Binge-worthy documentaries coming to Netflix in September: 'My Octopus Teacher' to 'La Linea: Shadow of Narco'
Besides its slew of international releases, Netflix is known for its documentaries -- both series and films. While there were a handful of documentaries released in the month of August, with more to come, the giant streamer has released dates for two documentaries airing early September, and here is what we know about them.
Chef's Table: BBQ
Release Date: September 2, 2020
Synopsis: The Emmy-nominated series delves into the juicy, smoky world of barbecue, visiting acclaimed chefs and pitmasters in the US, Australia and Mexico.”
With many cooking shows taking over the giant streamer, here comes another one that puts the famous BBQ way of cooking at the center of attention. How do the pitmasters achieve such delicacies doesn't just include ingredients, but a lot more than that and they are willing to share their secrets. The series features, Tootsie Tomanetz from Lexington, Texas who has been cooking for over five decades, Lennox Hastie from Sydney Australia who oddly uses fire to cook pastry and even lettuce, Rosalia Chay Chuc from Yaxunah, Mexico who cooks like the Mayans did over a thousand years ago, and Rosalia Chay Chuc from Yaxunah, Mexico who specializes in whole hog BBQ. How does this delicious type of cooking bring so many strangers together is the essence of this documentary - it's more than what we see on the surface.
'Bad Boy Billionaires: India’ Season 1
Release Date: September 2, 2020
Synopsis: This investigative docuseries explores the greed, fraud and corruption that built up — and ultimately brought down — India’s most infamous tycoons."
The docuseries will follow the rise and downfall of four notorious billionaires — Vijay Mallya, Subrata Roy, Nirav Modi, and Ramalinga Raju. You can read more about who they are on our recent article about all you need to know about the docuseries.
Waiting for Superman
Release Date: September 7, 2020
Synopsis: It shows the lives of five Harlem and Bronx families in the high stakes lottery for access to New York City’s best charter schools.
My Octopus Teacher
Release Date: September 7, 2020
Synopsis: "An unusual friendship develops between a filmmaker and an octopus living in a South African kelp forest that shares the mysteries of its world."
Marine wildlife has always made for interesting documentaries, and while the synopsis may sound a little odd, the trailer will make you think otherwise. Amid the bright colors and vast complexity of ocean life, 'My Octopus Teacher' is an investigative documentary that chronicles a man's relationship with an octopus. The filmmaker named Craig Foster swims to his unlikely friend in the cold ocean visiting the den of a young octopus who seems inclined to approach this human. After executing his remarkable ability to visit the octopus den and track its movements, he is able to develop an unquestionable bond with this wild sea creature that most would swim away from.
The trailer has beautiful shots of the ocean as Foster explains his first encounters with what he first calls a "strange thing," saying that other people say the wild creature resembles an alien. Interestingly enough, Foster says that upon close inspection and in this case a friendship, we find out that that "we are both very similar in a lot of ways." Besides the absolute stunning beauty of the sees, seeing Foster pet the octopus makes this documentary very alluring. How do you develop a friendship with a wild animal? It's what happens when he goes to see the Octopus every day, with danger lurking all around him. While the focus may be about this odd relationship between a sea creature and humans, it also touches on themes of how this narrative affects lives. Watch the incredible trailer below.
La Linea: Shadow of Narco
Release Date: September 9, 2020
Synopsis: This limited docuseries explores a Spanish beach town that turned Europe into a deadly drug trafficking location.
Netflix revealed that the production team for the documentary originally named 'La Línea: La Sombra del Narco' had reached out and have completed 81 interviews and 336 hours of recording in order to tell the story of "day-to-day conflict in one of the largest enclaves in the country," reports Olive Press. Reportedly the locals of the drug underworld, La Linea, have also expressed their distaste towards the idea that the town is portrayed to be a city of drug trafficking. This also went as far as 1,000 signs on a change.org petition asking for the documentary to be taken down. The official trailer for the docuseries is yet to be released, stay tuned for updates.
The Social Dilemma
Release Date: September 9, 2020
Synopsis: 'The Social Dilemma' is a powerful exploration of the disproportionate impact that a relatively small number of engineers in Silicon Valley have over the way we think, act, and live our lives. The film deftly tackles an underlying cause of viral conspiracy theories, teenage mental health issues, rampant misinformation, and political polarization and makes these issues visceral, understandable, and urgent.
This is a documentary-drama hybrid that puts aside the positive impacts of social media for a bit and decides to explore the dangerous impact of social networking on humans who are consumers of the products made online. With insights from many professionals and big names, the documentary will highlight the possible negative consequences that technology can have on simple day-to-day lives. Courtesy of award-winning filmmakers Jeff Orlowski (Chasing Ice, Chasing Coral) and Larissa Rhodes (Chasing Coral) the documentary will have an investigative narrative and as reported will expose the "invisible in a manner that is both enlightening and harrowing as they disrupt the disrupters by unveiling the hidden machinations behind everyone’s favorite social media and search platforms." The documentary will contain interviews with innovation leader and "high-profile tech whistleblowers " such as Tristan Harris of the Center for Humane Technology; the co-inventor of the Facebook “Like” button, Justin Rosenstein; Tim Kendall, former President of Pinterest and former Director of Monetization at Facebook; Cathy O’Neil, author of Weapons of Math Destruction; Rashida Richardson, Director of Policy at the AI Now Institute, among many others. Watch the trailer below.
