This Week In Documentary
Theatrical & Streaming Releases - New & Recommended - July 17-23, 2026
Now that we’re into the second half of 2026, this year’s awards season for nonfiction releases has officially begun. Emmy nominations have already been announced, and the Critics Choice Association has just begun accepting submissions for the 11th annual Critics Choice Documentary Awards (which I co-founded and executive produce). Also, many critics, including yours truly, have published lists of the best documentaries of 2026 so far. And Deadline’s Matthew Carey is already discussing early contenders for the Oscar for Best Documentary Feature on his Doc Talk podcast.
All but one of our most anticipated films of 2026 have premiered (the last one, Penny Lane’s Wild Inside, arrives this month), and many of those have made their commercial debut as well. Other late reveals that didn’t make that list are still to come, such as Alex Gibney’s Musk and Ava DuVernay’s 14th (a sequel to her Oscar-nominated film 13th), and we still have the fall festival titles to look forward to. Somehow, it feels like the year in documentary is already winding down but also just getting started.
Without further ado, below are this week’s documentary highlights, followed by daily listings for all known releases and broadcasts, along with a brief look at what’s coming soon for doc fans (including a new Oasis film). Please consider becoming a paid subscriber to receive more in-depth highlights and reviews in the future, plus full access to special posts like our best-of lists, and to give me more time to watch more (if not everything) available. If you have a doc needing coverage or a mention, you can now reach us at nonficseditor (at) gmail.
Nonfics Picks Of The Week: American Pachuco: The Legend Of Luis Valdez (2026)
I love a unique and creatively done narration. Edward James Olmos lends his voice to this documentary in character as “El Pachuco,” reprising his breakout stage role from Luis Valdez’s 1979 play Zoot Suit. The idea is perfectly executed, fitting the film’s tone and elevating it above the usual biographical fare. For those wanting the conventional elements, too, it’s otherwise a mix of archival footage and talking heads (including Olmos as himself) celebrating its subject.
American Pachuco: The Legend of Luis Valdez profiles the titular playwright and filmmaker, best known to mainstream audiences for writing and directing La Bamba. In a centerpiece interview, Valdez tells most of his own story and explains the meaning of much of his work. Olmos’s “Pachuco” provides more historical and cultural context, such as the origin of the term "Chicano” and the background of the Zoot Suit Riots. And he does so in a way that gives the documentary a distinct attitude.
As a kid, I went to see La Bamba a few times, helping make it a hit without any awareness of how difficult it was to get made or the importance of its success. I came away with a greater appreciation for the movie beyond being your average music biopic, both for how personal it was for Valdez and for its depiction of the divide between cultural identity and assimilation. The documentary also delivers some much-needed education on the Chicano Civil Rights Movement and Chicano theater.
American Pachuco: The Legend of Luis Valdez will be released in theaters on Friday, July 17, 2026, and will be broadcast on PBS this fall via American Masters.
Other Documentary Highlights
The Dating Game (2025) & POV Season 39
The 39th season of POV begins this week on PBS with the broadcast premiere of The Dating Game. The documentary feature follows a few attendees of a week-long dating camp in Chongqing as they’re coached on how to get women to go out with them and maybe eventually marry. The film, at its core, is focused on the issue of China having 30 million more men than women thanks to the nation’s former one-child policy. In addition to the primary narrative following the three campers, director Violet Du Feng (Hidden Letters) shares glimpses of matchmaking events and the growing trend where women prefer virtual boyfriends on AI romance apps to real men.
As a result of wanting to include so much, The Dating Game loses its way a few times and is imbalanced in its structure. I wonder if there was a realization that the dating camp stuff was too repetitive and dull to carry the film on its own. Only one of the attendees is truly memorable: 36-year-old Zhou, who doesn’t like the idea of lying, acting unlike himself, wearing different clothes, and staging dating app profile photos that don’t show the real him. Of course, that’s the whole point of the camp. But we never get to understand what he expected. There’s also, sadly, no payoff with his story.
The most interesting parts of the film are the scenes depicting the lives of the camp’s counselor, Hao, and his wife, Wen, also a dating coach. We see their marital issues and disagreements in the advice they give. The fact that The Dating Game’s epilogue, revisiting the film’s subjects one year later, is concentrated on this couple, who should have been the main characters all along. The documentary is entertaining and enlightening anyway, but it reminded me of Mistress Dispeller (also finding a new streaming home this week — see the listings below) in that it shows us this intriguing professional in China and somehow fails to captivate thoroughly with its storytelling.
The Dating Game will be broadcast on PBS on Monday, July 21, 2026, as the first episode of POV Season 39. Future installments of this season will include The Gas Station Attendant, How to Build a Library, and Ross McElwee’s Remake.
