Learn more about the challenges facing America ahead of the presidential election on November 3 through these powerful, eye-opening documentaries — no subscription required.
Every Crime Has a Story
Get a glimpse at the crime documentaries premiering this fall.
Explore the story of Pentecostal minister Glenn Summerford, who was accused of attempting to murder his wife with a rattlesnake in the sleepy town of Scottsboro, Alabama.
This haunting probe into the work of infamous Nevada fertility specialist Dr. Quincy Fortier follows a man who deceived countless women struggling to conceive by using his own sperm — without their knowledge or consent — to impregnate them.
Directed and produced by Academy Award winner Alex Gibney, Crazy, Not Insane follows Dr. Dorothy Otnow Lewis, a psychiatrist who has dedicated her career to studying murders and understanding why people kill.
Based on Francisco Goldman’s book of the same name and executive-produced by Oscar winner George Clooney and Grant Heslov, this film tells the story of the 1998 murder of Guatemalan human rights activist Bishop Juan Gerardi, which stunned a country ravaged by decades of political violence.
The Mystery of D.B. Cooper brings to life the stories of four individuals fervently believed by their family and friends to be “D.B. Cooper,” the mystery man who hijacked a 727 flying out of Seattle, traded the passengers’ lives for $200,000 and four parachutes, lept from the jet over some of Washington state’s roughest terrain, and was never heard from again.
Coming Soon
Based on Jon Meacham’s 2018 bestseller of the same name, The Soul of America follows the writer, journalist, Pulitzer Prize-winning historian and presidential biographer as he offers his timely and invaluable insights into the country’s current political and historical moment by examining its past.
The film follows a Ventura County family and residents as they navigate devastation, repair and survival after one of the largest wildfires in state history destroys their community.
This four-part documentary series examines Madison Hamburg’s complicated journey to solve an unspeakable crime and absolve the people he loves while seeking out answers within his own fractured family and community.
This alarmingly relevant film chronicles the controversial 1978 Philadelphia police raid on the radical back-to-nature group MOVE and the aftermath that led to a son’s decades-long fight to free his parents.
The two-part documentary explores the history of Black television as seen through the eyes of trailblazers who wrote, produced, created, and starred in groundbreaking series of the past and present.
From Emmy-winning producers Mark and Jay Duplass (HBO’s Room 104) comes The Lady and the Dale, a documentary series exploring an audacious 1970s auto scam centered around a mysterious entrepreneur.
The Bee Gees, made up of brothers Barry, Maurice, and Robin Gibb, wrote more than 1,000 songs and had 20 No. 1 hits throughout their career. The Bee Gees: How Can You Mend a Broken Heart chronicles the rise of this legendary band and the evolution of their music over five decades.
Emmy Spotlight
Find out everything you need to know about this year's Emmy Award-winning documentaries.
Watch HBO Documentaries For Free
This documentary series from Academy Award-nominated and Emmy-winning directors Jehane Noujaim and Karim Amer (The Great Hack, The Square, Control Room) follows a number of people deeply involved in the self-improvement group NXIVM over the course of several years.
Director Muta'Ali (Life's Essentials with Ruby Dee) tells the story of Yusuf Hawkins, a black teenager who was murdered in 1989 by a group of young white men in Bensonhurst, Brooklyn, and whose killing exposed deep-rooted racial tensions in New York.
A six-part documentary series based on the book of the same name explores writer Michelle McNamara's investigation into the dark world of a violent predator she dubbed the "Golden State Killer."
This docuseries explores the period between 1979 and 1981 when at least 30 African-American children and young adults disappeared or were murdered in Atlanta.
From executive producer Mark Wahlberg, the documentary series takes a look into the con that allowed one man to rig the results of the popular McDonald’s Monopoly game for an entire decade.
In a controversial case, Michelle Carter is arrested for coercing her boyfriend into suicide via text message. Her trial raised difficult questions about technology, social media and mental health, while asking if one person can be held responsible for the suicide of another.
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