Tired of the March sun and the thought that weekend is still three working days away? We recommend half-a-dozen short watch docs on Netflix to help you unwind as much as leave you asking for more.
Why Did You Kill Me?
The murder of Crystal Theobald came with some big consequences for those who committed the crime. When a family uses social media to track down her killers, vindication starts veering into the extreme. Crime thriller to rock you out of blues!!
Murder Among the Mormons
“Murder Among the Mormons” is a comprehensive deep dive into a lesser-known, shocking tale of deceit in the very niche Mormon document of 1985 Salt Lake City. The unprecedented crimes of one man—who murdered two people to try to save his reputation—are traced and explored in this shocking docuseries from directors Tyler Measom and Jared Hess, who both grew up in the Church.
Last Chance U: Basketball
The creators of “Last Chance U” and “Cheer” have done it again this season with “Last Chance U: Basketball.” Heartfelt, dramatic, and funny, too, this docuseries follows the hopeful D1 basketball players at East Los Angeles College. Surely, they are some of the best personalities we’ve ever seen in the series.
Crime Scene: The Vanishing at the Cecil Hotel
This is a gripping look at the infamous Los Angeles landmark: in particular, the history and socioeconomic conditions that have contributed to it’s dark, haunted reputation. Joe Berlinger’s documentary digs into the viral 2013 case of Elisa Lam, who was last seen at the Cecil and found dead in the hotel’s water tank nearly a month after she disappeared. Without purporting to solve the mysteries of the case, the documentary logically and thoroughly follows all possible leads in a case that has inspired many conspiracy theories over the years.
The Ripper
This doc is not about the infamous Jack, but another British murderer. The Yorkshire Ripper, Peter William Sutcliffe, terrorized Northern England through the ’70s and ’80s, evading capture for years largely due to the sexism and classism of the police at the time.
Operation Varsity Blues
The 2019 College Admissions Scandal is very recent history—in fact, the trials and sentencings in the case are still ongoing today. But that didn’t stop Fyre director Chris Smith from documenting the scandal—which is the largest college admissions scheme ever prosecuted—for the world to watch. “Operation Varsity Blues” refocuses the attention from convicted actresses Lori Loughlin and Felicity Huffman onto Rick Singer, who was the mastermind behind the whole scheme. It’s a fascinating doc about the specifics of the scheme, but also the broader inequalities and injustices baked into the American college system.
