Pictured: Arnold, Boston, Take Care of Maya
More than 50 new documentaries and documentary series have arrived on Netflix in 2023, and if you’re looking for the full list of what’s arrived so far, you’ve come to the right place. Here’s a breakdown of all the new documentaries you can watch right now.
Netflix still has plenty of documentaries planned for the rest of 2023, including the likes of saint of second chancesa documentary about the UEFA Euro 2020 final, Poisoned: The dirty truth about your foodand many other titles we can’t talk about yet.
How will this article be divided? We’ll try to categorize each documentary by category, whether it’s behind-the-scenes documentaries for other Netflix Originals, celebrity-based docs, nature, history, or true crime.
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Note: These are mostly global additions to Netflix, though some regional availability factors may apply.
Documentaries behind the scenes released on Netflix in 2023
- Copenhagen Cowboy: Nightcall with Nicolas Winding Refn
- Premiere on Netflix: January 31
- Behind the scenes documentary on the new show from creator Nicolas Winding Refn.
- Making all quiet on the western front
- Premiere on Netflix: February 20
- Go behind the scenes of Edward Berger’s World War I epic and see how the cast and crew created its stunning authenticity, from the sets to the SFX prosthetics.
- make liner
- Premiere on Netflix: April 7
- The cast, crew and creators of “Transatlantic” reveal how they crafted a story-inspired adventure that balances darkness with humor and beauty.
Celebrity documentaries released on Netflix in 2023
- Pennsylvaniahoney, a love story
- Premiere on Netflix: January 31
- In her own words, through personal videos and diaries, Pamela Anderson shares the story of her rise to fame, rocky romances, and infamous sex tape scandals.
- The Romantics (Limited Series)
- Premiere on Netflix: February 14
- Featuring archival footage and in-depth celebrity interviews, this docuseries celebrates the life and legacy of Bollywood film titan Yash Chopra.
- Money Shot: The Pornhub Story
- Premiere on Netflix: March 15
- Featuring interviews with artists, activists, and former employees, this documentary offers a deep dive into the successes and scandals of Pornhub.
- The Light We Carry: Michelle Obama and Oprah Winfrey
- Premiere on Netflix: April 25
- Michelle Obama delves into the challenges and life lessons that shaped her second best-selling book in an illuminating conversation with Oprah Winfrey.
- Anna Nicole Smith: You don’t know me
- Premiere on Netflix: May 16
- From the heights of her modeling fame to her tragic death, this documentary reveals Anna Nicole Smith through the eyes of those closest to her.
- Arnold (limited series)
- Premiere on Netflix: June 7
- This intimate docuseries follows the life and multifaceted career of Arnold Schwarzenegger, from champion bodybuilder to Hollywood icon to politician.
- Muscles & Mayhem: An Unauthorized History of American Gladiators (Limited Series)
- Premiere on Netflix: June 28
- In the 1990s, the stunt-filled «American Gladiators» on TV thrilled fans. This docuseries explores the success of the show and how it was almost over before it began.
Historical documentaries released on Netflix in 2023
- African Queens: Njinga (Limited Series)
- Premiere on Netflix: February 15
- Produced and narrated by Jada Pinkett Smith, this documentary series on the Njinga warrior queen of Angola features expert interviews and re-enactments.
- Queen Cleopatra (Limited Series)
- Premiere on Netflix: May 10
- As the last pharaoh of Egypt, Cleopatra fights to protect her throne, her family and her legacy in this docudrama that includes re-enactments and expert interviews.
Documentaries about nature released on Netflix in 2023
- Chimpanzee Empire (Season 1)
- Premiere on Netflix: April 19
- A vast community of chimpanzees thrives in a forest in Uganda, navigating complex social politics, family dynamics, and dangerous territorial disputes.
- Our Planet (Season 2)
- Premiere on Netflix: June 14
- Experience the natural beauty of our planet and examine how climate change affects all living things in this ambitious documentary with spectacular scope.
Music documentaries released on Netflix in 2023
- Lewis Capaldi: How I feel now
- Premiere on Netflix: April 5
- This intimate, all-access documentary chronicles Lewis Capaldi’s journey from an ambitious teenager with a viral performance to a Grammy-nominated pop star.
Mystery documentaries released on Netflix in 2023
- MH370: The plane that disappeared
- Premiere on Netflix: March 8
- In 2014, a plane with 239 people on board disappeared from all radars. This docuseries delves into one of our greatest modern mysteries: Flight MH370.
Sports documentaries released on Netflix in 2023
- Break Point (series)
- Premiere on Netflix: January 13 and June 21 (two parts)
- Travel alongside some of the world’s most talented tennis players as they battle for greatness and Grand Slams in an action-packed season.
- Bill Russell: Legend
- Premiere on Netflix: February 9
- The NBA’s winningest champion and civil rights icon Bill Russell builds a larger-than-life legacy on and off the court in this biographical documentary.
- fully operational
- Premiere on Netflix: February 15
- This immersive documentary series follows a diverse group of professional golfers, on and off the course, during a relentless season of competition.
