The 10 Best Netflix Documentaries That Inform and Entertain

Fans of documentaries are spoiled for choice on streaming platforms like Netflix, which offers a wide collection of titles alongside its regular film and show catalog.

Apart from its numerous true-crime documentaries, which are informative in their own right, Netflix also offers a big library of entertaining documentaries focused on nature, science, and history that deliver a generous serving of knowledge. Here are the ten best informative documentaries that can also entertain you.

10

Our Planet

A Stunning Look at the World We Live In

Interested in learning more about the planet we live on, and the flora and fauna that we share our land with? Our Planet is one of the most visually stunning and insightful science and nature documentaries that Netflix has to offer. This nature series is narrated by David Attenborough and led by the creators of other impactful nature documentaries, such as Blue Planet and Planet Earth. From the narwhals in the Canadian Arctic to the Bengal Tiger in India, Our Planet covers a wide breadth of habitats across the Earth, focusing on how climate change can impact wildlife all over the world.

Production of Our Planet took over nine years, and is Netflix’s first ever nature documentary. According to Netflix, this documentary garnered over 100 million views by 2021. The docuseries is divided into two parts, with eight and four episodes in each season, respectively. A behind-the-scenes documentary was released as a follow-up to Our Planet in 2019.

9

Elephant Whisperers

A Heartwarming Story About an Orphaned Elephant

One of the best nature documentary films that Netflix has to offer is The Elephant Whisperers. This Indian documentary depicts the heartwarming tale of Raghu, an orphaned baby elephant, who is adopted by a couple in Mudumalai National Park (Tamil Nadu, South India). The elephant caretakers, belonging to the Kattunayakan tribe, nurse the injured calf to health, and help him grow strong while their bond deepens. The crew working on the documentary spent almost five years living with the caretakers and Raghu. The documentary also delves into the science of elephant rescue and care, as well as calf rearing.

This documentary has received praise for its visuals and gentle yet persuasive storytelling. The Elephant Whisperers is well known for winning the Academy Award for Best Documentary Short Film at the 95th Academy Awards. It is the first Indian film to win in that category.

8

Crip Camp

The Beginning of a Disability Revolution

Crip Camp is an Oscar-nominated social issue documentary film that tells the story of Camp Jened, a summer camp in New York for teenagers with disabilities. The experience that they go through inspires them to join the disability rights movement, setting dominoes tumbling for historic disability rights legislation. Crip Camp received high praise and ratings from critics, with appreciation for its humane and inspiring story and message. The documentary is a good commentary on the status quo and how it discriminates against people with disabilities, while highlighting the rise of the disability rights movement.

Premiering at the Sundance Film Festival in 2020, the film was later released on Netflix that year. It bagged six awards, including a Peabody Award and a Sundance Film Festival award.

7

American Factory

The Cultural Juxtaposition Between Two Different Worlds

American Factory is a short yet gripping documentary film about the cultural clashes between the Chinese and American workforce. It follows the opening of a new factory of the Chinese glass production company, Fuyao, in Ohio, which generates jobs for over two thousand blue-collar American workers. Once the company takes over the abandoned General Motors factory, the cultural divide and tensions between high-tech China and working-class America is quickly exposed. The documentary uses a unique, fly-on-the-wall narrative and style to show how the events unfurled.

The documentary took close to two years to finish production, with two Chinese filmmakers facilitating the Mandarin Chinese portions of the documentary. American Factory won an Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature, along with three Emmy nominations and one win (Outstanding Directing for a Documentary/Nonfiction Program).

6

History 101

Bite-Sized Pieces of History Lessons to Learn Easier

For history geeks, Netflix has the perfect educational documentary series that explores a range of mini-lessons in history’s most important inventions and political topics. Featuring premium archive footage and infographics to get the point across, History 101 explores independent subjects in each episode, from the rise of China to the invention and impact of IVF. History 101 is not just a blast into the past, but also examines the present and future implications of the topic at hand.

As with every history documentary, however, keep an eye out for sneaking biases in certain episodes. This documentary can be a good start to get into bite-sized episodes of topics that interest you before you start looking into the topics using other sources.