My Grandfather Charles Manson (2026)
Just when you think we don’t need another documentary about Charles Manson, here comes one that nobody else could have possibly made before. Actress and filmmaker Sophia Maddox found out a few years ago that she’s the granddaughter of Manson thanks to Ancestry.com. She teamed up with producer Alexandra Orton (both women are making their feature directorial debut with this film) to explore her discovery, with My Grandfather Charles Manson being the documented result. She learns more about the notorious cult leader and worries about what she might have inherited from him, but she also comes to understand Manson beyond the sensational.
Note: My thoughts on the film are embargoed until July 21. Come back then for my review.
My Grandfather Charles Manson premieres on Hulu on Wednesday, July 22.
Pompeii: Out Of Time (2026)
Why not cast the star of Marvel’s Loki as a “time detective,” right? Well, considering Tom Hiddleston reveals himself to be an “amateur classicist” who majored in that subject at Cambridge after his life was changed during a trip to Pompeii as a teenager, he’s anything but an obligatory celebrity host hired for his star appeal. Hiddleston is an executive producer of Pompeii: Out of Time, reuniting with Marvel Studios’ Kevin R. Wright to present a passion project that combines informative and effects-supplemented interviews with dramatizations depicting the title city’s final hours.
Note: My thoughts on the series are embargoed until July 20. Come back then for my review.
Pompeii: Out of Time will premiere all three of its episodes on National Geographic on Wednesday, July 22, 2026, and will begin streaming in full exclusively on Disney+ and Hulu on Thursday, July 23, 2026.
Solo Traveling With Tracee Ellis Ross Season 2
The first season of Solo Traveling with Tracee Ellis Ross was nominated for Best Ongoing Documentary Series at last year’s Critics Choice Documentary Awards, so I’m anxious to see if the show holds up with its sophomore season. The series continues to follow actress Tracee Ellis Ross in a celebration of traveling by oneself, this time visiting Australia, Thailand, and Switzerland. I still think it’s a funny idea for a show since Ross is technically not alone in her documented travels, but the sentiment of the premise works nonetheless.
Solo Traveling with Tracee Ellis Ross Season 2 premieres in full and begins exclusively streaming on The Roku Channel with three new episodes on Monday, July 20, 2026.
A Toxic Love Story (2026)
I’m embargoed from sharing pretty much anything — be it plot or opinion — about A Toxic Love Story other than that it’s the next notable Netflix true-crime offering. I also will just say that I watched this in the same 24-hour span as I caught up with the new hit horror movie Obsession, and doing so made me appreciate both more than I would have otherwise. Consider this the Doc Option of the week if you wish.
A Toxic Love Story premieres and begins streaming exclusively on Netflix on Wednesday, July 22, 2026.
Why We Fight (2005)
This year marked the 20th anniversary of the theatrical release of Eugene Jarecki’s Why We Fight, a documentary feature not to be confused with Frank Capra’s World War II propaganda series of the same name. This film looks at the rise of the military-industrial complex that President Eisenhower warned about as he left office in 1961. In a list I originally posted on Cinematical in 2009, Why We Fight was named the Best Expository Documentary of the 2000s. Here’s what I wrote at the time:
“Documentaries comprised primarily of talking heads and archive footage are so conventional, common and, yes, oftentimes boring that it’s a shame most people associate them with nonfiction cinema as a whole. Occasionally, though, the stringing together of facts and expert testimony can be stimulating as well as educational, such as in the case of Eugene Jarecki‘s Why We Fight, a film that says and asks so much about the questionable direction of the U.S. military in the past 50 years and the complicated origins of our current conflicts in part by referencing, with the intention of contrast, Frank Capra’s far more clear-cut expository Why We Fight films from WWII. Everything within the actual film simply and straightforwardly illustrates history and the filmmaker’s stance on it, which is all you really need from a doc.”
Why We Fight will be released on Blu-ray with a special 20th anniversary edition on Tuesday, July 21, 2026, via Sony Pictures Classics. This release comes with a commentary track with Eugene Jarecki and Col. Lawrence Wilkerson.
