Ashley Ray's 2022 Documentary List
Every day this week, I'll be sharing a variety of year-end TV lists
With the year coming to an end, I’m sending out my annual TV picks every day in my usual style: categories that may or may not only make sense to me! I have a lot of thoughts, so this isn’t your standard “Best of” list. Today’s list is Documentaries of 2022!
What’s good? What’s bad? Who cares? What matters is what you want to watch when you’re daydrunk and bored or need uplifting or want to see how horrible or beautiful the world can be.
I’m combining documentaries and docu-series, even though I prefer the latter. I’m more focused on the categories, which should help you find something new you might’ve missed this year. Almost every documentary I watched is on here!
Let’s dive in:
Documentaries That Rocked Me To My Core
These are the docs that really resonated with me and sent me on full wiki spirals. These stories have stuck with me. They’re the ones that’ll probably make you want to change a law or protest something.
The Deep End, Freeform
An inside look at the cult started by Teal Swan, everything about The Deep End feels uneasy. Most behind-the-scenes cult footage is obtained after something horrible has actually happened. However, the footage in The Deep End was actually taped by a team Swan hired. She wanted to prove she wasn’t running a cult and hired her own documentary crew and outside expert to watch them. But…well, over the course of the episodes, the camera crew and expert all slowly realize she is absolutely running a cult. So do a few of the members. It feels like things are on the edge of exploding by the time Swan realizes she needs to send the cameras away.Downfall: The Case Against Boeing, Netflix
I feel like this scary documentary about an airline ignoring safety concerns came out and everyone forgot about it? It really makes it clear that this company put profits over human lives and maybe we all just didn’t want to think about that this year. Anyway, it’s the full story of the Boeing 737 Max crashes. It was the scariest documentary I watched this year!Our Father, Netflix
I talked about this one in the newsletter and on the pod, but let me remind you: this is the story of the fertility clinic doctor who secretly got women pregnant with his own sperm. Oh, no I’m not talking about 2020’s Baby God documentary on HBO, which is about the same thing. Oh, and you might have it confused with the dramedy Almost Family based on the Australian comedy Sisters which was based on these true stories. Oh, and it’s also not 1994’s The Babymaker about another doctor who did the same thing. Basically, there are a lot of examples of this happening and isn’t that wild? Our Father, however, does the best job of offering a motive beyond financial gain that speaks to the dangerous impact of religion on women’s medical choices.The Janes, HBO Max
I got around to watching this after Roe v. Wade was overturned and watched this bawling the entire time. It’s an incredible story and offers a timely guide for what the fuck we need to be doing. I wrote about this one a lot in the newsletter too, but you need to go watch it if you haven’t yet!Bad Vegan, Netflix
Everyone got distracted by the Tinder Swindler this year, but I thought that story was fairly boring. Bad Vegan is the true dating-brainwash horror docu-series that deserves your attention. It features a woman who gives a man a crazy amount of money because he promises to make her dog immortal. It makes fun of Alec Baldwin. It has an unreliable narrator and an ending that questions everything she says.The Rescue, Disney+
In 2018, 12 Thai boys got stuck in a flooded cave with their soccer coach and everyone around the world paid attention. You might remember this event, but The Rescue is the best look at the team that came together and the emotional change this rescue had on everyone’s lives. It is beautiful, inspiring and optimistic. You will feel like good things really can happen even if things seem impossible. Oh, also, it doesn’t mention that idiot electric car, Twitter-ruiner who tried to insert himself into this situation and that’s also great!
I Guess That’s A Documentary!
Are these things really documentaries? Kind of! They try to convince us they have educational value at least!
