Netflix is the oldest and most popular streaming service around, with a content library so vast it’s virtually impossible to sort through it without help. That’s where we come in.
If you’re looking for a good documentary to watch on Netflix, you have no shortage of options. But these seven selections are new as of the month of September 2026. Some cover important topics, and some are about the most frivolous things imaginable. It’s up to you to decide what’s worth watching.
Untold Raygun: Breaking Badly
Is she in on the joke? Does it matter?
One of the strangest stories to come out of the 2024 Paris Olympics was about Rachel Gunn, an Australian B-girl who competed in the women’s breakdancing event. She went viral for her goofy moves, including the kangaroo and the sprinkler, and for what appeared to be a noticeable lack of technical or athletic ability.
This documentary looks at Rachel Gunn’s story with a mix of good humor and serious consideration of the disproportionate backlash she faced online. Gunn herself sits for the interview, as do her parents (her father laughs uproariously when asked if they associated the word “Olympian” with Rachel growing up) and her husband/breakdancing coach. It explains how Rachel came to be on one of the biggest stage in the world, explains why she did the routine she did, and sorts through the aftermath, which is equal parts disturbing and funny.
Turning Point: Generation 9/11
How did we get here?
This year marks the 25th anniversary of the 9/11 terror attacks on New York City, when al-Qaeda terrorists flew two planes into the World Trade Center, resulting in nearly 3,000 deaths on the day, not including the hijackers, and many more in the years after from environmental hazards.
This documentary interviews people whose family members died in the attack, soldiers who went to war in Afghanistan, and other folks who have grown up in the shadow of 9/11. How did the American security apparatus change as a result, how are the effects still being felt today, and where does the world go from here?
Fito Páez: The World Within a Song
For fans and newcomers
Fito Páez is a Grammy-winning rock musician from Argentina, and while he may not be a household name around the world, he’s had a 40-year-long career worth talking about. In this documentary, he reflects on his work and digs into his personal life as viewers get a behind-the-scenes look at the creative process.
Sometimes he comes off as a musical genius, sometimes a complicated family man, sometimes a self-pitying whiner. The film’s intimacy is its biggest selling point.
Earle Meets World
Reality TV is basically a documentary
Alix Earle is a TikTok influencer who got famous doing “Get Ready With Me” videos before appearing on shows like Dancing With The Stars. With this eight-episode series about herself and her family, she’s now added reality TV to her resume.
Earle Meets World follows Earle as she navigates her romantic life, spends time with her family, and builds her brand. It’s not the most groundbreaking thing in the world, but if you’re a fan of Kardashian-esque reality content, it could well scratch that itch.
Instadocs: The Decoy Plane
Ripped from the headlines
This is a new episode of Instadocs, a series that aims to quickly produce informative documentaries about breaking stories. In this case, Netflix turns its sights on an incident in July 2026 when President Donald Trump seemed to board Air Force One after attending a NATO summit in Turkey. However, he actually slipped out, got into a catering truck, and secretly boarded a different plane. He did this in response to a credible threat of attack against Air Force One, which raises the question of why Air Force One still took off when it was full of traveling reporters.
The episode is just 28 minutes long, so you can quickly get caught up on this strange story.
On Campus: Game of the Week
The big game(s)
Every episode of this series goes to a different college campus and follows a couple of students as they familiarize us with the unique rituals and traditions that build up to a football game, from the tailgate all the way to what happens after the final whistle.
Netflix will release two new episodes of this series every week, which makes it the rare new Netflix show that doesn’t drop the whole season all at once.
Teenage Wasteland
The kids are alright
Between 1991 and 1997, a group of high school journalists and their teacher exposed a conspiracy to cover up a toxic waste dump in the town of Middletown, New York. Three decades later, the original students look back on their work.
This is probably the classiest and highest quality new documentary on Netflix. It’s inspiring to see what young people can do when they’re given trust and encouragement, and a reminder of how important a good teacher can be in a student’s life.
Untold Mr. T: I Pity The Fool
Profile of an icon
Mr. T, aka Laurence Tureaud, was one of the most memorable celebrities of the 1970s and ’80s, with his gold chains and his mohawk and his imitable catchphrases, most famously, “I pity the fool!” He got his big break in Rocky III, continued his success with The A-Team, and became a public figure who didn’t need a project to pin his fame on. In this documentary, Mr. T gets candid about his origins, his fame, and his legacy.
More non-scripted fun
There’s more new unscripted programming that might interest people who like documentaries, even if not all of it is strictly in the documentary format:
- Stavros Halkias: Uncle Stav: A stand-up comedy special from the popular comedian known for his crowd work.
- Physical 100: Mexico: A Spanish-language version of the competition reality series where contestants compete in a series of grueling physical challenges.
- Cold as Balls: Kevin Hart interviews the biggest names in sports while in ice baths. This one drops on September 20.
And if none of that appeals to you, there’s always more to find on Netflix.