As usual, true-crime documentaries and series pretty much dominated the September lineup across the major streaming services, but the month did have a few surprises that provided a nice break from all the murder and scandal.And while the month wasn't perhaps as solid as August, Netflix more than pulled its own weight, as did HBO Max, Prime Video, and Peacock—a couple might even make the grade for best-of-the-year lists.The best of September includes a fun and light salute to 's most obsessive fans, a fireball of a doc about the Aussie Olympic breakdancer who the internet loved to hate, an NFL star's life story pulled from 35 years of home movies, and an insane decades-long murder case that a pair of citizen sleuths wouldn't let go of.
My top pick, however, is a devastating true-crime Netflix series that set up shop on the streamer's Top 10 list for four weeks.Here are the five best docs and doc series of September 2026.5 Fan Level Midnight: Devoted to The Office (Peacock) For those who've binged The Office one too many times If you understand the "Threat Level Midnight" reference in this documentary's title, then you're definitely the right demographic for , a joyous six-part Peacock docuseries that celebrates the iconic NBC workplace comedy.
Documentary filmmaker Shawn Cauthen () takes Office fans through the story of a struggling NBC experiment to Americanize a British institution that came into its own and became a global phenomenon fans still can't stop rewatching.The 20-minute episodes cover everything from the show's origins to the post-Steve Carell years, feature all kinds of behind-the-scenes footage, and include interviews with former NBC boss Kevin Reilly, director Paul Feig, and cast members Andy Buckley and Leslie David Baker.But it's really all about the fans in this series, which delves into the lives of the show's biggest supporters and what the show has meant to them.
The Office TV-14 Comedy Release Date 2005 - 2013-00-00 Where to watch Close WHERE TO WATCH Streaming RENT BUY Powered by Expand Collapse 4 Untold Raygun: Breaking Badly (Netflix) The story behind the Australian breakdancer who became a meme For a few weeks last month, Australian Olympic breakdancer Rachael Gunn, a.k.a.Raygun, was all over my social feeds, sitting next to Jimmy Fallon on my TV, and in the mouths of my friends at parties.Her disastrous breakdance performance at the Paris Olympics was more than two years ago, so why was I hearing about her again? Netflix, that's why.
Gunn was given the treatment—the popular docuseries that has profiled some of sport's brightest stars and biggest scandals.fits in the latter category, which is what makes it so delicious.The 72-minute film sits down with Gunn, who retells the story from her point of view—from the viral kangaroo hop and zero-point score to the global pile-on of memes, ridicule, and conspiracy theories.
Gunn talks candidly about the effect it had on her psychologically and professionally, and how she struggled to come back from it all and even dance again.It's a squirm-inducing, surprisingly sympathetic watch.Netflix Subscription with ads Yes, $8/month Simultaneous streams Two or four Visit Netflix Expand Collapse 3 Go Deep: The DeSean Jackson Story (Prime Video) A brother's camera captures the cost of an NFL dream Prime Video doesn't pump out a lot of documentaries, but when it does, it usually gets it right.
That can be said for a 90-minute feature documentary about one of the NFL's most electric and enigmatic receivers.While Eagles fans might still be boasting about DeSean Jackson's epic walk-off punt return against the Giants in 2010, writer-director Mandon Lovett cares more about what happened off the field.Lovett mined nearly 35 years of home video provided by DeSean's big brother Byron—an aspiring filmmaker who also spent time in pro football on the practice squad for the Kansas City Chiefs.
Byron obsessively filmed the family over decades, and it shows in the film, which tracks DeSean's career through his youth leagues, his time with the California Golden Bears, and his 15 professional seasons.But like any good bio-doc, it also delves into DeSean's struggles and family friction, with plenty of interview time with the man himself.Amazon Prime Video Subscription with ads Yes, via Prime membership or $9/month Simultaneous streams 3 Visit Amazon Prime Video Expand Collapse 2 A Killer Story (HBO Max) A decades-long case that puts armchair sleuths on trial HBO loves its true crime and is considered by many to be the gold standard—, and, to name a few.
But in the 100% fresh , director Matthew Galkin () points the camera at the genre's own obsessive fans.The three-parter revisits the case of Dana Chandler, a woman who was accused of killing her ex-husband, Mike Sisco, and his girlfriend, Karen Harkness, in Harkness's home in Topeka, Kansas, in 2002.Five years after her conviction in 2012, seasoned newsman Joe Sexton is dragged into the case when Eileen Umbehr, an amateur sleuth obsessed with the case, reaches out to Sexton, convinced that Chandler didn't do it.
digs deep into Chandler's three trials between 2012 and 2025 and is a weirdly entertaining look at Umbehr and her husband, who made Chandler's story their life's work.A Killer Story Powered by Expand Collapse 1 Death of the Pastor's Wife (Netflix) Obsessive, toxic control from behind the pulpit My top pick this month technically landed on Netflix on August.26, but it had such a big impact on me and many others—and it spent much of September in the Top 10—that I couldn’t think of a better candidate for the top spot on this month’s list.
is a gripping, tragic watch that I couldn’t turn away from.The three-part series follows Mica Miller, a Myrtle Beach worship leader, and her turbulent marriage to pastor John-Paul "JP" Miller.In April of 2024, Mica was found dead in North Carolina’s Lumber River State Park from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
Her death was ruled a suicide, though she'd reported being stalked in the weeks before and had just filed for legal separation from JP only days before.Told largely through Mica's diaries and home footage, is a gut-wrenching account of the coercive control and psychological and emotional abuse her family says she endured.The Netflix docuseries has a 100% on Rotten Tomatoes and is a true-crime must-see.
Death of the Pastor's Wife TV-MA Documentary Crime Release Date 2026 - 2026-00-00 Where to watch Close WHERE TO WATCH Streaming Network Netflix Cast Mica Miller, John-Paul Miller Directors Julia Willoughby Nason, Mike Gasparro Main Genre Documentary Producers Alana Goldstein, Yotam Guendelman, Tom Cappello Seasons 1 Executive Producer(s) Alana Goldstein, Keely Walker Muse, Tom Cappello, Yotam Guendelman Powered by Expand Collapse September had some great docs This month's best documentaries make it easy for you to play armchair detective, sympathetic third party, and nosy fly-on-the-wall, and that's what good documentaries should do.As we head into October and the refresh of new offerings starts to roll in, we'll keep our weekly lists of what docs to watch going.Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K Operating System Fire OS Resolution 4K Audio codecs Dolby Atmos, 7.1 surround sound, 2-channel stereo, and HDMI audio pass through up to 5.1 RAM/storage 8 GB For just a little more money than the Fire Stick TV Lite, you can get the Fire Stick TV 4K, which offers a Dolby Vision upgrade and TV controls on the Alexa remote.
With 4K streaming, it's much more futureproof.$50 at Amazon $50 at bestbuy $50 at Target Expand Collapse
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