The streaming landscape can feel endless. It’s not and we’re here to help. Netflix has hundreds of documentaries in its streaming library, but they’re not all created equal, and we’ve narrowed down the options for you with 25 of our top picks for the best documentary movies currently available to watch on the streaming platform. If you’re looking for something light and visually stunning, you’ve come to the right place. If you’re looking for something gruesome yet fascinating, there are options for you below. If you only have half an hour or 40 minutes to kill, Netflix has something for you.
So peruse our list below, and get watching!
“Athlete A” Netflix
One of the best documentaries in recent years, “Athlete A” works on multiple fronts: First, it effectively chronicles the abuse perpetrated by Larry Nassar, a former sports medicine physician who used his position...
So peruse our list below, and get watching!
“Athlete A” Netflix
One of the best documentaries in recent years, “Athlete A” works on multiple fronts: First, it effectively chronicles the abuse perpetrated by Larry Nassar, a former sports medicine physician who used his position...
- 11/3/2023
- by Kayti Burt
- The Wrap
The year is 2008 and 16-year-old Shawn Johnson has just won the USA Gymnastics Olympic Trials, stamping her ticket to the Beijing Olympics. "How does it feel to be Shawn Johnson right now?" a reporter asks her.
"It's amazing," Johnson says, beaming. "I feel like the happiest girl in the world."
Hundreds of miles away, in a fictional universe, two 8-year-old gymnasts start to dream.
The Happiest Girl in the World (out April 20) is fiction, but you know what it's based on, even if you only watch gymnastics every four years: the sexual abuse case of Larry Nassar, a doctor who abused hundreds of girls (the vast majority of them gymnasts) under the guise of treatment. The case also implicated leaders at his longtime employer, USA Gymnastics (Usag), including national team coaches Marta and Bela Karolyi and Usag president Steve Penny. The case prompted a stunning lawsuit in which over 150 survivors gave wrenching victim impact statements,...
"It's amazing," Johnson says, beaming. "I feel like the happiest girl in the world."
Hundreds of miles away, in a fictional universe, two 8-year-old gymnasts start to dream.
The Happiest Girl in the World (out April 20) is fiction, but you know what it's based on, even if you only watch gymnastics every four years: the sexual abuse case of Larry Nassar, a doctor who abused hundreds of girls (the vast majority of them gymnasts) under the guise of treatment. The case also implicated leaders at his longtime employer, USA Gymnastics (Usag), including national team coaches Marta and Bela Karolyi and Usag president Steve Penny. The case prompted a stunning lawsuit in which over 150 survivors gave wrenching victim impact statements,...
- 4/20/2021
- by Maggie Ryan
- Popsugar.com
In the last two years, a series of scalding and essential documentaries — “Leaving Neverland,” “Surviving R. Kelly,” “Untouchable,” “On the Record,” “Jeffrey Epstein: Filthy Rich” — have shined a light on the contours of sexual abuse and the supreme, if not obscene, concentration of power that too often allows it to be concealed and perpetuated. In most of these high-profile cases, the power emanates from one figure who is either a celebrity or a backstage manipulator of celebrity: Harvey Weinstein, Michael Jackson, Russell Simmons, Jeffrey Epstein, R. Kelly. The power wielded by these men has been total and destructive: the ability to threaten and terrorize, to twist and ruin careers, to suppress and squash the rule of law.
“Athlete A,” Bonni Cohen and Jon Shenk’s disturbing and illuminating documentary about the sexual-abuse scandal that struck the U.S. Olympic women’s gymnastics team in 2016, is centered around an individual who was,...
“Athlete A,” Bonni Cohen and Jon Shenk’s disturbing and illuminating documentary about the sexual-abuse scandal that struck the U.S. Olympic women’s gymnastics team in 2016, is centered around an individual who was,...