Below Deck, The entire franchise, Peacock
I went all in on Below Deck this year. I watched every spin-off and most of the original. Is it a Bravo drama like Housewives? Maybe to some people! If you want messy hook-ups and pointless arguments, there are plenty. To me, it’s a look into rich people’s bizarre behaviors. I like when the crew is at work, forced to deal with charter guests from hell! I use the crew meal scenes to nap or roll a joint, honestly. Anyway, I’m happy to be part of the crew now. (Also, I interviewed Captain Sandy and she said she’d make me her first officer)Love Without Borders, Bravo
This show just premiered a few weeks ago, but it has already replaced the Love is Blind-shaped hole in my heart. Nothing about this show is scientific, they basically just take someone and send them across the world to an environment they aren’t comfortable in with someone they may like. For example, they take the tallest boy from Omaha and send him to the smallest apartment in Paris and then ask why he isn’t comfortable having sex on a bed where he can’t even fit his head and feet at the same time. It has the culture clashes of 90 Day Fiancé and the awkward romantic encounters of strangers falling in love that you enjoy on Love is Blind and Married at First Sight. Anyway, I want to be on this show!Love During Lockup, WeTV (but let’s be real, we watch this shit on Youtube)
I swore I was giving up on this franchise last year, but they’re back with a new spin-off: Love During Lockup. Unlike Love After Lockup, Love During Lockup looks at people who are dating from prison and aren’t getting out any time soon (and of course, Life After Lockup are franchise regulars who’ve been out of prison for awhile). Love During Lockup features more scamming and lies, but it does feel like a needed refresh for a tired franchise.Digital Addiction, A&E
As a fan of shows like Intervention and Hoarders, Digital Addiction fit right in with that line-up. You think your internet use is bad? This is a show about people who spend 18 hours online and how living for internet clout has ruined them. Parents who are at risk of losing their kids because they can’t get off of Facebook. It’s eerie!Love Off the Grid, Discovery+
Getting tired of 90 Day Fiancé? This show about people who choose to join their partners who live off the grid is a pretty great replacement. It’s hilarious watching hardcore city guys cry at the sight of a snake in the desert. It’s obvious most of the relationships won’t work, but it feels way less exploitive than bringing people across the world.Love is Blind, Netflix
This new season of this show was absolutely wild. I have never seen the internet streets more heated over a reality dating show. Friendships were torn apart, insults were slung and it was all over a little white guy named Cole and his fiancé Zanab. It was hilarious to watch people go from being Team Zanab to Team Cole by the season’s end, but Netflix is clearly still tuned in with this one.
The Worst!
Ok, so actually I do know what bad means when it comes to documentaries and the shows on this list are the worst of the worst!
Casey Anthony: Where the Truth Lies, Peacock
Fuck you, Peacock, for making this! This is Casey Anthony’s first TV interview since she murdered her daughter. This documentary is something like 4-hours long and is mostly Casey Anthony talking in circles to explain that she’s innocent and her father did it. She presents a new story that goes against her old testimonies and her own attorney’s defense. It tries so hard to convince you she’s innocent, but at the end you will absolutely know she did it! This is a waste of time, but it’s dangerous because it addresses a case that most teenagers and Gen-Zers aren’t familiar with. It will effectively hide evidence and the truth for those eager to turn Anthony into the next Tiktok Girlboss who needs “justice.” Nancy Grace, we need you to come on out and set the record straight for the children.The Vow: Part 2, HBO Max
You already know I hate The Vow and was angry they were making more! Still, I held out faith that the new episodes would be necessary and good. They’re not! Part 2 focuses on redeeming Nancy Salzman, NXIVM’s #2. They focus on Nancy crying and Nancy’s guilt and Nancy’s pain. It takes almost five episodes before they mention Nancy and her daughter kept an underage girl locked in a room for 2 years at Raniere’s request. Like the first part of The Vow, this documentary is for ex-NXIVM members who don’t want to feel foolish for following Nancy and Keith in the first place. There’s even a huge focus on the 4 remaining followers who really should just be ignored for the rest of their lives. Stick with Seduced! Oh, also, it has the ugliest animated courtroom illustrations I have ever seen. They haunt me.Unsolved Mysteries, Netflix
It’s not that Unsolved Mysteries is bad, it’s just that each season gets more frustrating! At this point, they’re barely mysteries! Most of the time it’s just: We absolutely know who did it, but the cops didn’t do their job so we have to call it a mystery! This is more a look at the failures of our justice system than unexplained paranormal activity. Go watch and get frustrated!And Just Like That…The Documentary, HBO Max
And Just Like That felt like a fever dream and the documentary behind it is impressive because it doesn’t make sense of anything that made this show happen! If you are a Sex and the City completist, you have to watch it! Is it good? Just like the show: No, but it exists!House of Hammer, Discovery+
There’s been a sudden uptick in streaming platforms rushing to get incomplete documentaries out. House of Hammer is a perfect example. Is there a story here? Yes and it’s mostly covered in the second episode. The rest of the series is recycling TikTok footage and talking heads reading Tweets. The rush makes House of Hammer feel like it’s more focused on the spectacle than telling an important, victim-focused story.I Love You, You Hate Me, Peacock / Pepsi, Where’s My Jet?, Netflix
I’m combining these two because they have the same problem: They’re not necessary! Both of these documentaries are more than an hour long! Why? They tell incredibly basic stories that could be summed up in 5 minutes during a I Love the 90s talking head segment. People didn’t like Barney! One time a guy sued Pepsi for false advertising! That’s where these pop culture phenomena stories should live, but without pop culture history shows, we’re stuck with multi-episode documentaries that are too long. Pepsi, Where’s My Jet starts with “When Leonard was a baby….” We don’t need to start there! At best, we could start with his first Pepsi!
