Picture Credits: Netflix
Netflix debuted dozens of brilliant documentary films and series throughout 2025. In this list, we count down our top 10.
Documentaries make up one of the biggest and most esteemed corners of Netflix. Whether it’s lifestyle, nature, sport, or crime (which is the biggest sub-genre), Netflix has a documentary for pretty much everything. 2025 was a particularly massive year for the documentary division, especially in the true crime space; look no further than The Perfect Neighbour and Unknown Number.
In this top 10, we’ve chosen from the incredibly diverse range of documentaries available, so there’s something for everyone. Let’s dive into it!
Breakdown: 1975
From Academy Award-winning Morgan Neville (20 Feet From Stardom, Won’t You Be My Neighbor, Piece by Piece), documentary series Breakdown: 1975 explores how political and social chaos in 1975 America birthed some of the most groundbreaking works of art in cinema history, from One Few Over the Cuckoo’s Nestto Taxi Driver. For film buffs, this is essential viewing and a deep dive into the creative processes behind works that were incredibly poignant on release, and have remained cornerstones of cinema all these years later. Even for those less acquainted with cinema classics, it serves as an engrossing educational essay on the social and cultural landscape of America in 1975.
Narrated by Jodie Foster, Breakdown: 1975 features appearances from some of the most coveted names in Hollywood, including Martin Scorsese, Patton Oswalt, Josh Brolin, Seth Rogen, and Lawrence Hilton-Jacobs.
Shark Whisperer
American shark conservationist Ocean Ramsey shares her remarkable talent as a ‘Shark Whisperer’ in this documentary, showing off breathtaking clips of herself diving with sharks — even great white sharks. Ramsey not only shows herself diving among sharks, but proves a vital point: sharks are largely misunderstood. They are not the monsters that various media make them out to be; look no further than Jaws. She fights for the safety of sharks, and it’s pretty eye-opening.
The documentary film is directed by Academy Award–winning filmmaker James Reed, who’s well-known for helming Netflix’s equally fantastic My Octopus Teacher (2020).
Bonus points for Ocean Ramsey having the best name ever for her chosen career path, too.
Sean Combs: The Reckoning
From Emmy and Grammy Award–winning Curtis Jackson (aka 50 Cent) and Alexandria Stapleton, this 4-part documentary spills unprecedented information into the crimes of Sean Combs, better known by his stage name Diddy. Combs is currently serving time in federal prison after convicted as an offender.
Throughout his illustrious career, Combs garnered a big reputation for spotting talent, helping usher in a new generation of hip-hop superstars. Following his career crash out, and the convictions he’s faced, Netflix released a documentary series The Reckoning, which covers his crimes, including exclusive interviews with those who worked with him. Such names who feature include Aubrey O’Day, Kirk Burrowes, Erick Sermon, and Mark Curry.
Titan: The OceanGate Disaster
Back in Summer 2023, the entire world was gripped to one news story: the OceanGate submarine. The submersible was supposed to take visitors down to the ocean floor, where those inside could see the wreck of the Titanic. When 5 passengers journeyed to the ocean depths in the submersible in 2023, they never came back. Due to negligence in the assembly of the craft, it imploded due to pressure, instantly killing them. The news story garnered immense media coverage. At the time, it felt like the entire world was talking about OceanGate.
In 2025, Netflix debuted a documentary covering the entire tragedy from beginning to end. How could it happen? Emmy-winning director Mark Monroe explains all in Titan: The OceanGate Disaster. It is, perhaps, the most comprehensive exploration of the OceanGate tragedy yet.
Evil Influencer: The Jodi Hildebrandt Story
There are already a few documentaries about the Jodi Hildebrandt story out there, such as Ruby & Jodi: A Cult of Sin and Influence. Netflix’s documentary is definitely the most comprehensive.
Jodi Hildebrandt was a former counsellor and life coach from Utah. She was widely coveted in her community and was often recommended as the go-to therapist. However, she would get involved with YouTuber and mother-influencer Ruby Franke, and her career and reputation turned sour. As Hildebrandt got involved, reports surfaced of child abuse, and the two women were ultimately arrested in 2023. Hildebrandt pleaded guilty to four counts of child abuse. Netflix’s documentary covers the unsettling case in its entirety, featuring interviews and footage.
