Nat Geo
Netflix usually steals the spotlight when it comes to documentaries available on streaming platforms, but if you’re only looking there for interesting, investigative filmmaking, you’re really missing out. That’s because Hulu, that on-demand service that lets you catch up on new episodes of your favorite shows, has decided to dip its toe into the genre. Actually, scratch that, Hulu has decided to cannonball into the deep end when it comes to documentaries. Don’t believe us? Here are some of the better titles in their impressive arsenal.
Related: The Best Documentaries On Netflix Right Now
Hulu
Batman and Bill (2017)
Run Time: 93 min | IMDb: 8.2/10
Another Hulu doc, this one looks at the uncredited creator of one of the most beloved superheroes of our generation. For more than 75 years, comic book lovers believed Bob Kane was responsible for the caped crusader only for director Don Argott to shatter that myth with his film about Bill Finger, a struggling writer who imagined the concept and costume of the character before Kane. Not only does this doc get to the meat of a famous piece of pop culture, it also explores the delicate balance between creator and creation.
Magnolia Pictures
Freakonomics (2010)
Run Time: 85 min | IMDb: 6.4/10
Freakonomics shows what happens when a journalist and an economist get together to determine how society functions. The doc, based on the best-selling book, examines everything from high-school test scores to the prison population and ethnic diversity, all through a statistical lense. Their case? If you can determine what a person’s incentives are, you can predict how they’ll behave.
Cinedigm
Hungry For Change (2012)
Run Time: 89 min | IMDb: 7.5/10
There are a lot of diets out there fighting for your hard-earned dollars. A lot of them are straight up scams. Hungry For Change looks at both sides of the health and diet coin and asks how we got to a place where our government looks the other way at a food economy that’s killing us and a dieting industry that’s more concerned with shedding us of our money rather than excess weight.
It’s as frustrating as it’s eye-opening — especially if you’re thinking of paying for that “sure thing” diet in the near future.
Hulu
Tiny Shoulders (2018)
Run Time: 91 min | IMDb: 6.9/10
Gloria Steinem, Roxanne Gay, and a slew of fellow feminists and historians explore the origins of the tiny doll that’s come to shape our culture. Whether you owned one or not, Barbie’s undoubtedly influenced everything from fashion to women’s rights – it’s a celebrated icon and a controversial figure. The doc traces the toy’s beginnings and looks ahead to its future, all while addressing important issues like gender equality and sexual harassment.
Nat Geo
Jane (2017)
Run Time: 90 min | IMDb: 7.8/10
Brett Morgen gives us an ode to celebrated primatologist, ethologist, and anthropologist Jane Goodall with this simply-named doc that explores her scientific beginnings. Before she became one of the leading voices in the community thanks to her revolutionary work with chimpanzees, Goodall fought against the male-dominated climate of her time, asserting her right to challenge the status quo and eventually open minds to things like conservative efforts and primate genealogy.
Sundance Selects
Ai Weiwei Never Sorry (2012)
Run Time: 91 min, IMDb: 7.6/10
Part one of the fascinating yet completely unintentional Ai Weiwei documentary saga is Alison Klayman’s thrilling biography of the Chinese dissident artist and political provocateur. Klayman had the good fortune to catch Ai during his period of greatest freedom, as the globetrotter defaces symbols of Chinese heritage and outwardly challenges the government on social media. Never Sorry is a profile of the artist as the people’s hero, and a swift rejoinder to those who find the art world “boring.” And all would seem to be well for the cause of the lone voice against the regime, at least until the events in the doc’s follow-up, Ai Weiwei: The Fake Case.
Magnolia Pictures
A Place at the Table (2012)
Run Time: 84 min | IMDb: 6.9/10
Jeff Bridges and Chef Tom Colicchio join forces for this eye-opening doc about America’s child hunger problem. Food insecurity is something that affects plenty of third-world countries but what’s most surprising is how many Americans – 50 million or so – go hungry every day because they can’t afford to feed themselves. The doc centers on three stories – a mother in Philadelphia, a fifth-grader in Colorado, and a second-grader in the South – to paint a picture of how prevalent this food crisis really is.
MGM
Bowling for Columbine (2002) (requires Showtime)
Run Time: 120 min | IMDb: 8/10
Praised as one of the greatest documentaries ever made, Michael Moore’s investigation into the Columbine massacre and what fueled two teens to launch an attack on their own classmates is a riveting look at how everything from gun culture and fear-based marketing to politics and world wars has led to America’s violent gun-death ranking. There’s a lot to digest in the two hours of footage, none of it particularly good, but it’s a necessary watch given that we have yet to solve our mass shooting problem.
Getty Image
The Beatles: Eight Days A Week (2016)
Run Time: 137 min | IMDb: 7.8/10
Set during the touring years of The Beatles’ career, from 1962-1966, director Ron Howard crafts an intimate portrayal of the world’s most popular band with the help of both Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr, along with widows Yoko Ono and Olivia Harrison. Featuring 4K restorations of some of the band’s most memorable concerts, this documentary is a must for any film lover, Beatles fan or otherwise.
ABC
Too Funny To Fail (2017)
Run Time: 92 min | IMDb: 7.9/10
Some lighter fare, this Hulu-backed doc examines the rise and (inevitable) fall of one of the most underrated sketch comedy series to exist on TV. The Dana Carvey Show boasted a well-known star and some enviable talent – Stephen Colbert, Steve Carrell, Bill Hader and other starred on it before becoming household names – but it crashed and burned, rather gloriously. The film gives us a look at the whys and hows of its ultimate demise, with plenty of laughs thrown in for good measure.
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