Netflix may have the most robust selection of documentaries, but Hulu isn’t too far behind. Disney’s first streaming service has been investing in documentaries for years, and that’s given it a selection of films that range from celebrity profiles to nature, true crime, and beyond.
One of the latest additions to Hulu’s documentaries is Catching Fire: The Story of Anita Pallenberg, the second Rolling Stones-related documentary to hit the streamer in 2024. Additionally, Food, Inc. 2, Brats, and Blackfish offer more variety for anyone who wants to expand their knowledge. You can find all of these documentaries on Hulu. What else is on the streamer? These are the best documentaries on Hulu right now.
And while you’re here, we’d be remiss if we didn’t mention the Disney Bundle, which gets you Hulu, Disney+, and ESPN+ for just $14 a month. That’s basically the same price for two of the services, with the third being essentially free. Sweet. If Hulu doesn’t have what you’re looking for, we’ve also rounded up the best documentaries on Amazon Prime Video and the best documentaries on Netflix.
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Food, Inc. 22024
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Brats2024
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Blackfish2013
Catching Fire: The Story of Anita Pallenberg (2024)
7.1/10Calling Anita Pallenberg a “groupie” is completely underselling her importance to The Rolling Stones during their formative years in the ’60s. A better way to put it is that Pallenberg was the muse of the Stones, and also the lover of Brian Jones before she had a long relationship with Keith Richards.
Scarlett Johansson narrates Catching Fire: The Story of Anita Pallenberg, which is based upon Pallenberg’s unreleased autobiography, Black Magic. With the participation of Pallenberg’s family, audio recordings allow the actress and model to share her own story. She may not have been a member of the band, but the Rolling Stones wouldn’t have been the same without Pallenberg.
Food, Inc. 2 (2024)
70%
6.7/10Fifteen years after their Oscar-nominated film Food, Inc., Robert Kenner and Melissa Robledo are back with a sequel, Food, Inc. 2, which offers an occasionally unsettling behind-the-scenes look at how our foods are made or harvested, and the corporations that control the vast majority of it.
Things have only gotten worse since the pandemic, as the filmmakers explore how consolidation has only given the corporations more power while exposing just how vulnerable the food system really is. If you were wondering why the grocery shelves were empty during the pandemic, you’ll see what that looked like from the other side here.
Brats (2024)
68%
6.6/10For all of the talk about a “Brat summer” in 2024, nothing compares to the way that the Brat Pack had a Brat decade in the ’80s. Emilio Estevez, Anthony Michael Hall, Rob Lowe, Demi Moore, Judd Nelson, Molly Ringwald, and Ally Sheedy were the hot young stars of the era. Yet, their fellow Brat Pack member, Andrew McCarthy, felt like the odd man out.
It’s McCarthy who brings together most of the Brat Pack for Brats, which looks back at that time in their lives and share some behind-the-scenes stories about their rise to stardom. Although Ringwald, Nelson, and Hall declined to participate in the film, the documentary is still a fascinating examination of their collective youth.
Blackfish (2013)
83%
8.1/10Most reasonable people would agree that orcas don’t belong in theme park attractions as performers. But at the time of Blackfish’s 2013 release, SeaWorld was still putting the killer whales in daily shows. This film looks back at Tilikum, an orca who spent decades in captivity and killed at least three people in that timespan.
The thing to remember is that Tilikum may have been living in captivity, but he was still a wild animal. Blackfish also sheds light on the treatment of Tilikum and his fellow orcas, which goes a long way in explaining their aggression toward humans. This film, and the immediate response to it, shamed SeaWorld into changing many of its practices. Yet, it remains a powerful example of how the medium of film can have an impact on the world.
Print It Black (2024)
7.0/10Despite sharing a similar name to one of the most famous songs by the Rolling Stones, Print It Black doesn’t have anything to do with one of the U.K.’s most storied bands. Instead, this documentary revolves around the aftermath of the 2022 school shooting at Robb Elementary in Uvalde, Texas.
Kimberly Rubio, one of the local reporters, lost her child, Lexi, in the shooting. As the local media attempts to grapple with the enormous tragedy, Rubio emerges as a gun reform advocate while the other families of the victims search for answers and accountability.
The Stones and Brian Jones (2024)
75%
7.0/10When anyone thinks of the Rolling Stones, the first two names that come to mind are Mick Jagger and Keith Richards. Only true students of rock history would mention Brian Jones, the man who founded the group and was a member before Jagger and Richards even joined the band. Jones also coined the Rolling Stones’ name, which initially left out the “g.”
The Stones and Brian Jones chronicles Jones’ seven-year tenure with the Rolling Stones, as well as his personal and professional struggles with Jagger and Richards as they took over the leadership of the group. Jones’ battle with addiction issues are also chronicled, in addition to his final days with the band and subsequent death soon thereafter. The film finally tells Jones’ story, and makes a case for his place among the legends of rock.
