The Best HBO Documentaries Of The Last Few Years

Ranker Film
Updated December 8, 2022 1k votes 186 voters
Voting Rules
Vote for the best HBO original documentaries released since January 1, 2019.

Over the years, a series of innovative and informative HBO documentary movies have left viewers captivated and curious. The best HBO documentaries feature topics such as true crime, animal cruelty, iconic historical figures, and political issues. What are the best recent HBO documentary films? This list will help decide. 

Which original HBO documentaries will you find here? If you're interested in true crime, you can check out Mommy Dead and Dearest. To explore topical political issues, try An Apology to Elephants or Going Clear: Scientology and the Prison Belief. For films about iconic figures, check out Bright Lights: Starring Carrie Fisher and Debbie Reynolds or Love, Marilyn.

This list of new HBO docs shows all the most acclaimed documentaries released by HBO since 2019. Which new HBO documentaries do you think stand out? Vote for the best documentaries below. 

Photo: The Inventor: Out for Blood in Silicon Valley / HBO
Ranked by
  • What’s My Name: Muhammad Ali
    1

    What’s My Name: Muhammad Ali

    Muhammad Ali, Jim Brown, Diana Ross
    12 votes
    • Released: 2019
    • Directed by: Antoine Fuqua
    What’s My Name: Muhammad Ali is a 2019 documentary film, directed by Antoine Fuqua, based on the life of Muhammad Ali. One of the most iconic figures in athletic history, Muhammad Ali's incredible ...more
  • Woodstock 99: Peace, Love, and Rage
    2

    Woodstock 99: Peace, Love, and Rage

    Carson Daly, Black Thought, Maureen Callahan
    5 votes
    • Released: 2021
    • Directed by: Garret Price
    Woodstock 99: Peace, Love, and Rage is a 2021 American documentary film directed by Garret Price. Woodstock 99, a three-day music festival promoted to echo unity and counterculture idealism of the ...more
  • Leaving Neverland
    3

    Leaving Neverland

    Wade Robson, James Safechuck, Michael Jackson
    30 votes
    • Released: 2019
    • Directed by: Dan Reed
    Leaving Neverland is a 2019 documentary film directed and produced by British filmmaker Dan Reed. Leaving Neverland describes how Michael Jackson allegedly began relationships with two young fans, ...more
  • The Inventor: Out for Blood in Silicon Valley
    4

    The Inventor: Out for Blood in Silicon Valley

    Errol Morris, Elizabeth Holmes, Tyler Shultz
    22 votes
    • Released: 2019
    • Directed by: Alex Gibney
    The Inventor: Out for Blood in Silicon Valley is 2019 American documentary film, directed and produced by Alex Gibney. The story of Theranos, a multi-billion dollar tech company, its founder ...more
  • Tina
    5

    Tina

    Angela Bassett, Tina Turner, Oprah Winfrey
    6 votes
    • Released: 2021
    • Directed by: Daniel Lindsay, T.J. Martin
    Tina is an 2021 American-British music documentary film, directed by Dan Lindsay and T. J. Martin. A revealing and intimate look at the life and career of musical icon Tina Turner, charting her ...more

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  • The Apollo
    6

    The Apollo

    Jamie Foxx, Patti LaBelle, Smokey Robinson
    8 votes
    • Released: 2019
    • Directed by: Roger Ross Williams
    The Apollo is a 2019 American documentary directed by Roger Ross Williams. An in-depth look at the history of New York City's Apollo Theater in Harlem.