Most Popular Documentaries Released on Netflix in 2023

Welcome to another look back at the biggest hits of 2023. Today, we’ll look through the documentaries and docu-series that picked up the most points in the Netflix top 10s throughout the year. 

This list is compiled with data from FlixPatrol, which tracks the daily top 10s in over 90 countries globally. Their data provides a daily snapshot of what’s trending in the TV and movie list by providing points to each title that features. Although we love their data, it’s neither perfect nor an exact measurement of viewership. Netflix does provide its own data on this front, but it doesn’t allow us to paint a big picture of what was watched most in 2023 as it stands.

Because documentaries feature in the movie lists and docu-series feature in the TV list, we’ll split them separately. We’ll have a look at the documentaries and docu-series to do best globally first, then dive into US-specific data.

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Most Popular Documentaries on Netflix in 2023 Globally

Pamela, A Love Story takes home the top spot featuring the global charts enough to pick up close to 4,000 points in total in the movie top 10s. The doc, directed by Ryan White, features an in-depth look back through the life of the former Baywatch star. Not only has the doc seemingly done well with audiences through viewership, but it was nominated for a pair of awards and the 75th Creative Arts Emmy Awards.

1. Pamela, A Love Story (3,870 points)
2. Missing: The Lucie Blackman Case (3,415 points)
3. Money Shot: The Pornhub Story (3,377 points)
4. Sly (2,857 points)
5. The Devil on Trial (2,671 points)
6. Anna Nicole Smith: You Don’t Know Me (2,640 points)
7. The Deepest Breath (2,299 points)
8. Take Care of Maya (2,283 points)
9. The Hatchet Wielding Hitchhiker (2,030 points)
10. Unknown: The Lost Pyramid (1,856 points)
11. Poisoned: The Dirty Truth About Your Food (1,603 points)
12. Wham! (1,462 points)
13. Unknown: Cosmic Time Machine (1,432 points)
14. Curry & Cyanide: The Jolly Joseph Case (1,261 points)
15. Ordinary Men: The Forgotten Holocaust (1,237 points)
16. Aerial Profiles: Montana from Above (1,217 points)
17. Unknown: Cave of Bones (1,216 points)
18. Rosa Peral’s Tapes (1,208 points)
19. A Life Too Short: The Isabella Nardoni Case (1,089 points)
20. Ghosts of the Abyss (1,073 points)
21. Vjeran Tomic: The Spider-Man of Paris (962 points)
22. Untold: Jake Paul the Problem Child (860 points)
23. Lewis Capaldi: How I’m Feeling Now (703 points)
24. Victim/Suspect (511 points)
25. Untold: Johnny Football (503 points)

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Most Popular Docu-series on Netflix in 2023 Globally

If you ever doubted the global popularity of David Beckham, that is now surely put to rest with the limited series Beckham pulling in over 7,000 more points than its nearest rival in the top 10s in the form of the documentary series that looks over the Johnny Depp vs Amber Heard court trial.

Also coming in hot at the end of the year was the WWII documentary series From the Frontlines, which features the voiceover of John Boyega.

1. Beckham (18,425 points)
2. Depp V Heard (11,347 points)
3. Life on Our Planet (6,319 points)
4. MH370: The Plane That Disappeared (6,308 points)
5. Bad Surgeon: Love Under the Knife (6,200 points)
6. World War II: From the Frontlines (5,289 points)
7. Arnold (5,203 points)
8. Live to 100: Secrets of the Blue Zones (4,561 points)
9. Murdaugh Murders: A Southern Scandal (4,428 points)
10. Formula 1: Drive to Survive (4,350 points)
11. Our Planet (4,298 points)
12. The Billionaire, The Butler, and the Boyfriend (4,206 points)
13. Robbie Williams (3,972 points)
14. Catching Killers (3,197 points)
15. Get Gotti (2,948 points)
16. Inside the World’s Toughest Prisons (2,917 points)
17. Who Killed Jill Dando? (2,641 points)
18. Encounters (2,477 points)
19. Till Murder Do Us Part: Soering vs. Haysom (2,402 points)
20. Queen Cleopatra (2,368 points)
21. How to Become a Mob Boss (2,292 points)
22. McGregor Forever (2,236 points)
23. Escaping Twin Flames (2,178 points)
24. Big Vape: The Rise and Fall of Juul (2,087 points)
25. At Home with the Furys (1,850 points)