Black Twitter: A People's History (2024)
Twitter is quite literally not what it used to be since Elon Musk took over the social media giant. The recently renamed X is also struggling to regain the relevance it once had. Hulu’s Black Twitter: A People’s History takes a look at the Black subculture on Twitter that gave rise to numerous memes and social media superstars.
The miniseries also touches on Black Twitter’s role in the rise of Black Lives Matter and other social justice causes that were amplified on social media. For years, the site was a cultural touchstone, and now, nobody is certain how long X can sustain itself.
Arnold & Sly: Rivals, Friends, Icons (2024)
7.3/10Joan Baez: I Am a Noise (2023)
75%
7.0/10In the opening line of her memoir, Joan Baez was the first to admit that she’s been blessed with an extraordinary singing voice. But Baez’s talents aren’t limited to music, and she’s used her fame and platform to advocate for various causes to help shape a better world. Now, at the closing chapter of her 60-year career, Baez is sharing her life story in the documentary film Joan Baez: I Am a Noise.
During the present-day recordings, Baez opens up about her personal life in a way she hasn’t before. The documentary also features previously unreleased footage of Baez, as well as her diaries and therapy tapes in order to fully paint the picture of what she was going through at different times in her life. Now, Baez gets to write her own ending on her own terms.
The Space Race (2023)
71%
7.4/10Who was the first Black man in space? If history had gone another way, it could have been Ed Dwight, one of the subjects of The Space Race. This documentary goes back to 1961 and President John F. Kennedy’s attempt to integrate NASA during the early days of the Civil Rights movement. Dwight was given the chance to become an astronaut, but as he shared in his own words here, the pushback he received from inside NASA was intense.
While Dwight’s dreams were dashed, Guion “Guy” Bluford became the first Black American in space two decades later. Bluford’s story is also explored in this film, and so is the saga of Arnaldo Tamayo Méndez, a Cuban cosmonaut and the first man of African heritage to go into space three years before Bluford did it.
The Lady Bird Diaries (2023)
Fire of Love (2022)
7.6/10The League (2023)
7.6/10Not Going Quietly (2021)
7.8/10The Jewel Thief (2023)
Too Funny to Fail: The Life & Death of The Dana Carvey Show (2017)
7.7/10Hold Your Fire (2021)
Three Minutes: A Lengthening (2021)
7.3/10Look At Me: XXXTentacion (2022)
75%
7.2/10Rapper XXXTentacion was killed during a robbery at the age of 20. Despite his brief life, the rapper became widely known for hit songs such as Sad, a more depressing, inwards look at a hip-hop star. He also became equally known for a variety of horrendous acts such as when he was awaiting trial on felony charges of aggravated battery and home invasion at the time of his murder, he allegedly beat his pregnant girlfriend.
The documentary takes an unflinching look at XXXTentacion’s brief time in the spotlight, for better or worse. There is a redemptive arc in the movie, but it’s always balanced by the fact that the rapper did some terrible things during his life, and that will always be an inescapable part of a legacy still resonating in the hip-hop world.
GameStop: Rise of the Players (2022)
50%
5.8/10GameStop has seemed to be forgotten by the vast majority of people, but not by investors. Recently, they put the short squeeze on GameStop, leading the stock to rise by more than 2,500%.
GameStop: Rise of the Players chronicles the squeeze from the perspective of those involved, documenting a historic moment on Wall Street. Most of the time, the documentary upholds the investors as heroes, which doesn’t quite give the full picture. Nevertheless, it’s always endearing to see individuals try to take on billionaire behemoths.
Flee (2021)
91%
7.9/10Enemies of the State (2021)
Kurt Vonnegut: Unstuck in Time (2021)
70%
7.8/10Summer of Soul (...or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised) (2021)
96%
8/10Pharma Bro (2021)
5/10The First Wave (2021)
85%
6.7/10Dead Asleep (2021)
Jacinta (2021)
Totally Under Control (2020)
80%
7.6/10Homeroom (2021)
68%
5.3/10McCartney 3, 2, 1 (2021)
A Glitch in the Matrix (2021)
62%
5.2/10WeWork: or The Making and Breaking of a $47 Billion Unicorn (2021)
Sasquatch (2021)
76%
6.2/10kid 90 (2021)
67%
6.8/10Derek DelGaudio's In & of Itself (2020)
82%
8.2/10I Am Greta (2020)
69%
7.7/10Minding the Gap (2018)
89%
8/10Three Identical Strangers (2018)
81%
7.6/10Fyre Fraud (2019)
66%
6.8/10We Are Freestyle Love Supreme (2020)
67%
6.9/10
