Pictured: F1: Drive to Survive, Halftime and The Tinder Swindler
One of the best things about Netflix is its expansive and growing library of enticing documentaries. In 2022, we’ve seen over 56 Netflix Original docu-series and documentaries added and below, we’re going to compile to top 10 most popular according to the Netflix top 10s.
This list is compiled using points totals via FlixPatrol who collects the daily top 10 movie and TV charts assigning points values to each position with 10 points awarded to the number 1 show/movie that day and 1 point to the tenth most popular. They then add all of them up which allows us to get a good idea of what’s trending around the world.
We’ll also be fetching hourly data released by Netflix themselves.
Without further ado, here are the most popular documentary and docu-series on Netflix in 2022 so far.
1. The Tinder Swindler
Top 10 Points: 22, 707
Hours Viewed: 172.13M hours between January 30th, 2022 and March 6th, 2022
Picture: Raw Television
Not only has The Tinder Swindler gotten the most points of any new documentary/docu-series of 2022 it’s also, believe it or not, the most popular title in terms of picking up positions in the top 10 than any movie in 2022 beating out The Adam Project with 22,307 points.
The Tinder Swindler earns itself the elite status of being one of the few Netflix documentaries to blow up around the world garnering headlines from press around the world and your social media timeline bursting with memes and theories.
Viewed from the perspective of victims, this documentary builds up a case against a man who posed as a wealthy jet-setting mogul who dated and conned women out of millions.
2. Formula 1: Drive to Survive (Season 4)
Top 10 Points: 5,494
Hours Viewed: 57.03M hours viewed between March 6th and March 20th
Formula 1: Drive to Survive – Picture: Box to Box Films
Accruing the second most points in 2022 so far is the fourth season of the Formula 1 documentary series Drive to Survive from Box to Box Films.
Every year for the past four, Netflix has released a docuseries recapping the highs and lows of the previous Formula 1 season and season 4 in particular was highly anticipated given the controversial events of the final race of the 2021 season that made headlines around the world.
The success of Drive to Survive is hard to quantify but it has led to a string of other sporting docuseries being commissioned.
3. Halftime
Top 10 Points: 4,499
Hours Viewed: 27.25M hours between June 12th and June 26th, 2022
Halftime with Jennifer Lopez
Netflix is all-in on Jennifer Lopez with multiple projects starring the singer/actress in development but coming to Netflix in June 2022 was the documentary that serves as a retrospective on the career and life of Lopez.
Attracting good reviews and demonstrating the global stardom of J.Lo, this docuseries hung around in the movie top 10s for weeks and has only just left the top 10s in Sweden and Lithuania in the last few days.
4. Our Father
Top 10 Points: 4,244
Hours Viewed: 42.60M between May 8th and May 29th, 2022
Our Father – Picture: Netflix
One of two Blumhouse Television documentaries to feature in this list is Our Father which comes from director Lucie Jourdan.
The hour and a half documentary follows the story of a doctor who is seemingly the father to multiple babies as he conducts illegal and immoral activity while working as their fertility doctor.
The documentary released on May 11th around the world.
5. Worst Roommate Ever
Top 10 Points: 3,647
Hours Viewed: 78.67M hours viewed between February 27th and March 13th
Picture: Netflix
The second of the Blumhouse documentaries to feature on this list is a TV mini-series that was released on March 1st.
Consisting of 5 episodes, the docuseries sought to tell true stories unveiling some of the worst cohabitation experiences one could ever imagine.
Excellent production values and riveting subject matters have earned it superb reviews and that’s no doubt why it managed to achieve fifth position on this list.
6. Girl in the Picture
Top 10 Points: 3,602
Hours Viewed: 28.38M hours viewed between July 3rd and July 10th
Picture: Netflix
Released on July 6th, this riveting documentary that has you lured in from its unsettling artwork and enticing description has you going down a deep rabbit hole.
Here’s the synopsis of the hour and 42-minute long documentary:
“A woman found dying by a road leaves behind a son, a man claiming to be her husband — and a mystery that unfolds like a nightmare.”
At the time of publishing, this title was still in the top 10s in most regions around the world so is more than likely to climb higher in the list when we come to update it later in the year.
7. Keep Sweet: Pray and Obey
Top 10 Points: 3,552
Hours Viewed: 58.78M hours viewed between June 5th and June 19th
Picture: Netflix
This documentary series, yet another crime series, sets its eyes on the church leader Warren Jeffs who ran the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.
All four episodes of Keep Sweet: Pray and Obey dropped onto Netflix on June 10th, 2022 but the convicted church leader has been the focus of Netflix before. He notably featured in the episode about cult leaders in the 2018 docuseries Inside the Criminal Mind. The docuseries carries a 91% critics rating on RottenTomatoes.
8. The Mystery of Marilyn Monroe: The Unheard Tapes
Top 10 Points: 3,362
Hours Viewed: 22.95M hours viewed between April 24th and May 8th
From director Emma Cooper, this documentary proves that Marilyn Monroe is still a mystical figure around the globe. With unheard interviews from people close to the famed actress and model, this documentary delivers the quintessential doc on the life of Marilyn Monroe.
9. Downfall: The Case Against Boeing
Top 10 Points: 3,207
Hours Viewed: 7.42M hours viewed between February 13th and February 20th
Downfall: The Case Against Boeing
Coming from director Rory Kennedy, this documentary examines the controversies surrounding a company you’ve all likely used in the past if you’ve flown anywhere, Boeing.
The documentary seeks to inform on the recent woes the company has faced and how investigators unveiled how the airplane producer prioritized profit over safety which led to the death of dozens.
10. Trust No One: The Hunt for the Crypto King
Top 10 Points: 2,991
Hours Viewed: 12.07M between March 27th to April 3rd
Picture: Netflix
Cryptocurrency has had a bit of a rocky year when it comes to its price but for years the new wave of technology has been controversial and perhaps even more controversial are the figures behind the emerging coins.
This documentary from director Luke Sewell looks into the sudden death of a young entrepreneur who founded a cryptocurrency exchange that crashed in a speculator fashion.
What’s been your favorite documentary of 2022 so far on Netflix? Let us know in the comments.