- Formula 1: Drive to Survive (Season 4)
- Premiere on Netflix: February 24
- Drivers, managers and team owners live life in the fast lane, both on and off the track, during each fierce season of Formula 1 racing.
- Trapped: Crime. Corruption. Cricket.
- Premiere on Netflix: March 17
- This sports documentary examines India’s biggest match-fixing scandal, the icons trapped in its web and the journalists who uncovered the corruption.
- Running for My Truth: Alex Schwazer (Limited Series)
- Premiere on Netflix: April 13
- After being suspended for doping, Olympic medalist athlete Alex Schwazer enlists one of his accusers to help him get back on track.
- McGREGOR FOREVER (Limited Series)
- Premiere on Netflix: May 17
- Conor McGregor’s brutal punches and trash-talking arrogance made him the biggest draw in the UFC. This exciting docuseries follows his dynamic career.
- Tour de France: Unchained (Season 1)
- Premiere on Netflix: June 8
- Through tears and triumph, this series follows various cycling teams as they compete in the 2022 installment of the world’s most grueling cycling race.
True crime documentaries released on Netflix in 2023
- MADOFF: The Monster of Wall Street
- Premiere on Netflix: January 4
- Follow the rise and fall of financier Bernie Madoff, who was behind one of the largest Ponzi schemes in Wall Street history.
- Mumbai Mafia: Police vs. the Underworld
- Premiere on Netflix: January 6
- In 1990s Mumbai, a crime lord and his network wield unchecked power over the city, until «meet cops» emerge, brazenly killing their targets.
- The Hitchhiker Wielding an Ax
- Premiere on Netflix: January 6
- This powerful documentary chronicles a carefree nomad’s rise to viral stardom and the downward spiral that resulted in his imprisonment.
- Monique Olivier: accessory of evil (limited series)
- Premiere on Netflix: March 2
- From 1987 to 2003, Michel Fourniret cemented his legacy as France’s most infamous assassin. But his wife was an enigma: was she a pawn or a participant?
- Waco: American Apocalypse
- Premiere on Netflix: March 22
- This docuseries includes never-before-seen footage of the infamous 51-day standoff between federal agents and a heavily armed religious group in 1993.
- Big Mäck: Gangsters and Gold
- Premiere on Netflix: March 30
- A man is convicted of a robbery he did not commit and spends six years in jail. Decades later, he is a suspect again, but is he still innocent?
- American Manhunt: The Boston Marathon Bombing (Limited Series)
- Premiere on Netflix: April 12
- Archival footage, chilling re-enactments, and exclusive interviews shed new light on a tragedy—and two brothers—who brought a terrified city to a standstill.
- Missing: Dead or Alive (Limited Series)
- Premiere on Netflix: May 10
- Follow South Carolina Sheriff’s Department officers as they urgently search for people who have gone missing under troubling circumstances.
- The card killer
- Premiere on Netflix: June 9
- A playing card left at a crime scene connects a series of murders in this docuseries that follows a notorious serial killer who terrorized Spain in 2003.
- take care of maya
- Premiere on Netflix: June 19
- As a medical team tries to understand 10-year-old Maya Kowalski’s rare disease, they begin to question her parents. Suddenly, Maya is in state custody, even though a family is desperate to bring her daughter home.
- Catch Killers (Season 3)
- Premiere on Netflix: June 23
- The investigators behind the infamous serial killer cases reveal the harrowing and chilling details of their extraordinary efforts in this true crime series.
- King of the Clones (Limited Series)
- Premiere on Netflix: June 23
- From groundbreaking research into human cloning to a scandalous fall, this documentary tells the fascinating story of Korea’s most notorious scientist.
Other documentaries released on Netflix in 2023
These documentaries do not fit into any of the above categories:
- Gunther’s Millions (limited series)
- Premiere on Netflix: February 1
- A dog with a trust fund isn’t the strangest part of this story. Gunther’s eccentric handler also lived a life of luxury, with a cult following.
- In the Name of God: A Holy Betrayal (Limited Series)
- Premiere on Netflix: March 3
- This documentary series looking at the chilling true stories of four Korean leaders who claim to be prophets exposes the dark side of unquestioned belief.
- Emergency: New York
- Premiere on Netflix: March 29
- This gripping documentary series follows New York City’s frontline medical professionals as they balance the intensity of their work with their personal lives.
- Third longest date
- Premiere on Netflix: April 18
- When Khani and Matt met on a dating app, they had no idea that COVID-19 would turn their impromptu trip to Costa Rica into a months-long fling.
- Working: what we do all day (limited series)
- Premiere on Netflix: May 17
- For some, it’s a paycheck. For others, it is a calling. This docuseries explores the meaning of work for modern Americans in a time of rapid change.
- MerPeople
- Premiere on Netflix: May 23
- It covers the whimsical world of professional mermaids, where people’s passion for finswimming has grown into a $500 million industry.
What has been your new favorite documentary or documentary series on Netflix in 2023? Let us know in the comments.