STREAMING

The Best Documentaries on HBO Max Right Now (October 2026)

By Matt Oakes · October 25, 2026

HBO has been a home for prestige nonfiction for decades, and its streaming library still runs deep. These are the ones worth your time, led by David Byrne’s American Utopia, Roadrunner: A Film About Anthony Bourdain, and Mommy Dead and Dearest, each a documentary I’ve reviewed or ranked among the best of its year.

Every pick links to where it’s streaming, and the list gets refreshed as titles come and go.

Critics and Audience scores from Rotten Tomatoes; ratings from IMDb. Scores as of October 2026.

DAVID BYRNE’S AMERICAN UTOPIA (2020)

Spike Lee films David Byrne’s Broadway show, a joyous, barefoot, untethered spectacle of Talking Heads classics and newer songs performed by a dazzling international ensemble. It’s a concert film with a big heart and an even bigger groove.▶ Streaming on HBO Max

ROADRUNNER: A FILM ABOUT ANTHONY BOURDAIN (2021)

91%Critics 94%Audience 7.7IMDb

Morgan Neville’s involving documentary puts Anthony Bourdain’s travels and struggles into razor sharp focus, creating a compelling and full-bodied portrait of an ambitious journeyman, a restless searcher, a semi-charmed lover, and a crestfallen philosopher.▶ Streaming on HBO Max · Read the full review

MOMMY DEAD AND DEAREST (2017)

The story of Gypsy Rose Blanchard, whose mother faked her daughter’s illnesses for years until Gypsy and her boyfriend killed her. Erin Lee Carr’s documentary is a chilling, empathetic look at Munchausen syndrome by proxy and a crime with no easy villains.▶ Streaming on HBO Max

AMY (2015)

It’s easy to forget that even the most self-destructive celebrities are simply people. Asif Kapadia tells Amy Winehouse’s story almost entirely through home video and archival footage, and the result is intimate, devastating, and a damning look at the industry and tabloids that fed on her.▶ Streaming on HBO Max · Read the full review

NAVALNY (2022)

Daniel Roher follows Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny as he recovers from a nerve-agent poisoning and investigates his own would-be assassins. It plays like a spy thriller, and it won the Oscar for Best Documentary Feature.▶ Streaming on HBO Max

INTRODUCING, SELMA BLAIR (2021)

Selma Blair documents her life with multiple sclerosis as she undergoes an intensive stem cell treatment, with humor, candor, and fierce vulnerability. It’s an unflinching, surprisingly funny portrait of an actor taking control of her own story.▶ Streaming on HBO Max

IN THE SAME BREATH (2021)

Nanfu Wang charts the early days of COVID-19 in Wuhan and the United States, documenting how both governments shaped and suppressed the truth. It’s an angry, clarifying account of what disinformation does in a crisis, and of the people who paid for it.▶ Streaming on HBO Max

THERE IS NO "I" IN THREESOME (2021)

A filmmaker and his fiancée open up their relationship before their wedding and document the fallout, turning the camera on their own messy, funny, and revealing experiment. It’s a candid look at love, jealousy, and the stories couples tell themselves.▶ Streaming on HBO Max

SUPER/MAN: THE CHRISTOPHER REEVE STORY (2024)

Ian Bonhôte and Peter Ettedgui trace Christopher Reeve’s life from his rise as Superman to the riding accident that left him paralyzed and the activism that followed. Built around home movies and his children’s memories, it’s a moving tribute to a real-life hero.▶ Streaming on HBO Max

ROBIN WILLIAMS: COME INSIDE MY MIND (2018)

Marina Zenovich’s portrait of Robin Williams uses his own words and rare footage to trace his manic genius from stand-up clubs to movie stardom. It’s funny, warm, and ultimately heartbreaking, a fitting tribute to a performer like no other.▶ Streaming on HBO Max