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Most Popular Documentaries on Netflix in 2023 in the US

Looking at the US top 10s throughout 2023, we can see a few common themes. Sports do exceedingly well in the documentary space, and the US loves its crime documentaries.

The Hatchet Wielding Hitchhiker, which captured headlines during and long after its Netflix arrival, took the top spot in the US top 10s for 2023.

1. The Hatchet Wielding Hitchhiker (108 points)
2. Untold: Johnny Football (92 points)
3. Take Care of Maya (91 points)
4. Pamela, A Love Story (65 points)
5. The Devil on Trial (64 points)
6. Anna Nicole Smith: You Don’t Know Me (54 points)
7. Unknown: Cave of Bones (43 points)
8. Missing: The Lucie Blackman Case (40 points)
9. Untold: Hall of Shame (39 points)
10. Money Shot: The Pornhub Story (38 points)
11. Unknown: Cosmic Time Machine (32 points)
12. Poisoned: The Dirty Truth About Your Food (31 points)
13. Sly (29 points)
14. Scout’s Honor: The Secret Files of the Boy Scouts of America (26 points)
15. The Pez Outlaw (25 points)
16. A Life Too Short: The Isabella Nardoni Case (24 points)
17. Hell Camp: Teen Nightmare (23 points)
18. The Kill Team (21 points)
19. Kevin Hart & Chris Rock: Headliners Only (19 points)
20. Wham! (18 points)
21. The Deepest Breath (17 points)
22. Buried: The 1982 Alpine Meadows Avalanche (17 points)
23. Victim/Suspect (16 points)
24. Unknown: The Lost Pyramid (14 points)
25. The Light We Carry: Michelle Obama and Oprah Winfrey (7 points)

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Most Popular Docu-series on Netflix in 2023 in the US

When it comes to documentary series, this list you’ll see the most difference from the global charts, with very US-specific docuseries taking home more points. For example, Murdaugh Murders featured ninth globally but took the top spot in the US partly because of the news media surrounding it and the fact the story didn’t travel either back when it happened or today abroad.

Likewise, the NFL documentary series Quarterback is nowhere to be seen in the global charts but dominates in the US.

1. Murdaugh Murders: A Southern Scandal (325 points)
2. Beckham (182 points)
3. Quarterback (174 points)
4. Bad Surgeon: Love Under the Knife (126 points)
5. Escaping Twin Flames (121 points)
6. Depp V Heard (118 points)
7. Life on Our Planet (116 points)
8. Get Gotti (109 points)
9. Untold: Swamp Kings (103 points)
10. Till Murder Do Us Part: Soering vs. Haysom (101 points)
11. Catching Killers (100 points)
12. MH370: The Plane That Disappeared (94 points)
13. World War II: From the Frontlines (89 points)
14. Encounters (86 points)
15. Our Planet (86 points)
16. Full Swing (83 points)
17. Muscles & Mayhem: An Unauthorized Story of American Gladiators (78 points)
18. Emergency: NYC (76 points)
19. Live to 100: Secrets of the Blue Zones (68 points)
20. Waco: American Apocalypse (65 points)
21. Arnold (59 points)
22. Madoff: The Monster of Wall Street (52 points)
23. Hoarders (52 points)
24. How to Become a Cult Leader (51 points)
25. American Manhunt: The Boston Marathon Bombing (48 points)

What was your favorite new documentary or docu-series on Netflix in 2023? Let us know in the comments.