Hulu may not have the robust documentary selection of its streaming rivals, but it does have access to National Geographic, History originals, and recently released documentaries including a potential Oscar winner. The most prominent new addition to Hulu’s documentary lineup is Joan Baez: I Am a Noise, which features the iconic singer sharing intimate details about her life for the first time.
The aforementioned Oscar-contender is The Last Repair Shop, which is also available on Hulu. Another documentary currently turning heads is The Space Race, which unfolds the largely forgotten history of the first Black men in space, and the one who missed his chance decades earlier through no fault of his own. That’s just the beginning of what you’ll find in our list of the best documentaries on Hulu right now. So sit back and prepare to expand your horizons.
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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The Last Repair Shop2024
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The Space Race2023
Joan Baez: I Am a Noise (2023) new
In 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 Last Repair Shop (2024) new
The Last Repair Shop is up for an Oscar for Best Short Documentary at the 2024 Academy Awards, and Hulu subscribers can now watch it at home. This documentary is about a shop devoted to repairing musical instruments for the students in the Los Angeles Public School system.
Through candid interviews with the repair shop staff and a handful of students, the documentary paints a picture of the men and women whose passion for their work has helped countless children follow their interest in music. Without the people working in this shop, the kids wouldn’t have many options when their instruments break down. And sometimes, that can make all the difference in the world.
The Space Race (2023) new
Who 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)
The League (2023)
Drunk Stoned Brilliant Dead: The Story of the National Lampoon (2015)
Not Going Quietly (2021)
The Jewel Thief (2023)
Too Funny to Fail: The Life & Death of The Dana Carvey Show (2017)
Hold Your Fire (2021)
Three Minutes: A Lengthening (2021)
Look At Me: XXXTentacion (2022)
Rapper 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)
GameStop 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)
Enemies of the State (2021)
Kurt Vonnegut: Unstuck in Time (2021)
The State of Texas vs. Melissa (2021)
Summer of Soul (...or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised) (2021)
Pharma Bro (2021)
The First Wave (2021)
Dead Asleep (2021)
Dear Santa (2020)
Jacinta (2021)
The Waiting Room (2012)
Totally Under Control (2020)
Homeroom (2021)
McCartney 3, 2, 1 (2021)
Changing the Game (2019)
A Glitch in the Matrix (2021)
The Orange Years: The Nickelodeon Story (2020)
Some Kind of Heaven (2021)
MLK/FBI (2021)
WeWork: or The Making and Breaking of a $47 Billion Unicorn (2021)
Sasquatch (2021)
kid 90 (2021)
Collective (2020)
Derek DelGaudio's In & of Itself (2020)
I Am Greta (2020)
Minding the Gap (2018)
Three Identical Strangers (2018)
Fyre Fraud (2019)
We Are Freestyle Love Supreme (2020)
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