3 Netflix documentaries you have to watch this weekend (November 14

Fiction is great, but when real life offers stories and topics as fascinating, inspiring and entertaining as even the most imaginative stories, sometimes a documentary is the best way to tell them.

Netflix has one of the best libraries of docs and docuseries, all ready for a weekend binge. And for this beautiful November weekend, I have a new documentary that looks back on the life of one of the funniest comedians of all time, another on one of the greatest rock and roll groups of all time, and the tragic story of a particularly disturbed neighbor. Let’s go!

3

Being Eddie

Just released on Netflix last week, what began as a retrospective documentary about Eddie Murphy’s roots in stand-up was derailed by the COVID-19 pandemic, with much of the star’s interview filmed during lockdown. What evolved instead was a more personal and celebratory documentary that delves deep into Murphy’s five-decade career as a comedian, actor, pop star and cultural icon. Directed by Oscar-winning editor Angus Wall (The social network), Being Eddie traces his career from his early years of stand-up, breaking into SNL, and his revolution Raw concert film, with mega success in blockbusters such as The Beverly Hills cop, coming to America, Shrek, Professor Nutty, and more.

Told with some of the funniest and most nostalgic archival footage I’ve seen in a documentary since aka Charlie Sheenand featuring interviews with comedy elites, including Adam Sandler, Jerry Seinfeld, Chris Rock, Pete Davidson and Dave Chapelle, the one-hour, 43-minute documentary paints a vivid portrait of the megastar. But it’s Murphy’s honest, introspective sharing about his career and family life that’s most endearing about the doc — he even shares his feelings about the death of his brother, Charlie Murphy. “I want to show them that I’m not like anyone in this town, I’m everyone in this scene, and everything else,” he says of his ambition. Being Eddie is a treat for Murphy fans, narrated by the man himself.

Being Eddie

Release date

November 12, 2025

Director

Angus Wall

2

The perfect neighbor

It’s no surprise that Netflix’s haunting true-crime documentary The perfect neighbor remained in the streamer’s global top 10 for weeks after its premiere, and it’s still certified fresh at 99% on Rotten Tomatoes. From the opening sequence, shown only from the point of view and body camera footage of a Florida police officer, there is a sense of unease in the quiet suburban street where we meet Susan Lorincz, a seemingly standard white Karen who complains about the neighborhood children who play innocently on the lawn next to her house. This is, of course, only the first of many 911 calls Lorincz will make, as the situation escalates and culminates in the fatal shooting of Ajiuke “AJ” Shantrell Owens, a 35-year-old Black mother of four, in June 2023, a controversial case that would grip the community.

What is unique about the documentary is that there is no narrator to guide you through the story. Body camera footage and real-life community interactions put this work in the hands of the people who have lived it, putting you alongside them for a unique perspective I don’t think I’ve experienced before. Combined with real 911 audio recordings, additional footage of police interviews and local news from the time, The perfect neighbor takes viewers back in time to events that attracted national coverage and sparked debates about race, gun violence, policing and the controversial stand-the-ground laws that still apply in the majority of U.S. states.

1

Becoming Led Zeppelin

If you almost sound like a fan of the greatest rock and roll band of all time, then Becoming Led Zeppelin is required viewing. Even if you’re not a Zep Head, this Netflix biographical documentary is packed with incredibly restored archival footage and audio, rare performance videos, and candid interviews with fellow band members Jimmy Page, Robert Plant, and John Paul Jones (and rare audio from the late drummer John Bonham), which you’ll probably be a fan of by the end.

In Become Led Zeppelin, The rock legends’ origin story is told for the first time with their full permission and participation. It’s a trip down memory lane with them, delving into their childhoods, the 1960s session musician scene and their chance formation from the ashes of the Yardbirds in 1968. Renaming the band Led Zeppelin (after a joke told by The Who drummer Keith Moon), the doc then follows as the band skyrocket to international fame and status as one of the most influential rock bands in history. And, of course, the restored music sounds great, and audio enthusiasts with solid home theater setups will appreciate not only the story but also the sound.

No streaming service offers documentaries like Netflix. The streamer has invested heavily in the genre, which covers everything from true crime sagas to celebrity profiles and impressive nature films. Netflix original documentaries have become a genre of their own, many of which are fascinating and bingeable.

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Concurrent streams

Two or four

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