- 6/20/2020
- by Owen Gleiberman
- Variety Film + TV
Olympic gymnastics champion Simone Biles is saddened and outraged by a new report that claims USA Gymnastics did not investigate if she had been abused by team doctor Larry Nassar after she reported being uncomfortable around him. The Wall Street Journal reported on Thursday that in 2015, then-organization leader Steve Penny knew the 22-year-old, now the most decorated gymnast, was among the first trio of athletes who had been flagged to USA Gymnastics as being uncomfortable with Nassar. It said Penny had USA Gymnastics contact the FBI to report concerns that the doctor had sexually abused gymnasts under the guise of treatment, and that he did not mention Biles'...
- 11/22/2019
- E! Online
Aly Raisman just went Off on USA Gymnastics -- saying the organization is still not being transparent about the child abuse scandal and warns the public ... They Can't Be Trusted. Raisman is really pissed about the fact there still has not been a full, independent investigation by law enforcement ... despite the fact she's been calling for one since January!!! Raisman calls the situation "absolutely absurd." During her interview with Hoda Kotb on "Today," Aly also stated,...
- 10/30/2018
- by TMZ Staff
- TMZ
Steve Penny -- the former president of USA Gymnastics -- was arrested by U.S. Marshals in Tennessee on Wednesday stemming from allegations he tampered with evidence in the Larry Nassar case. Officials say Penny went to the famed Karolyi Ranch training facility in Texas and removed documents linked to Nassar's sexual assault case. It's interesting considering one of Penny's former top staffers testified back in June that she told him about Nassar's misconduct and was...
- 10/18/2018
- by TMZ Staff
- TMZ
In letters to a federal court ahead of Larry Nassar’s sentencing related to child pornography charges, Olympian McKayla Maroney and her mother give chilling details about the abuse she suffered at the hands of the former Team USA Gymnastics doctor, reports say.
Maroney, 21, was originally scheduled to deliver a victim-impact statement in a federal courtroom or Thursday, but instead she and other victims (and family members of victims) were instructed by a judge to give statements in the form of letters. Marony and her mom are seeking the maximum sentence for Nassar.
“This experience has shattered McKayla,” her mother,...
Maroney, 21, was originally scheduled to deliver a victim-impact statement in a federal courtroom or Thursday, but instead she and other victims (and family members of victims) were instructed by a judge to give statements in the form of letters. Marony and her mom are seeking the maximum sentence for Nassar.
“This experience has shattered McKayla,” her mother,...
- 12/6/2017
- by Char Adams
- PEOPLE.com
Three former athletes who accused former USA Gymnastics team doctor Dr. Larry Nassar of sexual abuse are launching a petition calling for change in leadership within the organization in the wake of McKayla Maroney‘s moving post about sexual abuse she also allegedly endured under Nassar.
Jeanette Antolin, Jessica Howard and Olympian Jamie Dantzscher, who all accused Nassar of abuse in a February 60 Minutes interview, have started a petition on Change.org to demand that those who knew about, or turned a blind eye to, Nassar’s alleged abuse be held accountable.
“A lot of women have come forward now...
Jeanette Antolin, Jessica Howard and Olympian Jamie Dantzscher, who all accused Nassar of abuse in a February 60 Minutes interview, have started a petition on Change.org to demand that those who knew about, or turned a blind eye to, Nassar’s alleged abuse be held accountable.
“A lot of women have come forward now...
- 10/19/2017
- by Char Adams
- PEOPLE.com
Shawn Johnson East is championing the women coming forward to share their own experiences with sexual misconduct in the wake of the mounting allegations against movie producer Harvey Weinstein.
“The more voices that come out, the more people can start relating to it, and saying, ‘Oh, there actually is an issue that we need to fix,’ ” the Olympic gold medalist, 25, tells People Now. “I think it just liberates people because they can actually talk about things that have been hidden for so long.”
The allegations against Weinstein follow a scandal in the Team USA Gymnastics organization. Earlier this year, a...
“The more voices that come out, the more people can start relating to it, and saying, ‘Oh, there actually is an issue that we need to fix,’ ” the Olympic gold medalist, 25, tells People Now. “I think it just liberates people because they can actually talk about things that have been hidden for so long.”
