There is fresh movement around 3 fascinating Netflix documentaries to spice up your weekend (July 10-12), and the story is worth a closer look.
We pulled together what is known so far and what it could mean for the people following it.
There have been some great documentaries already this year, many of them from Netflix, but already the second half of 2026 is shaping up, as well, on the world’s biggest streaming service. So far we’ve had some creepy true crime in the form of Worst Neighbor Ever, a fascinating retrospective on U.S. independence with The American Experiment, and some deep dives into various aspects of soccer, as the World Cup winds down.
I’m not a cruise ship person. And between Netflix’s other disastrous documentary, Trainwreck: Poop Cruise (everything you need to know is in the title), and this new, horrifying film, Shipwrecked: Nightmare at Sea, I doubt very much I’ll step foot on a cruise ship, like, ever. Yet that didn’t stop me from watching.
Fourteen years later, the Costa Concordia disaster remains the deadliest cruise ship wreck in modern history—and this new Netflix Original doc, premiering today, is the most immersive account of it yet. On the night of January 13, 2012, while guests were eating dinner, the 114,000-ton luxury liner deviated from its approved route so that its captain, Francesco Schettino, could perform a close-passage salute to Italy’s Giglio Island as they sailed by. The massive floating resort then struck a reef off the island, tearing a 53-meter gash in its hull, causing it to capsize.
Chaos ensued as crews scrambled to evacuate the ship as it listed over. Of the more than 4,200 passengers and crew aboard, 32 people died, including five crew members—Schettino was later convicted of manslaughter. The roughly 90-minute film reconstructs the chaotic evacuation through never-before-seen footage and firsthand survivor accounts. It continues Netflix’s recent fascination with maritime calamity, following Poop Cruise and last year’s Amy Bradley Is Missing—and it’s easily the most harrowing of the bunch. There are no Rotten Tomatoes scores yet.
From the Oscars to the Emmys — how well do you know the most talked-about documentaries of the last five years?
Which documentary won the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature at the 2024 Oscars?
The 2026 Emmy-nominated documentary John Candy: I Like Me focuses on which aspect of the beloved comedian’s life?
Which streaming platform released the 2026 Emmy-nominated documentary Mel Brooks: The 99-Year-Old Man!?
The 2026 Emmy-nominated documentary Sean Combs: The Reckoning centers on which major legal and cultural story?
My Mom Jayne, a 2026 Emmy-nominated documentary, is told from whose perspective?
Which documentary about a famous pop star was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature at the 2022 Oscars?
Which documentary series about a massive retail fraud scandal won multiple Emmy Awards and became a cultural phenomenon?
The Emmy-winning documentary series The Vow, which ran across two seasons, examined which controversial organization?
If you’re a fan of political satirists like Jon Stewart, John Oliver, and Stephen Colbert, Raise Hell: The Life and Times of Molly Ivins will be a fascinating watch, as those and many others of their ilk owe Ivins much for her pioneering use of humor as a tool for delivering serious political takedowns.
A fiery pick for the weekend, Raise Hell made its world premiere in 2019 at the Sundance Film Festival, it won the SXSW Audience Award, and it currently sits at 95% on Rotten Tomatoes. The 90-minute documentary profiles the late, larger-than-life legendary Texas columnist, who was six feet of red-headed trouble who spent decades skewering the backroom deals and blowhards of Texas politics (she was one of the loudest voices on President George W. Bush), leaving both sides of the aisle laughing and a little uncomfortable.
Built from loads of Ivins’ hilarious archival speeches and interviews with family, friends, and news anchors including Rachel Maddow and Dan Rather, Raise Hell traces Ivins’ rise from the Texas Observer to national syndication, her friendship with Governor Ann Richards, her battles with alcoholism, and her death in 2007, at 62, after a long bout with breast cancer. It’s equal parts eulogy, comedy special, and a case for the dire need for journalism in politics.
After a horrific shipwreck and a eulogy, it’s time for dessert—or some spicy Shrimp Creole. Emeril Cooks, which quietly landed on Netflix on July 7, marks a small streaming milestone—it’s the first Roku Original series ever licensed to Netflix in the U.S. And if you’re a fan of old-school cooking shows where the hosts actually teach you how to cook something instead of making chefs compete in challenges, then Emeril Cooks won’t let you go hungry.
The premise is as comforting as the food. Emeril Lagasse—the garlic-loving Food Network pioneer who turned “Bam!” into a household word—cooks for some special guests (friends, celebrities, locals) at his home kitchen to cook the New Orleans-inspired dishes that built his restaurant empire, while also spotlighting the local farmers, fishermen, and small producers who supply him.
Originally a Roku exclusive that premiered in 2022, the series now has forty 24-minute episodes on Netflix. The series is pure step-by-step, comfort viewing—no eliminations, no f-bombs and yelling, no stakes beyond a properly seasoned roux. It’s a pleasure watching Lagasse back in the kitchen as he prepares everything from crab-and-corn bisque to roast duck, cocktails, and desserts. Set your Sunday aside and learn to cook something.
A good mix of documentary subjects can make your weekend more interesting. While true crime is a solid go-to, it’s nice to change things up with jaw-dropping stories, compelling profiles, and spicy food TV.
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