Top 100 Netflix Documentaries to Watch Right Now (#25 to #21)

August 21, 2026

100% on Rotten Tomatoes from here on out. Every single doc in the top 25 has a perfect critical score. We start with A Secret Love, Crip Camp, and Daughters. This is the promised land.

Netflix Documentary #25 — A Secret Love

2020 | Film | Directed by Chris Bolan

100% on Rotten Tomatoes. Two women who’ve been in a secret relationship for nearly 70 years finally come out to their families. Set against the backdrop of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League (yes, like A League of Their Own), it’s a love story that spans decades of hiding, sacrifice, and eventual liberation. I dare you not to cry.

Netflix Documentary #24 — Coded Bias

2020 | Film | Directed by Shalini Kantayya

100% from critics. MIT researcher Joy Buolamwini discovers that facial recognition software doesn’t work on dark-skinned faces — and that revelation opens a Pandora’s box about algorithmic bias in AI. Given where AI is headed right now, this doc feels prophetic. If you use any technology (and you do), you need to understand what’s under the hood.

Netflix Documentary #23 — Crack: Cocaine, Corruption & Conspiracy

2021 | Film | Directed by Stanley Nelson

100% on RT. The crack epidemic of the 1980s didn’t just happen — it was enabled, exploited, and weaponized. Stanley Nelson traces the intersection of drug policy, racism, and government negligence that devastated Black communities for decades. It’s a companion piece to 13th (also on this list) and equally essential. History that was deliberately buried, now unearthed.

Netflix Documentary #22 — Crip Camp

2020 | Film | Directed by Nicole Newnham & Jim LeBrecht

100% from critics with 100 reviews. Executive produced by the Obamas, this doc tells the story of Camp Jened — a summer camp for disabled teens in the 1970s that became the birthplace of the disability rights movement. It’s joyful, rebellious, and politically important. The footage of the camp itself is electric — kids being kids, falling in love, causing trouble, and eventually changing the world.

Netflix Documentary #21 — Daughters

2024 | Film | Directed by Angela Patton & Natalie Rae

100% from critics and 91% from audiences. Four young girls prepare for a daddy-daughter dance — inside a Washington D.C. jail. The fathers are incarcerated, and the dance is part of a rehabilitation program. It will grab you by the heart and not let go. The moments of joy are extraordinary, and the sadness underneath is devastating. One of the most emotionally powerful docs Netflix has ever released.

The Complete Top 100 Netflix Documentary Countdown

Perfect scores from here on out. Every single doc has earned unanimous critical praise. The top 25 is a murderer’s row of incredible filmmaking.

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