What the Fuck?
Wanna watch some weird shit? These are the documentaries that will make you go, “How could that possibly happen?!”
The Puppet Master, Netflix
For a decade, this man convinced a bunch of British people that he was a secret spy and used that to basically keep a number of people in hidden slavery. He’d tell them they had to go in hiding, leave them in abandoned houses and force them to get jobs to fund his lifestyle. This was before smartphones and the internet! It’s an absolutely cruel story and this absolutely could not happen today!Don’t Pick Up the Phone, Netflix
Do you remember back in like 2004 when a guy was calling fast food restaurants, pretending to be a cop and convincing managers to strip search employees? This is the documentary about that! It wasn’t just a one time occurrence and actually happened at 72 times across 30 states! How were people convinced to do these heinous things? The doc tries to explain it, but it’ll leave you a little more frustrated than content with answers. Basically: people can be so evil!The Invisible Pilot, HBO Max
Honestly, I don’t even know why this is a documentary. It’s basically about a guy who abandons his family to fly drugs from South America to the USA. He takes on multiple fake identities and gets away with a lot of crimes before he’s hired by the US government to fly weapons into various countries. He was key to the Iran-Contra affair, but mostly, this documentary focuses on how fucking wild his life was! This is a look at white privilege, baby! Even he’s like “I have no clue why the cops didn’t arrest me that day except that I was a nice looking white boy.” It is fascinating!Captive Audience: A Real American Horror Story, Hulu
This documentary looks at the kidnapping of Steven Stayner, his rescue and how the case that launched the True Crime genre ruined his life. It’s a story with twists and it’s absolutely heartbreaking where it all ends. The kidnapping was one of the first to be turned into a made-for-TV movie and the attention would forever alter Stayner’s ability to heal. It’s sad we’ve learned nothing as a country when it comes to respecting victim privacy.Adults Adopting Adults, A&E
You probably don’t remember this show! It was about…well, adults adopting adults. Some of the stories were innocent: two sisters who lost their parents and were finally being officially adopted by the foster parents who raised them or a stepdad adopting his wife’s adult children. The rest? Absolute horror stories. The worst was a couple where the husband insisted on adopting an adult from another country, even though the wife did not want to. He decided to adopt a pregnant 19-year old woman. As the show was about to air its third episode, it came out this man was human trafficking and had basically locked the girl in his basement when she refused to be his sex slave. On top of that, he was incredibly abusive to his wife. It’s not like producers didn’t know. In the pilot, he says he’d like to greet his future adoptive daughter with a sign that says “Give me a blowjob.” Rather than address the scandal, A&E pulled every episode off the air and streaming platforms, erased every mention of it and acted like it never happened.Mind Over Murder, HBO Max
This documentary is a bit too long, but it’s also unlike any documentary ever made. It focuses on a group of people who were falsely convicted of murder and the town apart by the charges. It also looks at a community theater’s attempt to put together a play telling the true story of what happened. To me, the most interesting part is how it plays with the idea of closure. Documentaries usually feature people locked in their point of view. Mind Over Murder watches the victim’s family come to grips with the fact that things weren’t how they always assumed they were.The Girl in the Picture, Netflix
This was basically this year’s Abducted in Plain Sight. The story of a man who kidnaps a girl for years and her mother who does not care. It also has one of the best witness interviews in a documentary ever: a woman who just mentions off-hand that she was kidnapped for 7 years and her mom managed to find her. Do they go into any details on that? No. She just casually mentions it and moves on.
Oh, I Heard About That!
Looking for documentaries on some of the big news stories of the last few years? You probably heard about these cases and if you finally want to get all the details, these are the documentaries that’ll do it!