Documentary Release Calendar 7/17/26 - 7/23/26
Friday, July 17, 2026
American Pachuco: The Legend of Luis Valdez (2026) - A documentary feature about the titular activist and filmmaker. See our highlights section for more info and a brief review. *NONFICS PICK* (In Theaters)
Mistress Dispeller (2024) - A documentary about a woman who hired someone to stop her husband from cheating. (OVID)
Shake Hands with Danger (1980) - A safety training film concerning heavy equipment. (TCM)
Saturday, July 18, 2026
The Real Murders of Atlanta Season 4, Episode 2: “When the Music Stops” - The latest installment of an Atlanta-focused true-crime docuseries. This episode involves the death of an aspiring rapper. (Oxygen)
Sunday, July 19, 2026
The Capital City: Washington, D.C. (1940) - A short documentary installment of James A. FitzPatrick’s TravelTalks travelogue franchise that explores Washington, D.C.’s famous buildings and monuments. (TCM)
A Cinderella Named Elizabeth (1965) - A short documentary about the casting of Elizabeth Hartman in the film A Patch of Blue. (TCM)
The Food That Built America Season 7, Episode 13: “Cereal Sensations” - The latest installment of a docuseries about popular American foods. This episode involves pioneering cereal brands. (History)
Hazardous History with Henry Winkler Season 2, Episode 13: “Animal Anarchy” - The latest installment of a docuseries about dangerous toys and household items that used to be common. This episode involves disastrous activities involving animals. (History)
In the Eye of the Storm Season 4, Episode 4: “Houston Hurricane Hell” - The latest installment of a docuseries about natural disasters. This episode involves 2017’s Hurricane Harvey. (Discovery Channel)
Madeira: ‘Isle of Romance’ (1938) - A short documentary installment of James A. FitzPatrick’s TravelTalks travelogue franchise that explores Funchal, the capital of Madeira. (TCM)
On Location with: Fame (1980) - A short documentary about the making of the movie Fame. (TCM)
Monday, July 20, 2026
Colorful Bombay (1937) - A short documentary installment of James A. FitzPatrick’s TravelTalks travelogue franchise that explores the Indian city of Mumbai. (TCM)
The Dating Game (2025) - A documentary feature that follows three bachelors in China as they attend a week-long dating camp. Presented as the POV Season 39 opener. See our highlights section for more info and a brief review. (PBS)
History’s Greatest Machines with Dolph Lundgren Episode 8: “Change Agents” - The latest installment of a docuseries about the machines that shaped our world. (History)
A Killer Among Friends Season 2, Episode 1: “Secret Life of a Private Eye” - The latest installment of a true-crime docuseries about murders that tear friend groups apart. This episode involves the disappearance of a Florida woman. (Investigation Discovery)
Lethally Blonde Season 2, Episode 8: “To Live and Die in Hotlanta” - The latest installment of a true-crime docuseries involving people pursuing beauty and fame.(Investigation Discovery)
Races to Remember (1956) - A short documentary in the Sportscope franchise highlighting significant horse races of the decade. (TCM)
Solo Traveling with Tracee Ellis Ross Season 2 - The return of a travelogue series starring the titular actress. See our highlights section for more info. (The Roku Channel)
Tuesday, July 21, 2026
5 Pointz: An Historical Journey (2024) - A medium-length documentary about the titular graffiti museum. (DVD)
The Best of B.L.A.C.C. Heart: World Tour (2017) - A documentary about the rap group B.L.A.C.C. Heart. (DVD)
Dark Side of the Ring Season 7, Episode 4: “Necro Butcher vs. Samoa Joe” - The latest installment of a docuseries that shares the darkest stories of professional wrestling. (Vice)
Deformer (2000) - A short documentary about the artist and skateboarder Ed Templeton. Released as part of the Criterion Collection box set “I’ll Remind You of Everything: The Films of Mike Mills.” (4K UHD and Blu-ray)
Eating, Sleeping, Waiting and Playing (1999) - A documentary feature about the French jazz/pop/electronica duo Air. Released as part of the Criterion Collection box set “I’ll Remind You of Everything: The Films of Mike Mills.” (4K UHD and Blu-ray)
The Hidden Master (1940) - A short film about the importance of luck. (TCM)
Homestead Rescue: Intervention Season 1, Episode 2: “A Homestead Divided” - The latest installment of a docuseries that follows wilderness living experts as they save lives. (Discovery)
Kedi (2016) - A documentary feature that follows stray cats around Istanbul. Read our review of Kedi. *NONFICS PICK* (OVID)
New York City Urban Documentary Project Vol. 1 (2026) - A collection of three documentaries by Dwayne Buckle. (DVD)
Once Upon a Time in Space Episode 2: “The Russian Thing” - The second installment of a docuseries about the space race. This episode involves the Mir space station. (PBS)
The Proof is Out There: Unexplained Edition Season 2, Episode 8: “Bizarre Finds” - The latest installment of a docuseries about strange phenomena captured on camera. (History)
Saggin’ (2019) - A medium-length documentary about the titular hip-hop street style. (DVD)