The allegations against Weinstein follow a scandal in the Team USA Gymnastics organization. Earlier this year, a...
- 10/17/2017
- by Lindsay Kimble
- PEOPLE.com
Former USA Gymnastics president Steve Penny will delay giving a deposition in a sexual abuse lawsuit until after he attends social functions at the Indianapolis 500 on May 28.
Los Angeles Superior Court judge Susan Bryant-Deason ruled that Penny could put off giving the deposition because of his networking needs at the race, reports the Orange County Register.
The deposition is related to a lawsuit filed in Los Angeles Superior Court against former USA Gymnastics team doctor Larry Nassar, Usag and Penny, among others.
The suit claims that the ex-gymnast involved in the lawsuit, a national team member from 2006-...
Los Angeles Superior Court judge Susan Bryant-Deason ruled that Penny could put off giving the deposition because of his networking needs at the race, reports the Orange County Register.
The deposition is related to a lawsuit filed in Los Angeles Superior Court against former USA Gymnastics team doctor Larry Nassar, Usag and Penny, among others.
The suit claims that the ex-gymnast involved in the lawsuit, a national team member from 2006-...
- 5/13/2017
- by Rose Minutaglio
- PEOPLE.com
As USA Gymnastics faces a headline-making sex abuse scandal, a report has surfaced highlighting pleas from USA Swimming officials for the U.S. Olympic Committee to implement policies that would protect young athletes from abuse — warnings the Usoc allegedly failed to heed.
By 2010, dozens of swimming coaches had been banned for life by USA Swimming for sexual misconduct, ABC News reported. Now, two letters obtained by USA Today show that USA Swimming urged the Usoc in late 2004 and early 2005 to take steps to ensure the safety of athletes in numerous sports.
In those letters, then USA Swimming executive director Chuck...
By 2010, dozens of swimming coaches had been banned for life by USA Swimming for sexual misconduct, ABC News reported. Now, two letters obtained by USA Today show that USA Swimming urged the Usoc in late 2004 and early 2005 to take steps to ensure the safety of athletes in numerous sports.
In those letters, then USA Swimming executive director Chuck...
- 3/31/2017
- by Char Adams
- PEOPLE.com
Three retired gymnasts told the Senate Judiciary Committee of their experiences of child abuse while competing for USA Gymnastics on Tuesday, expressing support for a bill that they hope will put an end to future incidents.
Gold medalist Dominique Moceanu, bronze medalist Jamie Dantzscher and three-time national champion rhythmic gymnast Jessica Howard all testified — both Dantzscher and Howard alleging that they were sexually abused by the team’s former doctor, Larry Nassar.
The athletes also claimed they suffered other types of abuse.
“The well-being of the athletes should always come first, and to me, this is one of the most important things in sport,...
Gold medalist Dominique Moceanu, bronze medalist Jamie Dantzscher and three-time national champion rhythmic gymnast Jessica Howard all testified — both Dantzscher and Howard alleging that they were sexually abused by the team’s former doctor, Larry Nassar.
The athletes also claimed they suffered other types of abuse.
“The well-being of the athletes should always come first, and to me, this is one of the most important things in sport,...
- 3/29/2017
- by Stephanie Petit
- PEOPLE.com
Several of the women allegedly sexually abused by former USA Gymnastics doctor Larry Nassar are speaking out in a new The Dr. Oz Show special, blaming, in part, leadership of the team and the sport’s culture for allowing the incidents to occur.
“You know, honestly, the culture of fear, intimidation and control that you already lived with as a gymnast just stopped you from saying anything ever to rock the boat,” former U.S. rhythmic gymnast Jessica Howard, who has accused Nassar of abuse, tells Dr. Oz on Monday (Nassar has pled not guilty). “Like, you just did what you were supposed to do.
“You know, honestly, the culture of fear, intimidation and control that you already lived with as a gymnast just stopped you from saying anything ever to rock the boat,” former U.S. rhythmic gymnast Jessica Howard, who has accused Nassar of abuse, tells Dr. Oz on Monday (Nassar has pled not guilty). “Like, you just did what you were supposed to do.
