Documentaries have been part of streaming’s bread and butter to draw in viewers. Here are some of 2022’s most popular ones so far!
Documentaries are experiencing a renaissance right now. From music docs like Jeen-Yuhs: A Kanye Trilogy and the Academy Award-winning Summer of Soul to crime stories like Bad Vegan, Worst Roommate Ever, and Night Stalker, they’re highly watchable and binge-able. They break through the noise on social media in a way that original films sometimes can’t as these are real stories even if sensationalized. Here are some of the recently released documentaries worth checking out this year!
The Tinder Swindler – Netflix
This is the must-see documentary of 2022 so far. It’s a cautionary tale featuring a con man in an age of online dating. The Tinder Swindler features the shocking story of scam artist Shimon Hayut, better known by his alias Simon Leviev, posing as a rich diamond mogul’s son. He would woo women with expensive gifts and clothing and then desperately ask them for money only to never pay them back. It’s a shocking but gripping documentary.
Trust No One: The Hunt for The Crypto King – Netflix
Scam and fraud documentaries in a limited series format are the breakouts of 2022, from Tinder to now Crypto. An early investor in the world of crypto, Canadian millionaire Gerry Cotten launched his own Crypto platform in 2014 called QuadrigaCX for Bitcoin transactions. Over the years, it grew in wealth and users while Gerry maintained all the keys even through rough periods. When he mysteriously dies of an illness while abroad, investors doubt the story. This is a shocking documentary with crazy theories like ties to the mob and a mysterious wife?
Gaming Wall Street – HBO Max
While 2022 may be the year of the con documentary, 2021 also started off with a stunning story. The meteoric rise in the price of Gamestop stock as a group of investors and WallStreetBets on Reddit stuck it to those established financial institutions shorting the stock. In the end, they pulled off one of the biggest shocks to the brokerage financial system in modern history. Wryly narrated by Succession’s Kieran Culkin, the documentary takes the point of view of the everyday investors. Using an internet-friendly style of memes and offbeat jokes, it’s a fun watch but also establishes people finding a way to stick up for themselves and against the system. You may know the story, but not as deep as this.
Tony Hawk: Until The Wheels Fall Off – HBO Max
Tony Hawk, a sports icon from the 1980s through the 2000s, was one of the biggest skaters in the world. Based on archival footage and interviews, Hawk and skaters of the era reflect on the times of early skateboarding, through its fall in popularity and then to its rise again. Hawk worked hard every day to become the GOAT, and the documentary shows the dedication of those skaters who still skate to this day. Unlike other skateboarding documentaries, this one goes beyond his career and focuses on his personal life and his relationship with skateboarding.
All of these have been released and are available to watch now but Netflix has one releasing very soon that promises new revelations on one of Hollywood’s biggest unsolved mysteries.
The Mystery of Marilyn Monroe: The Unheard Tapes- April 27th
The circumstances of Marilyn’s death are still questioned and are the subject of many conspiracy theories. The LAPD even reopened the case into her death in the 80s. Now, this documentary reveals unheard tapes from her closest friends in an attempt to shine a light on her death and hopefully be able to find closure.
These are our picks. Let us know if you have any other recommendations in the comments or on Twitter @AfterBuzzTV!