The Secret of Skinwalker Ranch Season 7, Episode 10: “The Twilight Zones” - The latest installment of a docuseries about UFO phenomena at the Skinwalker Ranch. (History)
Who’s Superstitious? (1943) - A short documentary examining various superstitions. (TCM)
Why We Fight (2005) - A documentary feature by Eugene Jarecki on the rise of the military-industrial complex. *NONFICS PICK*(Blu-ray)
WWE: Unreal Season 3 - The return of a docuseries that goes behind the scenes of the titular wrestling organization. (Netflix)
Wednesday, July 22, 2026
911: Did the Killer Call? Season 2, Episode 2: “The Sound of Fear” - The latest installment of a true-crime docuseries about cases where the murderer is on the 911 call. (Investigation Discovery)
Decade for Decision (1957) - A short documentary about the threat of the Soviet launch of the first satellite, Sputnik. (TCM)
Duck and Cover (1952) - A short instructional film on how to survive a nuclear attack. (TCM)
ER: Caught on Camera Season 1, Episode 3 - The latest installment of a docuseries in which medical patients recall experiences in hospital emergency rooms. (TLC)
For All Mankind (1989) - An Oscar-nominated feature documentary about NASA’s missions to the Moon. *NONFICS PICK* (TCM)
Fortune Seekers (1956) - A short documentary about simple inventions we now take for granted, including bobby pins and cellophane tape. (TCM)
The House in the Middle (1954) - A short film sponsored by the National Paint, Varnish and Lacquer Association about how fresh paint could benefit your home during an atomic blast. (TCM)
My Grandfather Charles Manson (2026) - A documentary co-directed by and about Charles Manson’s granddaughter, Sophia Maddox. See our highlights section for more info and a brief review. *NONFICS PICK* (Hulu)
Pompeii: Out of Time (2026) - A three-part docuseries starring Tom Hiddleston about the final hours of Pompeii before the catastrophic eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD. See our highlights section for more info and a brief review. *NONFICS PICK*(National Geographic)
A Toxic Love Story (2026) - A true-crime documentary about a case involving a woman convicted of stalking her ex-boyfriend and his pregnant wife. See our highlights section for more info. (Netflix)
Thursday, July 23, 2026
The Man Will Burn Episode 3 - The third installment of a four-part docuseries by Jehane Noujaim (The Square) and Vikram Gandhi (Kumare) about Burning Man. Read our review of The Man Will Burn. *NONFICS PICK* (HBO and HBO Max)
MGM Parade Show #8 (1955) - This installment of the behind-the-scenes docuseries showcases Katharine Hepburn and Cary Grant in The Philadelphia Story. (TCM)
Pompeii: Out of Time (2026) - A three-part docuseries starring Tom Hiddleston about the final hours of Pompeii before the catastrophic eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD. See our highlights section for more info and a brief review. *NONFICS PICK* (Disney+ and Hulu)
Surviving Earth Episode 7: “When the Continents Collided” - The seventh installment of an eight-part docuseries about extinct creatures. This episode involves ancient elephants. (NBC)
Young, Black and Gifted: Diversity at the Paris Opera (2024) - A medium-length documentary that follows two Black artists during a season at the Paris Opera. (OVID)
Sneak Peek At What’s Coming Soon
7/24 - A Life Illuminated - A documentary feature about marine biologist Edith Widder and her study of bioluminescence. (In Theaters)
7/28 - The Best Pizza is in L.A. - A documentary claiming the best pizza is in Los Angeles. (VOD)
7/31 - A Paradise Lost - A partly animated documentary feature about a bird that sued the state of Hawaii to prevent its own extinction. Watch the new trailer for the film below. (In Theaters)
7/31 - Wild Inside - A documentary feature by Penny Lane (Nuts!) about Central Park’s Flaco the Owl. (In Theaters)
8/6 - Monsters of God - A docuseries by Eric Goode (Tiger King) about exotic reptile smugglers. (HBO and HBO Max)
8/7 - The Big Cheese - A documentary feature that follows an American team competing in France's Mondial du Fromage. Watch the new trailer for the film below. (In Theaters)
8/11 - Coroner to the Stars - A documentary feature about Dr. Thomas Noguchi, the former chief medical examiner for Los Angeles County, who performed autopsies on many celebrities. (VOD)
8/28 - Hanging by a Wire - A documentary feature about a malfunctioned cable car that trapped eight people high above a valley and the rescue operation to save them. Watch the new trailer for the film below. (In Theaters)
9/2 - Turning Point: Generation 9/11 - The latest historical documentary by Brian Knappenberger in his Turning Point franchise. This feature-length installment is about Americans who grew up post-9/11. (Netflix)
9/11 - Don’t Look Back in Anger - A documentary about the band Oasis as they reunite for their 2025 tour. Watch the new trailer for the film below. (In IMAX Theaters)
9/17 - Knife: The Attempted Murder of Salman Rushdie - A documentary feature by Oscar-winning filmmaker Alex Gibney about the titular author’s recovery from a knife attack. (In Theaters)
9/22 - Twiggy - A documentary feature about the titular model. Watch the new trailer for the film below. (In Theaters and VOD)