5

Explained by Vox

Simple Breakdowns of Layered Topics, With Entertaining Visuals

Explained by Vox would be familiar to you if you’ve ever come across any of Vox’s Explained YouTube videos. This multipart docuseries features different guest narrators such as Natasha Lyonne and J.K. Simmons, and covers topics such as the gender wage gap, cults, coding, the stock market, and diets. It also has some extremely niche and interesting episodes, such as a history of punctuation, gene editing, and K-pop.

Each episode ranges between 14 and 26 minutes, exploring breakdowns of complex topics, a brief history, and future implications. Explained has received critical acclaim for its linear storytelling, clear breakdowns of abstract topics, and lack of a patronizing tone. Since its release, it has inspired five other specialized spin-off documentaries on Netflix, including The Mind, Explained, and Money, Explained. To find the spin-off documentaries on Netflix, try searching “Vox” or “Explained.”

4

Abstract: The Art of Design

The Dazzling World of Design and Its Unique Niches

Looking to learn more about the world of art and design? Start with the Netflix Original docuseries, Abstract: The Art of Design. This anthology-style docuseries explores different artists and types of contemporary design in each episode. From illustrations and architecture to automotive design and typeface design, each episode highlights a different artist and their works, appreciating photographers, illustrators, architects, and product designers.

Abstract: The Art of Design delivers stunning visuals with a side of storytelling, giving a sneak peek into each artist’s journey while focusing on their unique take and style of design.

3

Black Holes: The Edge of All We Know

The Journey to Capture the First Image of a Black Hole

Black Holes: The Edge of All We Know is a science documentary for anyone interested in space and the concept of black holes. This documentary film outlines the journey of scientists who attempted and succeeded in capturing the first picture of a black hole. Captured and published by the Event Horizon Telescope (EHT) Collaboration in 2019, this image of a supermassive black hole in the Messier 87 galaxy marked a groundbreaking event for astrophysics.

The feature film outlines the journey, tribulations, and success of the EHT Collaboration, the science behind black holes, and the implications of the first captured image.

2

13th

A Detailed Look at Racial Discrimination and Mass Incarceration in the US

13th is one of Netflix’s best political and educational documentary films. It explores the history of racial discrimination in the US, with the spotlight on mass incarceration and the prison-industry complex. The film’s title is a reference to the Thirteenth Amendment of the Constitution of the United States of America, which abolished slavery and brought an end to involuntary servitude except as a means to punish convicted criminals. The documentary explores various themes such as the disenfranchisement of black people in America, post-Civil War discriminatory practices, and the intersection of race and incarceration in US prisons.

13th has been highly praised for its depiction of America’s complicated racial history and the perspectives of several political and activist voices. The documentary film can also be streamed for free on Netflix’s YouTube channel. 13th won a Primetime Emmy for Outstanding Documentary or Nonfiction Special, and was also nominated for the Best Documentary Feature award at the 89th Academy Awards.

1

How to Become a Tyrant

A Historical Anthology About Famous Dictators and Their Rise to Power

One of my favorite history docuseries that Netflix has to offer is How to Become a Tyrant. This anthology series takes a look at the rise, reign, and fall of prominent dictators and authoritarians across countries and time, including Adolf Hitler, Idi Amin, Saddam Hussein, and Joseph Stalin. Narrated by Peter Dinklage, How to Become a Tyrant is a short watch, with six episodes that you can wrap up in about three hours.

This documentary is partially based on The Dictator’s Handbook: Why Bad Behavior is Almost Always Good Politics. It features archival footage with a good mix of animation, anecdotes, and graphics, but maintains a factual tone that helps you learn more about the story of each dictator. How to Become a Tyrant was followed by How to Become a Cult Leader in 2023, as well as How to Become a Mob Boss, later that year.

If you’re looking to discover more informative documentaries on Netflix, you can make use of the streaming platform’s secret codes:

• Historical documentaries: 5349
• Political documentaries: 7018
• Nature and science documentaries: 2595
• Biographical documentaries: 3652