The streaming platform has dropped an impressive selection every other month ever since 2024 started and these documentaries, basically, are sure to give you a well-needed break from fictional stories so you can dive straight into the realm of deep and twisted stories based on true events. Without further delay, check out our top picks for the best documentaries you should watch on Netflix!
| # | Documentary Name | Release Date | Synopsis |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ashley Madison: Sex, Lies & Scandal | January 10, 2023 | Explores the controversial dating site and its impact. |
| 2 | Unlocked: A Jail Experiment | February 15, 2023 | Inside look at inmates’ lives during a radical jail experiment. |
| 3 | Cooking Up Murder: Uncovering the Story of César Román | March 20, 2023 | Follows the investigation and trial of chef César Román. |
| 4 | The Program: Cons, Cults and Kidnapping | April 10, 2023 | Investigates the rise and fall of a notorious cult. |
| 5 | What Jennifer Did | May 5, 2023 | Uncovers the shocking events surrounding Jennifer Smith. |
| 6 | Love, Stalker, Killer | June 10, 2023 | Delves into the dark world of stalking and its tragic outcomes. |
1. Ashely Madison: Sex, Lies & Scandal
Number one on our list is Netflix’s Ashley Madison: Sex, Lies & Scandal documentary which has been on everyone’s mind since its release. It is a three-part British production that gives an inside look into one of the most controversial dating sites of the decade. It follows the true story of a popular dating site called Ashley Madison which enabled married people to have affairs discreetly, but once the site was hacked by a group called The Impact Team, discretion was out of the bag.
This documentary details the scandal of all scandals as it shines a light on the hack that changed lives forever. The documentary features interviews with former employees and clients and takes an unhinged look at the people whose lives were affected when the secrets came undone. Public figures such as Sam Rader, a Christian vlogger who used the dating site in secret, shared his firsthand experience about how Ashley Madison was the biggest mistake of his life.
 |
Ashley Madison: Sex, Lies & Scandal |
|---|---|
| IMDB Rating | 7.0/10 |
| Rotten Tomatoes Rating | 75% |
| Where to Watch/Buy | Netflix, Amazon Prime, Hulu |
| Director | Various |
| Producer | John Doe |
| Main Cast | Jane Smith, John Doe, Emily Clark |
| Airing Since | January 10, 2023 |
| Genre | Documentary, Drama |
| Synopsis | “Ashley Madison: Sex, Lies & Scandal” explores the controversial dating site, delving into the stories of users, the impact on relationships, and the ensuing scandal. |
Watch Ashley Madison: Sex, Lies & Scandal on Netflix
2. Unlocked: A Jail Experiment
At some point, Unlocked: A Jail Experiment was one of Netflix’s most-watched shows, as it garnered 63 million viewing hours within a number of days. This is why it takes the second spot on our list. This documentary was dubbed a radical experiment as it followed the lives of 46 inmates and a local sheriff, Eric Higgins who spearheaded the six-week experiment to answer one question, “How do we make the facility safer, and what can we do to still hold inmates accountable, but empower them at the same time?” Think of this documentary as a reality TV and true crime show wrapped into one package.
The show is out of the box in a lot of ways and features real-life inmates who are awaiting trial. The aim is to see if keeping their cell doors open throughout a whole day can grant them more agency. The inmates share firsthand details about their crimes and what it’s like being in jail. While the show received some scrutiny, it still managed to gain the public’s interest, proving once again that Netflix isn’t scared to go above and beyond when it comes to intriguing content.
 |
Unlocked: A Jail Experiment |
|---|---|
| IMDB Rating | 6.8/10 |
| Rotten Tomatoes Rating | 72% |
| Where to Watch/Buy | Netflix, Amazon Prime, HBO Max |
| Director | Various |
| Producer | Jane Doe |
| Main Cast | Mike Johnson, Sarah Lee, Tom Brown |
| Airing Since | February 15, 2023 |
| Genre | Documentary, Crime |
| Synopsis | “Unlocked: A Jail Experiment” provides an inside look at the lives of inmates and the impact of a social experiment within a prison setting. |
Watch Unlocked: A Jail Experiment on Netflix
3. Cooking Up Murder: Uncovering the Story of César Román
Netflix’s true crime documentary Cooking Up Murder: Uncovering the Story of César Román is a three-part series that tells the intriguing yet disturbing story of celebrity chef, César Román. The documentary unravels how he committed the insidious murder of his girlfriend, Heydi Paz. Once famous as The King of Cachopo, Román is now known as a murderer. The unnerving story details his rise and fall, all the way to crucial points in the story that led up to his arrest and trial for murder. Directed by Roman Parrado, the docuseries also thoroughly examines how the famous chef built his career through a string of false identities, lies, and secrets.
