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TX State | Culture > Entertainment

Documentaries Are The New Binge-Worthy Genre On Netflix

Courtney Buck Student Contributor, Texas State University
This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at TX State chapter and does not reflect the views of Her Campus.

Documentaries have always been a form of video media that people enjoy consuming because they’re interesting, informative, and entertaining. So, why does it feel like they’re gaining popularity all over again?

Documentary-like shows like, 20/20 on ABC and 48 Hours on CBS, brought these real life, true crime stories to mainstream media in the late ‘90s, which is where the idea of documentaries started gaining traction and popularity as an entertainment media form. Nowadays people can simply log onto Netflix and watch a documentary about whatever their heart desires. The reason viewers tend to be drawn to documentaries is because they typically deal with real life people and/or situations which adds to an emotional connection between the viewer and the content. Documentaries also provide that educational value to learn about new subjects, cultures, and issues in the world. 

Documentaries cover a wide range of diverse topics, like bringing awareness to animal abuse, like Blackfish in 2013, which discussed and exposed the captivity of the well- known Orca, Tilikum. Other topics can deal with social and political issues, nature and the environment, and history. But, true crime takes the number one spot in terms of the popularity of documentaries.

With the recent release of the OJ Simpson murder trial documentary being released on Netflix in late January 2025, as well as the Gabby Petito documentary, released mid February 2025, people’s interests have been sparked to watch these well-known and high-profile true crime, murder mystery, documentaries, as well as the fact that many people were actually alive and present during both situations, as the media coverage during the real time situations was impossible to ignore. The release of these documentaries has created a lot of talk on social media, which makes these cases resurface and continue to be relevant in our culture. 

The most recent documentary that was released was actually on Hulu and it covered the long term abuse endured by the Franke children by their mother Ruby Franke. It’s called, Devil in the Family, the Fall of Ruby Franke. This case is important to Gen Z, because most people had heard about or watched Franke’s family vlogs in real-time, only to find out later the entire time the children were being severely mistreated.
With the rise of documentaries like these, it pulls a heartstring for the viewers as a lot of it is in our current pop culture. Netflix has an entire section on their platform dedicated solely to documentaries, and they have hundreds, and plan on releasing many more in the coming months. So whatever sparks your interest, whether it be a true crime, like the Watts Family Murder or a hard hitting expose on the negative impact social media has on our youth, you can find it and increase your knowledge on those things that interest you.

Courtney Buck

TX State '27

Courtney Buck is the section editor at the Her Campus at Texas State chapter. She oversees the section’s direction, assigns ideas to writers, and ensures every piece offers responsible, supportive guidance to readers. She writes biweekly articles for Her Campus, collaborating closely with her team to develop ideas, conducting thorough research, and self‑editing her work to ensure clarity and quality. She enjoys writing original content, specifically personal essays and relatable pieces that reflect real student experiences to her own.

Outside of Her Campus, Courtney is a Mass Communication major at Texas State University with a minor in Psychology. She previously reported for KTSW 89.9 as a News and Culture Reporter and has completed a short internship with Swoon Memorial in Houston the past summer.

She enjoys doing her nails and journaling about her feelings as it makes her feel more grounded in her everyday life. She loves staying busy and productive so if her schedule is free, you can find her at the gym. She has big dreams and aspirations for her life, so although she doesn’t know exactly where she’s headed yet, she will be somewhere in the future!