Netflix has got it going on in the documentary space in August, with the chilling The Idaho Murders: College Nightmares still holding strong in the streamer’s top 3 TV shows on the U.S. charts, which says a lot about where subscriber attention is pointed right now. But the month is just getting warmed up, with three more documentary titles landing in the last few days.
First up is a cool limited series about a swaggering football (read: soccer) manager, followed by another three-part true-crime profile of one of the most notorious killers ever, and my top pick this weekend, a totally bingeable and enlightening food series with an effervescent host.
Mourinho
The Special One tells his remarkable soccer story
I know the World Cup has come and gone, but for those still hanging on, this new limited series will be well worth your time. From the folks behind the Emmy-winning Netflix series Beckham, and directed by the guy behind the streamer’s Robbie Williams series, Mourinho delivers the same treatment to legendary football manager, José Mourinho.
Filmed over two years, the three-parter traces the enigmatic and feisty manager’s career, cleverly broken up in chunks of his life—2004, 2007, and 2010—meandering through his biggest moments, including his massive underdog Champions League victory with FC Porto, him declaring himself the “Special One” as he rocketed Chelsea into a powerhouse team, his incredible peak at Inter Milan, and his tumultuous time with Real Madrid.
Told mostly in his own words, Mourinho stacks copious amounts of archival, gameplay, and press conference footage in each episode, but also includes some candid sit-down interviews with those in the know, like Sir Alex Ferguson, Frank Lampard, and John Terry, to name a few.
Conversations with a Killer: The Charles Manson Tapes
Chilling unreleased audio tapes help profile the notorious killer
Acclaimed documentary filmmaker Joe Berlinger has a laundry list of incredible films with his name on them, including the stark and revealing Metallica: Some Kind of Monster, and is also no stranger to compelling, in-depth true-crime trilogies, with his Emmy-winning Paradise Lost trio about the West Memphis Three. In more recent years, Netflix has provided Berlinger a home for his latest series, Conversations with a Killer, the fifth and final chapter of which, The Charles Manson Tapes, is streaming as of August 12.
After taking us through Conversations with Ted Bundy, John Wayne Gacy, Jeffrey Dahmer, and Son of Sam, Berlinger caps it off with arguably the most notorious of them, Manson. The hook here is the three-part series’ haunting and revealing prison phone calls with Manson, most never heard publicly before—some incoherent, some manic, some preachy—that are sprinkled throughout the series.
Broken into three episodes—The Family, The Devil’s Business, and Trial of the Century—The Charles Manson Tapes isn’t so much about the tapes as it is a journey through his sordid life. It recounts how he recruited young, drifting women to follow him, through the 1969 Tate-LaBianca killings, and the chaos of the following trial in 1971. It’s a well-produced and bingeable watch that includes compelling archival footage and first-hand accounts from many involved, including living former members of the Manson Family.
What’s Eating Dan?
Forty snackable episodes on why food does what it does
If you read these weekly roundups of Netflix docs regularly, you might know that I’m a big fan of capping them off with a nice palate cleanser when I can, so I’m happy to include, as my top pick this weekend, 40 gloriously snackable mini episodes of the James Beard Award-nominated YouTube series, What’s Eating Dan?
From the culinary experts at America’s Test Kitchen, What’s Eating Dan?is a brilliantly produced series hosted by ATK chief content officer and former editor-in-chief of Cook’s Illustrated, Dan Souza. In the quick episodes—between five and 10 minutes each—Souza takes one ingredient or one cooking technique and clearly and succinctly details what it is and why it does the things it does, before handing you a recipe based on it.
Episodes are fascinating and demystify the science and biology behind food staples like onions (the wonders of alliinase and why they make you cry), and things like why you shouldn’t snap the ends off asparagus, how to shop for good olive oil, and how to make the best homemade burger. Souza’s straightforward and cheerful presentation is combined with helpful illustrations that drive each point home.
Keeping your watch list stocked
An enigmatic soccer manager’s career in three episodes, a notorious killer’s creepy prison tapes, and a very serious conversation about onions—not a bad range for a weekend. But that’s how documentaries on Netflix seem to roll these days. If you’re also looking for more docs to watch on other streaming services, I run those down each week as well for Paramount+ and HBO Max.