Being Eddie
Eddie Murphy is one of the most ubiquitous names in all of Hollywood. A majorly successful stand-up comic and multi-award-winning actor, Murphy needs little introduction. If you don’t know him from the legendary ’80s movie Beverly Hills Cop, you most certainly know him as the voice of Donkey from Shrek. His work transcends generations, and he’s as popular today as ever — he’ll return for Shrek 5 later this year!
How did Eddie Murphy rise to become the comedy and Hollywood legend he is today? Well, simply check out Being Eddie. Helmed by two-time Oscar-winner Angus Wall, the inspiring documentary explores his explosive rise to fame, from his early stand-up to appearing on Saturday Night Live. It also features appearances from numerous industry legends who’ve been involved in his journey, including Dave Chappelle, Chris Rock, Jamie Foxx, Tracee Ellis Ross, Kevin Hart, Jerry Seinfeld, Jerry Bruckheimer, and Brian Grazer.
The Diamond Heist
A personal favourite, The Diamond Heist documents one of the most wildly ambitious and downright ridiculous heist attempts in British history.
Executive produced by Guy Ritchie (The Gentlemen), The Diamond Heist chronicles the attempted robbery of a priceless diamond. So what exactly is the diamond in question? The Millennium Star, worth around £350 million, was housed inside the Millennium Dome for an exhibition.
The miniseries is told by the accounts of both the gangster perpetrators and the police who investigated it, and features never-before-seen images and surveillance footage. The fact that it features interviews with those who attempted to carry out the heist makes it particularly engaging.
This is not to be confused with Netflix’s other diamond heist documentary in 2025, Stolen: Heist of the Century. Both are excellent, but The Diamond Heist takes the crown.
Cover-Up
Cover-Up was Netflix’s final documentary of 2025, and it was an excellent addition to its library. The documentary-film is made by a top-tier team, including Emmy-award winner Mark Obenhaus and Academy-award winner Laura Poitras. It’s also executive-produced by Hollywood star Brad Pitt. A political thriller, it explores the career of Seymour Hersh — an investigative journalist who famously exposed the My Lai massacre and its cover-up during the Vietnam War. He would later win a Pulitzer Prize for his work. This documentary explores the cover-up from exclusive access to Hersh’s notes, chronicling the immense and complex process of his work.
Cover-Up hasn’t been out long, but it already boasts a perfect 100% score on Rotten Tomatoes.
Unknown Number: The High School Catfish
Skye Borgman’s documentary Unknown Number: The High School Catfish was easily one of the most talked-about documentaries of 2025. The film explores a chilling and disturbing case of cyberbullying that shook an entire tight-knit community. It all started in October 2020, when 13-year-old Lauryn Licari and her boyfriend at the time, Owen, began receiving strange text messages from an unknown number; the person behind the texts was completely anonymous. As time went by, and the messages got increasingly more personal, Lauryn’s parents went to the authorities for help.
We won’t spoil anything for you, but this documentary features a massive twist you’ll never see coming. And given that it’s real life, the twist makes this documentary that much more unsettling.
The Perfect Neighbour
Not only was The Perfect Neighbour a standout documentary on Netflix, but it sits as one of the streamer’s most highly-rated projects of 2025 overall. The feature-length documentary boasts a stellar 99% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes. This deeply unsettling, but completely gripping series, tells the story of a fatal neighbourhood dispute in Florida, which exposes blind spots within the United States legal system. The dispute covers Ajike Owens and her white neighbour, Susan Lorincz, the self-proclaimed ‘perfect neighbour’.
Their conflict grew in tension, beginning with initial disputes over Ajike’s children playing outside. Ultimately, Lorincz killed Ajike after firing a shot through a locked door. The documentary covers the saga through police bodycam footage and exclusive interviews.
Of all 2025 Netflix documentaries, The Perfect Neighbour stands out as the best, and that’s more than reflected in ratings.
What was your favourite documentary on Netflix in 2025? Tell us in the comments down below!
