16 best Netflix documentaries: from Tiger King to Beyonce's Homecoming
Real stories, real lives, real entertainment
A lot of us have a list of thought-provoking movies we plan to watch on Netflix. Y'know, with subtitles and deep meanings. But there's a treasure trove of docs out there as this best Netflix documentaries list hopefully proves.
When you sit down on the sofa after a long day of meetings and train journeys spent squished against a greasy window, TV trash always seems more appealing. A good documentary offers the perfect mix of popcorn factor entertainment, and brain food that makes watching the thing feel intellectually wholesome.
Netflix has a whole stack of these great documentaries. Here are some of our favourites to get your teeth into on a Saturday night...
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16. Homecoming: A Film By Beyonce
There is an unwritten rule that anything Beyonce does is will always be great, and this documentary is no different. Homecoming is an intimate, in-depth look at Beyonce’s 2018 Coachella performance. Even if - heaven forbid - you don’t like Beyonce’s music, this feature-length film explores everything from the cultural importance to the logistics behind her celebrated performance.
15. Get Me Roger Stone
Trump’s associates can seem like the cast of a Batman comic. And we’re talking about the bad guys. Long-term adviser Roger Stone the worst offender, often to be seen trussed up like The Penguin. Get me Roger Stone is an eye-opening account of quite how low this self-identifying “dirty tricker” was, and is, willing to go.
14. Knock Down The House
With US politics seeming to be Trump, Trump and more Trump, Knock Down the House provides a refresh to the system. It is a rousing, behind-the-scenes documentary of what happened when four ‘ordinary’ women - including Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez - went up against big-money politicians in the 2018 US elections for Congress.
13. Dancing With The Birds
Narrated by the brilliant Stephen Fry, think of this new Netflix Originals documentary a little like Strictly Come Dancing, but much more interesting because it's about birds, not celebs. It follows the odd and amazing mating rituals of some of the most beautiful exotic birds from all over the world.
12. Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem And Madness
Tiger King is the sort of documentary that will make your jaw drop every 15 minutes or so. Centred on Joe Exotic, a celebrity zookeeper who is accused of a heinous crime, this doc charts is rise and fall, as well as the murky world of tiger breeding and keeping in the US. The characters act as if they are straight out of a Danny McBride sitcom, but they are all real and, well, fascinating. It's an episode or two too long but Tiger King is still an unbelievable watch.
11. Don't F*Ck With Cats
Well this is one that you don't want to miss out on. Don't F*ck With Cats is certainly one of the strangest tales to land on Netflix - it is the true story of a cat killer and how trying to figure out who this person is, another massive revelation is revealed. This one of the most compelling, jaw-dropping docs you will watch...