23 Best Documentaries on Hulu to Stream Now

Why not learn a little something during your next movie night?

Whether you’re looking for a music film like Summer of Soul or you’re ready to take a nostalgic deep dive with a 90s doc like Kid 90, you can learn something new with the best documentaries on Hulu streaming now. 

Must-See Documentaries on Hulu

Aftershock

Omari Maynard and Bruce McIntyre are two bereaved fathers with similar stories: their partners died due to preventable childbirth complications. Aftershock shows the real-life heartbreak of these two families as they use their pain to fight the healthcare disparities in the Black community. 

Watch: Aftershock

Summer of Soul (…Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised)

Presented by Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson, Summer of Soul is part music film and part Black history documentary. Transport back to the summer of ‘69 in this powerful and important story that celebrates Black music, culture, and fashion at the iconic Harlem Cultural Festival.

Watch: Summer of Soul (…Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised)

Minding the Gap

Directed by Bing Liu, Minding the Gap is a documentary that follows three young men who bond over skateboarding to escape their turbulent home lives in the Rust Belt of America. 

Watch: Minding the Gap

The Orange Years: The Nickelodeon Story

For so many, Nickelodeon is the cornerstone of childhood nostalgia. From Rugrats to Hey, Arnold!, this documentary tells the story of the network’s humble beginnings as a small local TV channel and how it evolved into a cultural phenomenon that shaped an entire generation. 

Watch: The Orange Years: The Nickelodeon Story

Kid 90

Soleil Moon Frye is a former child star, best known for her role as Punky Brewster. Kid 90 is a Hulu documentary that uses behind-the-scenes footage taken by Frye herself to show exactly what it was like growing up in Hollywood in the 90s. 

Watch: Kid 90

The Beatles: Eight Days a Week – The Touring Years

The band you know, and the story you don’t. Even if you’re not a fan of The Beatles, this must-see documentary produced by Ron Howard will have you hooked. The Beatles: Eight Days a Week takes a never-before-seen look into the world’s most beloved band during the height of their career. 

Watch: The Beatles: Eight Days a Week – The Touring Years

Jawline

Austyn Tester is a 16-year-old internet sensation, longing to escape his “dead-end” life in rural Tennessee. This surprisingly inspiring documentary takes a deeper look into the double-edged sword that is social media. 

Watch: Jawline

Stray

Stray is a truly unique documentary that uses three stray dogs roaming the streets of Istanbul to tell stories of the city through their eyes and innocent point of view. 

Watch: Stray

Wrinkles the Clown

How do you handle your children when they’re misbehaving? In 2015, parents in Naples, Flordia, started hysteria when they hired Wrinkles the Clown to scare their children straight. What started as a viral YouTube video quickly turned an entire community inside out. Learn more about the man inside the clown suit in the documentary, Wrinkles the Clown. 

Watch: Wrinkles the Clown

Some Kind of Heaven

The Villages is a Florida retirement community advertised as a place where residents can enjoy paradise on Earth. However, community members Anne, Reggie, Barbra, and Dennis aren’t falling for the propaganda. Follow along as the group struggles to find meaning and enjoyment while everyone around them has bought into the community’s manufactured happiness. 

Watch: Some Kind of Heaven

Flee

Amin Nawabi is an Afghan refugee with a heavy secret he has kept to himself for over 20 years. Flee tells Nawabi’s story through animation and voiceovers to uncover the painful truth that could set back everything he’s worked so hard to achieve in his new life. 

Watch: Flee

Homeroom

2020 was an unprecedented year for students all over the world. Homeroom is a documentary that focuses on an Oakland area high school, bringing students’ real-life struggles to light and how the pandemic has only made them worse. 

Watch: Homeroom

Mystery & Crime Documentaries

Dead Asleep 

Can a murder committed while sleepwalking be criminally charged? Dead Asleep is a true-crime documentary surrounding Randy Herman, Jr. and the murder he committed while he was fast asleep—or so he claims. 

Watch: Dead Asleep

MLK/FBI

MLK/FBI is the first documentary to break down the newly declassified government documents regarding the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr. Directed by Sam Pollard, this film explores the government’s history of targeting Black activists and its involvement in MLK’s murder. 

Watch: MLK/FBI

Fyre Fraud

What do you get when you combine a greedy mogul, deceptive marketing, and an ill-planned event promised to be larger-than-life? None other than the infamous 2017 Fyre Festival failure. This tell-all documentary shows what can happen while chasing money and social media influence at all costs. 

Watch: Fyre Fraud

WeWork: Or The Making and Breaking of a $47 Billion Unicorn

Is a scam with good intentions still a scam? Take a deep dive into the chaotic rise and fall of Adam Naumann’s company, WeWork — a series of co-working spaces he believed would change the world. WeWork: Or The Making and Breaking of a $47 Billion Unicorn is an original Hulu documentary available to stream now. 

Watch: WeWork: Or The Making and Breaking of a $47 Billion Unicorn

Three Identical Strangers

A set of triplets were separated at birth and adopted by different families. At 19 years old, the brothers learned of each other for the first time, uncovering the harrowing truth behind their separation. 

Watch: Three Identical Strangers

Rewind

Rewind is a true-crime documentary solved by dissecting a family’s extensive home video collection and putting the pieces together to bring a generational pattern of abuse to light. Watch along as seemingly normal video clips become important pieces of evidence in Sasha Joseph Neulinger’s fight to heal from the childhood trauma he endured at the hands of extended family members. 

Watch: Rewind

Collective

Director Alexander Nanau follows a team of newspaper investigators as they work to expose a case of extreme healthcare fraud in Romania that has been lining the pockets of business executives and politicians while killing innocent civilians. 

Watch: Collective

Docuseries on Hulu

Mormon No More

Mormon No More is a TV docuseries about two former Mormon wives who found the courage to leave the church and their husbands so they can live a life true to themselves. Learn the heartbreaking but inspiring stories of Sal and Lena as they escape the only lives they’ve ever known to build a new life together. 

Watch: Mormon No More

Dark Side of the ’90s

Dark Side of the 90s is a 10-part docuseries that digs deep into some of the darker trends and pop-culture moments of the decade. From the controversial start of reality TV to the birth of the internet, this eye-opening yet nostalgic documentary series will transport you back in time. 

Watch: Dark Side of the ’90s

The New York Times Presents

The New York Times Presents is a docu-series that uses unparalleled journalism to take viewers deep into the topics of the biggest news and pop culture stories of our lifetime. From Britney Spears’ conservatorship and Janet Jackson’s Super Bowl scandal to social media influencers and even the popularity of vaping—this documentary series covers it all. 

Watch: The New York Times Presents

Inside the College Football Playoff

Do you love sports documentaries? This four-part ESPN series gives fans an all-access pass into the top four college football teams of 2018 as they prepare for the semi-finals and national championship. 

Watch: Inside the College Football Playoff*

*Access ESPN+ content via Hulu and ESPN+; select content only available via the ESPN app and ESPN.com.

Can’t get enough of these real-life stories? There’s plenty more where that came from. Check out our list of the best true crime documentaries streaming now on Hulu.