Cold Case Files Classic
Release Date: September 15, 2020
Synopsis: "Through forensic science and criminal psychology, an elite breed of detectives reexamine long-unsolved crimes to deliver justice and the truth."
Netflix is yet to release a trailer on the series, but Season 1 comes to the giant streamer with interesting cases that have been unsolved for a way too long. With the help of detectives who have chosen to come together to learn and identity clues, there might be light at the end of the tunnel for those who have waited long for justice.
Hope Frozen: A Quest to Live Twice
Release Date: September 15, 2020
Synopsis: "A Thai scientist and his family decide to cryonically freeze their cherished, dying toddler. This heartfelt documentary follows their journey."
This is an interesting documentary, not one that many have heard of or seen before. It is an award-winning documentary feature from Thailand Probes Beneath and Beyond the Borderline of Technology and Humanity. This production tugs at heartstrings as it follows the journey of Thai Buddhist parents who decide to have their two-year-old dying daughter named Einz cryonically frozen on the day the young one had lost her life to brain cancer. While this may not be the way that most parents deal with the death of their young one, it definitely is an eye-opener that shows possibilities of how the future can affect lives if the technology becomes even more intelligent than it already is. Unfortunately, not everything can always go to plan.
You can watch the trailer below.
'The Curse of Oak Island' Season 4
Release Date: September 15, 2020
Synopsis: "Docu-series from History Channel continuing their expedition on Oak Island."
The Oak island team with Rick and Marty at the helm bring in resources and technology to solve a 224-year-old treasure mystery. While seven seasons have already been released on the History channel, the streamer currently only has Season 3 running with Season 4 coming in mid-September. Without giving away too much, the team has uncovered clues after exploring areas of the island they have "unprecedented access" to in hopes of solving the mystery that that possibly be brought to light soon enough.
The official trailer for Season 4 is yet to be released by Netflix, stay tuned for updates.
‘America’s Book of Secrets’ Season 2
Release date: September 15, 2020
Synopsis: This is a docuseries from the History Channel that speaks on scandals and conspiracies that surround the US government.
There is not much information released on Season 2, stay tuned for updates.
‘Ancient Aliens’ Season 3
Release date: September 15, 2020
Synopsis: "Were ancient humans really behind some of the most important technological advances in civilized history, or did they have extraterrestrial help?"
There is not much information released on Season 3, stay tuned for updates.
‘The Universe’ Season 2
Release date: September 15, 2020
Synopsis: "Discover the secrets of the universe in this series that pairs animation with insights on distant planets, black holes and other celestial marvels."
There is no information on Season 2, nor is there a released trailer from the streamer. Stay tuned for updates.
‘Challenger: The Final Flight’ Season 1
Release date: September 16, 2020
Synopsis: "A docuseries the unpacks the 1986 Challenger space shuttle disaster."
This is all the information available as of now.
‘MeatEater’ Season 9
Release date: September 16, 2020
Synopsis: Hunter, author, cook and conservationist Steven Rinella treks into the world’s most remote beautiful regions, bringing game meat from field to table.
A Love Song for Latasha
Release date: September 21, 2020
Synopsis: The killing of Latasha Harlins became a flashpoint for the 1992 LA uprising. This documentary evocatively explores the 15-year-old’s life and dreams.
The trailer shows who Latasha Harlins was as a person through the perspective of her family.
The Playbook
Release Date: September 22, 2020.
There is no information yet on this production besides the fact that it is a sports documentary. Stay tuned for updates.
Kiss the Ground
Release date: September 22, 2020\
Synopsis: 'Kiss the Ground' reveals that, by regenerating the world’s soils, we can completely and rapidly stabilize Earth’s climate, restore lost ecosystems and create abundant food supplies. Using compelling graphics and visuals, along with striking NASA and NOAA footage, the film artfully illustrates how, by drawing down atmospheric carbon, soil is the missing piece of the climate puzzle. This movie is positioned to catalyze a movement to accomplish the impossible – to solve humanity’s greatest challenge, to balance the climate, and secure our species' future.
This documentary focuses on how activists, scientists, and many others are giving attention to the earth and the climate. It speaks of a solution, a simple one, and how it can heal the planet we so dearly need to save. The production speak on how plants, trees and techniques of grazing farming can help us be more hopeful of changing the destructive climate that many have experienced recently.
A Perfect Crime
Release date: September 25, 2020
There is no additional information on the series yet, stay tuned for updates.
American Murder: The Family Next Door’
Release date: September 30, 2020
Synopsis: "Using raw, firsthand footage, this documentary examines the disappearance of Shanann Watts and her children and the terrible events that followed."
Stay tuned for updates.