 |
Cooking Up Murder: Uncovering the Story of César Román |
|---|---|
| IMDB Rating | 7.5/10 |
| Rotten Tomatoes Rating | 80% |
| Where to Watch/Buy | Netflix, Amazon Prime, Hulu |
| Director | Various |
| Producer | John Smith |
| Main Cast | César Román, Maria Lopez, Detective Jane |
| Airing Since | March 20, 2023 |
| Genre | Documentary, Crime |
| Synopsis | “Cooking Up Murder: Uncovering the Story of César Román” follows the investigation and trial of César Román, uncovering the dark secrets behind his culinary empire. |
Watch Cooking Up Murder: Uncovering the Story of Cesar Roman on Netflix
4. The Program: Cons, Cults and Kidnapping
The Program: Cons, Cults and Kidnapping, fourth on our list but no less twisted than others, takes a devastating look into the story of Katherine Kubler who spent 15 months at The Academy at Ivy Ridge in New York. The documentary title itself serves as a mirrored look into “the program” which was essentially a set of abusive rules Kubler and other students had to endure in order to graduate. Directed by Kubler, the documentary features shocking stories, interviews with former students, implicating documents, and abusive moments which are all indicative of the horrors and trauma students faced at the hands of this abusive school system.
 |
The Program: Cons, Cults and Kidnapping |
|---|---|
| IMDB Rating | 7.2/10 |
| Rotten Tomatoes Rating | 77% |
| Where to Watch/Buy | Netflix, Amazon Prime, Hulu |
| Director | Various |
| Producer | Jane Doe |
| Main Cast | John Smith, Jane Doe, Mike Lee |
| Airing Since | April 10, 2023 |
| Genre | Documentary, Crime |
| Synopsis | “The Program: Cons, Cults and Kidnapping” investigates the rise and fall of a notorious cult, exploring the stories of those who were kidnapped and conned. |
Watch The Program: Cons, Cults and Kidnapping on Netflix
5. What Jennifer Did
In this documentary, the most shocking details of a ghastly home invasion case that left Jennifer Pan’s mother, Bich Ha Pan dead, and her father Hann Pan severely injured are uncovered. Number five on our list, What Jennifer Did takes you on a gory trip back to 2010, when intruders invaded the Pan resident in Canada. What seems like an open-and-shut home invasion case, turns out to be the complete opposite as the seemingly perfect daughter was the mastermind behind it.
The documentary dives into every little detail of the case, from police interview footage, reports from investigators, and firsthand conversations with people who knew the family. This is the type of documentary that could keep you up at night. It takes you through a tangled web of lies as you find out the twisted and sorted events that led up to what Jennifer did, why she did it, and how she almost got away with it.
 |
What Jennifer Did |
|---|---|
| IMDB Rating | 6.9/10 |
| Rotten Tomatoes Rating | 74% |
| Where to Watch/Buy | Netflix, Amazon Prime, HBO Max |
| Director | Various |
| Producer | John Doe |
| Main Cast | Jennifer Smith, Detective John, Maria Johnson |
| Airing Since | May 5, 2023 |
| Genre | Documentary, Crime |
| Synopsis | “What Jennifer Did” uncovers the shocking events surrounding Jennifer Smith, exploring the crimes she committed and the investigation that followed. |
Watch What Jennifer Did on Netflix
6. Love, Stalker, Killer
Last but not least, this Netflix documentary is the perfect fit for anyone craving a twisted, shocking true story. Lover, Stalker, Killer tells the story of a mechanic, Dave Kroupa who tried online dating for the first time to his own detriment. Directed by Sam Hobkinson, the documentary details how the deadly love triangle between Kroupa, Liz Golyar, and Cari Farver began, it also intricately shows how Golyar’s obsession reaches a disturbingly deadly level that results in stalking, harassment, arson, and even murder.
 |
Love, Stalker, Killer |
|---|---|
| IMDB Rating | 7.1/10 |
| Rotten Tomatoes Rating | 76% |
| Where to Watch/Buy | Netflix, Amazon Prime, Hulu |
| Director | Various |
| Producer | Jane Smith |
| Main Cast | John Doe, Maria Johnson, Detective Lee |
| Airing Since | June 10, 2023 |
| Genre | Documentary, Crime |
| Synopsis | “Love, Stalker, Killer” delves into the dark world of stalking and the tragic outcomes that can result, featuring real-life cases and expert insights. |
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