- 3/20/2017
- by Lindsay Kimble
- PEOPLE.com
A group of Michigan State University students are accusing former USA Gymnastics doctor Larry Nassar of sexually abusing them over hundreds of sessions — and alleging that school officials told them to keep quiet about the allegations.
As Nassar faces nearly two dozen sexual abuse charges for allegedly assaulting seven victims, at least four women have revealed their own abusive experience with the doctor when he treated the women gymnasts at Michigan State University.
Amanda told NBC News that she felt “incredibly violated” when Nassar allegedly abused her during an appointment for her hip and back pain.
“When he started to actually insert his fingers,...
As Nassar faces nearly two dozen sexual abuse charges for allegedly assaulting seven victims, at least four women have revealed their own abusive experience with the doctor when he treated the women gymnasts at Michigan State University.
Amanda told NBC News that she felt “incredibly violated” when Nassar allegedly abused her during an appointment for her hip and back pain.
“When he started to actually insert his fingers,...
- 3/17/2017
- by Char Adams
- PEOPLE.com
USA Gymnastics president Steve Penny resigned Thursday after the United States Olympic Committee board called for his resignation last week amid a sexual abuse scandal involving former U.S. team doctor and alleged serial molester Larry Nassar.
“The Board believes this change in leadership will help USA Gymnastics face its current challenges and implement solutions to move the organization forward in promoting a safe environment for its athletes at all levels,” said Paul Parilla, chairman of the USA Gymnastics board of directors, in a statement.
Parilla will lead the search for Penny’s replacement and “guide the organization’s operations...
“The Board believes this change in leadership will help USA Gymnastics face its current challenges and implement solutions to move the organization forward in promoting a safe environment for its athletes at all levels,” said Paul Parilla, chairman of the USA Gymnastics board of directors, in a statement.
Parilla will lead the search for Penny’s replacement and “guide the organization’s operations...
- 3/16/2017
- by Rose Minutaglio
- PEOPLE.com
Officials with the U.S. Olympic Committee are calling for USA Gymnastics president and CEO Steve Penny to resign from his position so that USA Gymnastics can move past the sexual abuse scandal involving a former team doctor.
Committee officials told USA Today that Penny must leave his position as head of USA Gymnastics if the governing body has any chance of a fresh start after former team doctor Larry Nassar was accused of sexually abusing athletes.
Nassar, 53, has been charged with 25 counts of criminal sexual conduct and multiple counts of child pornography, Espn reports. He has pleaded not guilty...
Committee officials told USA Today that Penny must leave his position as head of USA Gymnastics if the governing body has any chance of a fresh start after former team doctor Larry Nassar was accused of sexually abusing athletes.
Nassar, 53, has been charged with 25 counts of criminal sexual conduct and multiple counts of child pornography, Espn reports. He has pleaded not guilty...
- 3/9/2017
- by Char Adams
- PEOPLE.com
Findings of a nine-month-long investigation by the Indianapolis Star have turned up startling revelations on the amount of reported sexual abuse from young gymnasts in the U.S. and the systematic failures that allowed abusive coaches and trainers to relocate to other USA Gymnastics certified gyms.
On the heels of an investigative report released by the newspaper in August detailing four instances when USA Gymnastics failed to appropriately report sexual abuse claims, the Star uncovered that in the past 20 years, 368 gymnasts have alleged sexual abuse from more than 100 coaches, gym owners and other adults.
According to police files and court cases obtained by the publication,...
On the heels of an investigative report released by the newspaper in August detailing four instances when USA Gymnastics failed to appropriately report sexual abuse claims, the Star uncovered that in the past 20 years, 368 gymnasts have alleged sexual abuse from more than 100 coaches, gym owners and other adults.
According to police files and court cases obtained by the publication,...
- 12/15/2016
- by roseminutaglio
- PEOPLE.com
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