Television series
Quarterback
Netflix follows three NFL quarterbacks—Patrick Mahomes, Kirk Cousins, and Marcus Mariota—through the 2022-23 season in intimate documentary fashion. It's less about X's and O's than vulnerability: the pressure of performing at the highest level, family dynamics, injury anxiety, and what it costs to chase legacy. For anyone curious about elite athletes as humans.
Should you watch it?
Watch it if you find the mechanics of a quarterback's week as absorbing as the scoreboard, and want to hear how these three men talk about pressure, family and game-planning when the cameras are close.
Skip it if you want gripping game action, since the cameras linger on locker rooms and kitchens more than on plays, and the pacing can drag for anyone not already invested.
What it asks of you: Twenty-two episodes over three seasons, each around 49 minutes, unfold at a measured pace, so settle in for a slow accumulation rather than a sprint.
Not sure? Find tonight's pick in a minute.
If you liked this
The Last Dance2020
Michael Jordan and the 1997-98 Bulls dynasty through Phil Jackson's footage and interviews. You see the obsession, the toxicity, the genius—a portrait of greatness that doesn't pretty it up. Essential sports documentary television.
But It's long, sometimes repetitive, and Jackson's mystique may wear thin. Also, if you find Jordan off-putting, ten hours won't change your mind.
Formula 1: Drive to Survive2019
Formula 1's soap-opera season-by-season. The racing is gorgeous, the rivalry is genuine, and Netflix's editing creates drama without inventing it. Addictive even if you don't care about cars.
But It dramatizes things and occasionally compresses timelines. Serious F1 fans find liberties taken with the narrative. Also, commitment: there are five seasons.
Senna2010
Asif Kapadia's documentary about Ayrton Senna is a masterclass: archive footage, no talking heads, pure cinema about ambition and tragedy. One of the greatest sports docs ever made. Watch it.
But It's bleak and ends in death. If you want inspiration porn, this isn't it. Also assumes some F1 knowledge, though you'll pick it up.
Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from Quarterback
The wildcard
Something you would not have found on your own.
Hype!1996
Both capture people trying to inscribe themselves onto something larger than they are—to be seen, remembered, to matter. Both are about the gap between what public acclaim offers and what drives actual performance.
A documentary about graffiti and street art in 1990s San Francisco—the culture, the artists, the cops-and-robbers game. Stylish, kinetic, genuinely dangerous. A time capsule of a place and moment that doesn't exist anymore.
But It's dated visually and culturally; some attitudes now read poorly. Also, if you're hostile to graffiti as vandalism, the film's sympathy for the artists will irritate you.
More like this (4)
The Toys That Made Us2017
Nostalgia with substance. Episodes on Barbie, LEGO, and others blend history, manufacturing, and cultural impact. Warm, accessible, genuinely interesting about how play shapes us.
But It's Netflix comfort content—nothing challenging, nothing that lingers. If you want argument or edge, this trades in comfort.
Hoop Dreams1994
Two young basketball players in Chicago tracked over years. It's not really about basketball—it's about class, race, American institutions, and what we demand of children. A masterpiece that changed documentary forever.
But It's three hours and deeply sad. The system fails both boys in different ways. Not uplifting; sometimes painful to watch.
All or Nothing: Arsenal2022
Amazon's behind-the-scenes access during Arsenal's crucial season. Mikel Arteta is compelling, the staff drama is real, and you get locker-room moments most shows can't access. Gripping even if you don't follow soccer.
But Heavily edited for narrative. Also, if you support a rival club, watching Arsenal's improvements may sting.
Free Solo2018
A climber ascends El Capitan without ropes while a documentary crew films. The tension is unbearable by design. Both gorgeous and horrifying—a study in compulsion, risk, and what drives humans to break themselves.
But It's vertiginous and occasionally irresponsible in how it frames recklessness. If heights make you queasy, this is specifically designed to traumatize you.
Recommended by
Break Point, All or Nothing: Tottenham Hotspur, Coach Snoop, Greater