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10 Best Netflix Documentaries You Cannot Miss

If you're looking for a thought-provoking and eye-opening documentary on Netflix, here are some great suggestions.

By Faye MillerPublished about a year ago 5 min read

Tempted by fiction shows and films on Netflix. Do you want to watch something very interesting? Netflix documentaries are the answer. On Netflix, there are many good documentaries shows and factual stories. Not stoic facts but raw and feeling stories from the human drama to the natural wonder. If you’re up for something fresh, controversial and real, continue reading.

10 Best Netflix Documentaries You Cannot Miss

Here is the list of our selected 10 most interesting and eye-opening Netflix documentaries to watch in 2024. With the help of any best Netflix episode downloader, you can download and watch them this holiday season.

1. Capturing the Killer Nurse

Release Date: November 11, 2022

IMDb Rating: 6.9/10

This gruesome documentary is about Charles Cullen, a seemingly normal nurse who turned down the keys to dozens, perhaps hundreds, of patients at hospitals in New Jersey and Pennsylvania. The movie follows two other nurses and the police as they battle tirelessly to solve a suspicious death at Somerset Medical Center, and eventually break Cullen’s lifeless mystery and put him behind bars. Interviews with police officers, colleagues and the victims’ families tell the documentary an abhorrent story of a serial killer in plain sight and the structural cracks that enabled him to operate at such low levels for so long.

2. Evil Genius

Release Date: May 11, 2018

IMDb Rating: 7.5/10

Brian Wells, the American deliveryman who had to rob a bank with a bomb placed around his neck with the real story. The bomb exploded, killing Wells in real-time on TV. The show unwinds the mystery of the robbery and murder, and the role played by a cadre of weirdos such as Marjorie Diehl-Armstrong, the brilliant but mentally ill woman at the center of the plot. Evil Genius" goes through all of the details with such care and different theories to make the audience unable to answer the questions about this insane and awful crime.

3. The Staircase

Release Date: July 13, 2005 (initially released; Netflix version on June 8, 2018)

IMDb Rating: 7.9/10

This is a documentary, and it is about a crime. The story is about Michael Peterson who murdered his wife, Kathleen. Her body was found on his home staircase. As “The Staircase” keeps analyzing accountancy, other theories of Kathleen’s death, and how properly the legal system functions, episodes and episodes of “The Staircase” stretch and compress to ask the question of whether or not they are guilty or innocent.

4. American Factory

Release Date: January 25, 2019

IMDb Rating: 7.4/10

The Academy Award-winning documentary about the cultural rivalry between Chinese management and US workers at a former General Motors factory in Dayton, Ohio that is now a Chinese glass plant called Fuyao. The movie charts the first hope and excitement about the factory’s inauguration, which would create jobs for a lagging society, and then the fall from grace as competing work ethic, cultural misperceptions, and automation fuel the conflict. American Factory" offers a subtle and informative view of globalization, automation and the problems of cross-cultural understanding in today’s factories.

5. Salt Fat Acid Heat

Release Date: October 11, 2018

IMDb Rating: 7.7/10

Drawing inspiration, from Samin Nosrats' known recipe book as a foundation is a cooking show that embarks on a journey to educate viewers on the essential elements of flavorful dishes. Saltiness, richness acidity, and temperature distribution. Moreover, Nosrat travels to Italy, Japan, Mexico and California to explore the cultural aspects of foods and learn from cooks, chefs, and farmers. In a nutshell, the meaning of the title of the show “Salt Fat Acid Heat” could not be simpler: Gastronomy is all about diversity. The plain pleasure of having good palatable food.

6. Dick Johnson Is Dead

Release Date: October 2, 2020

IMDb Rating: 7.7/10

In this highly intimate and, by all accounts, amusing documentary, the director Kirsten Johnson teams up with her own frail father Dick Johnson to erect and film grand, fictionalized scenes of his death. When he becomes ill and about to die, they make movie magic to look at the unknowable, confronting death with art, love and a little sardonic humor. From these fake encounters, from comedic falls to happy exits, the film becomes a meditation on life, death and the continuing relationship between father and daughter.

7. Dirty Money

Release Date: January 26, 2018

IMDb Rating: 8.1/10

This compilation series speaks against corporate corruption and avarice in all industries. Every episode focuses on a case and discovers the wrongdoing, corruption and the devastation it brings on people and groups. The payday lenders, drug price gouging, the Volkswagen emission scandal, and the HSBC money laundering scandal. Dirty Money explains what a shameful side of the great American dream is and those people and organizations who are obsessed with the sale of cash. Overall it's one of the iconic series of Netflix, You should burn Blu-ray/DVD as it deserves to be placed in a permanent DVD collection.

8. Making a Murderer

Release Date: December 18, 2015

IMDb Rating: 8.6/10

Their audience is global because they provide a clear and comprehensive insight into the life of Steven Avery from Wisconsin, a man who was accused of sexual assault and was in prison for 18 years when DNA set him free. Subsequent to Avery’s release from jail, he was raping Teresa Halbach before getting another judge to give him a law conviction. In both cases, “Making a Murderer” leaves more questions about case investigation and prosecution scenarios as well as police, over prosecution, and corruption in the criminal system. The show even asked many questions on whether or not Avery was guilty and called for an investigation.

9. Blackfish

Release Date: January 19, 2013

IMDb Rating: 8.1/10

This captivating documentary delves, into the issue of keeping orcas in captivity at zoos. Specifically shines a light on Tilikum, a killer whale linked to several tragic incidents involving a SeaWorld trainer's death. 'Blackfish' argues that captive orcas endure health challenges both physically and mentally that can trigger erratic behavior. The movie made an impression on viewers. This caused a notable drop in attendance at SeaWorld parks prompting the company to make changes, to their policies concerning captive orcas.

10. The Vietnam War

Release Date: September 17, 2017

IMDb Rating: 9.1/10

Ken Burns and Lynn Novick produced a 10-part documentary; it is a complete story of the Vietnam War that touches the heart. Both American war veterans, Vietnamese soldiers and civilians speaking of their perceptions of the war as witnesses themselves, more than 80 eyewitnesses or civilians who survived the war, and anti-war activists, the series provides us with all sides in terms of the war. From archives to photos and historical interviews, "The Vietnam War" documents the political, social and cultural context of the time: the beginning of the war, its consequences, the movement against it and the effects on everyone afterwards.

Conclusion

Today documentaries cover a range of topics, from crime to delights each providing a distinct viewpoint. This viewpoint is both engaging and enlightening as it delves into the complexities of human nature and society at large. Furthermore, with the help of any Blu-ray/DVD creators, you can create disc menus and store these series forever in the physical disc collection. So, sit back with your popcorn in hand. Get ready to be captivated by these real-life stories. Enjoy the show!

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About the Creator

Faye Miller

Entertainment serves life.

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