Music, murder and Conor McGregor: 6 great new documentaries to watch this weekend
Document to your heart’s content
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Documentary fans, it’s your time to step into the spotlight.
Ordinarily, TV shows and movies set to debut onNetflix,Disney Plus,Apple TV Plus, and other streaming platforms dominate the landscape every week. However, May 2023’s penultimate full week is looking particularly light on the new TV series and film front – and it just so happens that a bunch of new and fascinating documentaries launched during this rare, barren period.
Below, we’ve rounded up the most compelling, grisly, and poignant docuseries and one-off TV specials (listed alphabetically) to arrive on the world’sbest streaming services. From music legends to unsolved murder cases, from MMA superstars to Barack Obama’s latest Netflix series, here are six unmissable documentaries to stream this weekend.
Angel City
Where to stream it:HBO Max (soon to be renamed Max)
This three-part docuseries, launched on May 16, is one for all of you soccer fans, especially if you like the kind of good, heart-warming story seen onTed Lasso, one of thebest Apple TV Plus shows.
Angel Citytells the real-life story of Angel City Football Club, the first majority female-owned professional women’s soccer outfit – actor Natalie Portman is among its founders – that was only formed in September 2020. The series' trio of episodes takes viewers behind the scenes of the club’s formation, its struggles to get off the ground, and how it overcame the perils of being a start-up venture (albeit a sports-based one) to become a successful soccer team on and off the field.
A candid and eye-opening docuseries about a ground-breaking sports team fighting against the odds,Angel Cityis available to stream in full now on HBO Max. Expect it to debut on ourbest HBO Max documentarieslist shortly.
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Anna Nicole Smith: You Don’t Know Me
Where to stream it:Netflix
A deeply humanizing and poignant look at the life of the model-turned-TV personality,Anna Nicole Smith: You Don’t Know Mesheds light on the life and secrets of the Texas native – real name Vickie Lynn Hogan – before her death in 2007.
Directed with unflinching sensitivity byUntouchable’s Ursula MacFarlane,You Don’t Know Meoffers unprecedented access to Nicole Smith’s private life through never-before-seen footage, home movies, and interviews with those who knew her best.
Following the blonde bombshell’s rise as a Playboy model in the early ’90s, subsequent struggle with drug addiction, and personal tragedies, right up to her last days,You Don’t Know Meis a powerful and emotive look at the popular but troubled celebrity’s eventful life. One to look out for when we update ourbest Netflix documentariesguide.
Love to Love You, Donna Summer
Where to stream it:HBO Max (soon to be renamed Max)
The female-centric documentaries keep on coming with this factual HBO program taking a look at the life of the so-called ‘Queen of Disco’ Donna Summer.
Helmed by award-winning filmmaker Roger Ross Williams,Love to Love You, Donna Summerpresents an in-depth look at the singer-songwriter’s extraordinary life that saw her conquer the global music scene. A personal portrait for the Massachusetts-born star,Love to Love Youis packed with never-before-seen footage, photographs, videos self-recorded by Summer, and interviews with her nearest and dearest.
LikeYou Don’t Know Me,Love to Love Youdoesn’t shy away from the negatives of being in the public eye, so expect this documentary to be as hard-hitting as it is enjoyably enlightening.
McGregor Forever
Where to stream it:Netflix
Few sports stars have the gravitational pull, or ability to catapult their specific sport into the mainstream, that Conor McGregor has. The Irish mixed martial arts (MMA) fighter helped put the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) on the world map, becoming the first UFC fighter to hold the championship belts in two weight classes simultaneously along the way.
Rather than tell a warts-and-all story of his journey to the top, though,McGregor Forever, a four-part Netflix docuseries, follows McGregor as he prepares to re-enter the octagon to face the biggest battle of his career.
Doing so won’t be easy. After a whirlwind 2021 that saw him face three major fights in 12 months, recover from a broken leg, and mentally battle against everyone saying he was finished, McGregor needs to lay it all on the line to emerge victorious in the ring once more – and we’ve all got a front-row seat to see if he can. Check out thesesix other great sports documentaries once you’re done withMcGregor Forever, too.
The Never Ending Murder
Where to stream it:Prime Video
The Never Ending Murderexplores the tragic case of Nicola Payne, a teen mom who vanished near her home in Coventry, England in 1991 and whose whereabouts have never been revealed.
More than three decades on, the 18-year-old’s disappearance remains one of the biggest unsolved mysteries on British shores. Now, Nicola Payne’s relatives, as well as those still leading the investigation, have agreed to give heartbreaking, first-hand testimonies in a bid to finally unearth the truth behind Nicola’s disappearance and give her family some form of closure.
A difficult-to-watch docuseries that examines each piece of evidence, shocking police failings over the last 32 years, and new revelatory material that may shed light on Nicola’s vanishing, those involved in the investigation hopeThe Never Ending Murderwill help them solve the case once and for all.
Working: What We Do All Day
Where to stream it:Netflix
This four-part docuseries – the latest to arrive on Netflix from former US President and First Lady Barack and Michelle Obama’s Higher Ground Productions – might not sound all that appealing. After all, it’s seemingly centered on the workplace and how our jobs impact our lives.
Working: What We Do All Dayis more than a mere employment-focused documentary, though. In it, Barack Obama investigates the way our jobs shape our sense of identity, connect us through a singular goal, and help us to contribute to humanity’s evolution. A rich and fascinating docuseries that widely examines the power of community, as well as exploring what goes wrong when we don’t feel respected or honored in our paid roles, and fraught nature of the gig economy, and more. Stick it on your watch list ASAP.
For more documentary-focused coverage, get the lowdown on thebest Hulu documentariesor find out which docuseries are worth streaming in ourbest Disney Plus showsguide. Additionally, find outwhether it’s worth watching Lewis Capaldi’s Netflix documentary or Ed Sheeran’s documentary on Disney Plus.
As TechRadar’s senior entertainment reporter, Tom covers all of the latest movies, TV shows, and streaming service news that you need to know about. You’ll regularly find him writing about the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Star Wars, Netflix, Prime Video, Disney Plus, and many other topics of interest.
An NCTJ-accredited journalist, Tom also writes reviews, analytical articles, opinion pieces, and interview-led features on the biggest franchises, actors, directors and other industry leaders. You may see his quotes pop up in the odd official Marvel Studios video, too, such as thisMoon Knight TV spot.
Away from work, Tom can be found checking out the latest video games, immersing himself in his favorite sporting pastime of football, reading the many unread books on his shelf, staying fit at the gym, and petting every dog he comes across.
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