29 Best HBO Documentaries You Need to Watch in 2025
HBO is the king of documentaries. They have the true crime stories that will mess with your head, the cultural deep dives that everyone talks about, and the HBO documentaries in 2025 that people are already streaming. If you want the best HBO documentaries right now, need to catch up on the latest hits from 2024 and 2025, or just want something raw and real, this list is all you need.
Table of Contents
Best HBO Documentaries Right Now
1. The Jinx: Part Two (2024)
IMDb: 8.6/10
Rotten Tomatoes: 90%
Synopsis:
Robert Durst’s story gets darker and wilder. This follow-up dives into even more shocking twists and courtroom footage you won’t believe.
2. Last Stop Larrimah (2024)
IMDb: 7.1/10
Rotten Tomatoes: 86%
Synopsis:A tiny Australian outback town, quirky residents, and a strange disappearance. It’s true crime mixed with the weirdest small-town drama.
3. BS High (2023)
IMDb: 7.2/10
Rotten Tomatoes: 100%
Synopsis: A fake high school football team conned ESPN and the entire sports world. It’s as crazy and jaw-dropping as it sounds.
4. Telemarketers (2023)
IMDb: 7.3/10
Rotten Tomatoes: 96%
Synopsis: Two guys blow the whistle on America’s telemarketing scams, and it’s both hilarious and disturbing.
5. McMillions (2020)
IMDb: 7.2/10
Rotten Tomatoes: 89%
Synopsis: The McDonald’s Monopoly scam you didn’t know about, involving mobsters, fraud, and millions of stolen prizes.
Best HBO Documentaries 2025
6. The Synanon Fix (2025)
IMDb: 6.9/10
Rotten Tomatoes: ??%
Synopsis: A deep dive into Synanon, a rehab group that spiraled into cult-like behavior. Fascinating and disturbing.
7. God Save Texas (2025)
IMDb: 6.6/10
Rotten Tomatoes: 100%
Synopsis: Texas is bold, messy, and full of contradictions. This series breaks down its politics, culture, and wild history.
8. The Lionheart (2025)
IMDb: 7.3/10
RT: 96%
Synopsis: The story of Dan Wheldon, IndyCar legend, and how his legacy lives on after tragedy.
Best HBO Documentaries 2024
9. Elizabeth Taylor: The Lost Tapes (2024)
IMDb: 7.4/10
Rotten Tomatoes: 97%
Synopsis: Unheard recordings give you a new look at Elizabeth Taylor’s life, career, and activism.
10. Going to Mars: The Nikki Giovanni Project (2024)
IMDb: 6.8/10
Rotten Tomatoes: 97%
Synopsis: This visually stunning doc dives into the life and mind of poet Nikki Giovanni. Through archival footage and interviews, it blends art, history, and activism into a powerful story that feels both intimate and epic.
11. The Truth vs. Alex Jones (2024)
IMDb: 7.5
Rotten Tomatoes: 100%
Synopsis: The Sandy Hook families face Alex Jones in court. It’s raw and powerful.
Best True Crime HBO Documentaries
12. I’ll Be Gone in the Dark (2020)
IMDb: 7.4/10
Rotten Tomatoes: 96%
Synopsis: Michelle McNamara’s hunt for the Golden State Killer blends detective work with personal obsession.
13. Atlanta’s Missing and Murdered: The Lost Children (2020)
IMDb: 7.3/10
Rotten Tomatoes: 90%
An intense look at unsolved Atlanta murders and the failures that left questions hanging for decades.
14. The Case Against Adnan Syed (2019)
IMDb: 6.6/10
Rotten Tomatoes: 84%
The Serial podcast brought Adnan’s case into the spotlight, and this series takes it further with new evidence.
15. The Crime of the Century (2021)
IMDb: 8.1/10
Rotten Tomatoes: 92%
Big Pharma, greed, and the opioid crisis. This one will make you angry… and for good reason.
Best Sports HBO Documentaries
16. Tiger (2021)
IMDb: 7.9/10
Rotten Tomatoes: 91%
Tiger Woods’ rise, scandal, and epic comeback. It’s all here.
17. 100 Foot Wave (2021–2023)
IMDb: 8.4/10
Rotten Tomatoes: 95%
Big-wave surfer Garrett McNamara takes on the most dangerous waves on Earth.
18. Andre the Giant (2018)
IMDb: 7.8/10
Rotten Tomatoes: 91%
A heartfelt look at the life and struggles of wrestling’s biggest legend.
19. Being Serena (2018)
IMDb: 7.5/10
Rotten Tomatoes: 88%
Serena Williams gets personal about her career, motherhood, and what it takes to stay at the top.
Best Music and Culture HBO Documentaries
20. Woodstock 99: Peace, Love, and Rage (2021)
IMDb: 7.1/10
Rotten Tomatoes: 89%
Woodstock 99 was chaos — fires, riots, and everything gone wrong. This doc tells the whole story.
21. The Bee Gees: How Can You Mend a Broken Heart (2020)
IMDb: 8.2/10
Rotten Tomatoes: 96%
The Bee Gees’ story is as much about music as it is about survival and reinvention.
22. Kurt Cobain: Montage of Heck (2015)
IMDb: 7.5/10
Rotten Tomatoes: 92%
Home videos, journals, and interviews bring Kurt Cobain’s world to life.
23. The Defiant Ones (2017)
IMDb: 8.5/10
Rotten Tomatoes: 97%
Dr. Dre and Jimmy Iovine shaped music as we know it. This is how they did it.
Best Social and Political HBO Documentaries
24. The Janes (2022)
IMDb: 7.8/10
Rotten Tomatoes: 94%
Before Roe v. Wade, these women risked everything to provide safe abortions. It’s a must-watch.
25. Four Hours at the Capitol (2021)
IMDb: 7.3/10
Rotten Tomatoes: 88%
January 6 through the eyes of those who were there. It’s intense and unfiltered.
26. Agents of Chaos (2020)
IMDb: 7.2/10
Rotten Tomatoes: 85%
Russian interference in the 2016 US election gets a deep dive in this eye-opening series.
27. The Invisible Pilot (2022)
IMDb: 7.4/10
Rotten Tomatoes: 86%
A stunt pilot fakes his death, and the story spirals into drugs, cartels, and government cover-ups.
Conclusion
If you want documentaries that hit hard, this list of HBO documentaries has you covered. From brand-new 2025 releases to legendary true crime, HBO is still the heavyweight champ of documentary storytelling.
Common asked questions
The Synanon Fix, God Save Texas, and The Lionheart are standouts for 2025.
Yep, every HBO doc is on Max, the new version of HBO Max.
There’s no single documentary that everyone agrees is the best of all time, but a few titles consistently top the charts for their storytelling and impact. “Hoop Dreams” (1994) is often called the greatest documentary ever, following two young basketball players over several years and exploring class, race, and ambition in America. “The Thin Blue Line” (1988) is another game-changer, not only for its cinematic style but also for helping exonerate a wrongfully convicted man. Recent contenders like “O.J.: Made in America” (2016) and “13th” (2016) have also been praised as modern masterpieces, blending powerful narratives with cultural commentary.
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