Undercurrent: The Disappearance of Kim Wall, HBO Max
You probably remember the 2017 murder of Kim Wall, but this documentary is the best summary of the case. It also features an absolutely amazing expert who helped in the case giving the best testimony of how Peter Madsen was full of shit. The series is centered respectfully around the victim and leaves Madsen in the background.Jimmy Savile: A British Horror Story, Netflix
Everyone knows about Jimmy Savile and how he is evil! This documentary goes into just how long everyone knew and all the people who tried to cover it! Hello, Queen Elizabeth II! What Savile did wrong is horrific, but this documentary looks at the web of power that allowed him to get away with it.Sex, Lies and the College Cult, Peacock
Remember the Sarah Lawrence sex cult? There have been a few articles since the criminal investigation, but this is the first complete look with footage from the cult. Is it good? It’s okay! It feels like the first documentary rather than the most detailed, but it’s a starting point for people who think this is just a salacious story. Hulu is working on another one about this story, so maybe it’ll feature more direct interviews with those involved.A Tree of Life: The Pittsburgh Synagogue Shooting, HBO Max
The 2018 white supremacist shooting at the Tree of Life Synagogue almost feels lost in the wave of mass shootings America faces. We rarely have the time to sit with these events before we have to deal with the next one. This documentary is necessary viewing and is more timely than ever as we deal with idiots like Kanye West. A look at how extremism and violence grow, the survivors and victims’ family members show us why this day should never be forgotten.Cheer: Season 2, Neflix
You probably heard about Jerry Harris? The reality star-turned-real star from season 1 of Cheer? After reaching new heights of fame, it came crashing down when it was revealed Harris had assaulted two children. Many thought the show would be cancelled, but Netflix brought it back. No one knew how the producers would address the scandal, but they dedicate an entire episode to Jerry’s crimes. They even take accountability for giving Harris the fame he uses to manipulate his victims. It’s rare to see a reality show truly examine itself and its faults, but this is a great example.Low Country: The Murdaugh Dynasty and The Way Down: Part 2, HBO Max
These were two huge news stories and these are probably the best summaries on both of them!
You Definitely Missed These
These are documentaries that SHOULD’VE got the people talking, but for some reason, ya’ll weren’t talking!!
My Daughter Joined a Cult, Discovery+
Follow the cult of Swami Nithyananda, this is up there with Wild Wild Country, but got lost in all of Discovery+’s content. Little attention is paid to cults that exist primarily outside of America, but this one takes a larger look at India’s holy men and how they abuse their power.Sins of the Amish, Peacock
Everyone was talking about the many, many FLDS documentaries that came out this year, but Sins of the Amish felt even more shocking. Warren Jeffs has largely been dealt with while the criminals in this doc still have power in their communities. The women behind this documentary are incredibly brave. Everyone should watch this and we should stop perpetuating the idea that all Amish people are just sweet, innocents who can do no harm.Children of the Underground, Hulu
Holyyyyy shit, this documentary. Holy shit! It’s about a lady who helped women in abusive relationships get custody of their kids and go into hiding. In the beginning, you are totally on her side, but slowly they go into the ways this woman manipulated and tore apart families. She also plays a big part in the Satanic Panic movement in the 80s. It’s a documentary that exists in the grey area of right and wrong.Fortune Seller: A TV Scam, Netflix
I know there was a Miss Cleo documentary this year, but I feel like I already know everything about her! Miss Cleo’s story has been told over the years while I’d never heard of Wanna Marchi or Stefania Nobile! These two Italian fortune teller scammers sit down for this doc and they are my new icons. Wanna is 100% quotable. She should be all over Twitter.The Anarchists, HBO Max
White people really do some dumb shit, man. This documentary was like Tiger King, but replace the tigers with cryptocurreny and it takes place in Acapulco instead of the bum fuck south. Basically, a bunch of white “anarchists” fuck around and find out. My friends and I couldn’t stop talking about this when it aired. It isn’t really about anarchism as an ideology at all, it’s just about a silly group of people who did some silly shit (a bitcoin ATM in the desert that is immediately tracked by the feds, for example).Dangerous Breed, Peacock
Peacock clearly wanted this to be their Tiger King. The story of wrestler and cat breeder, Teddy Hart, it follows a filmmaker who tried to make a TV show about Hart. It has wild behind-the-scenes footage and looks at the filmmaker’s own culpability in making Hart look legit. This inevitably leads to Hart abusing multiple women. Hart’s disturbing behavior doesn’t come off like Joe Exotic, it’s just scary and the doc does a great job focusing on the problematic desire of seeking entertaining footage at all costs.Secrets of Playboy, A&E
Ok, this is a super long documentary, but someone accuses Hugh Hefner of fucking a dog and there’s evidence he like, 100% had people murdered and nobody is talking about it? So…just gonna put this out there.Katrina Babies, HBO Max
Focused on the children who had to survive after Hurricane Katrina, this doc made me sob. There’s a moment when one of the kids being interviewed says no one ever asked him about it before. You can see the grief and fear so many of these children have been burdened with over the years.Victoria Secret: Angels and Demons, Hulu
Sure, this documentary is about how bad Victoria Secret is, but it’s also the most in-depth look at Jeffrey Epstein’s power that I’ve seen in any documentary! The connections between Epstein and Victoria Secret come into focus in a way I wasn’t aware of before.Unveiled: Surviving La Luz del Mundo, HBO Max
This documentary just came out this month. It’s about the La Luz del Mundo cult that’s been around for 100 years. The leader believes he is God on Earth and, thus, nothing he does is a sin. The congregation knowingly and willingly finds and grooms girls as young as 8 to be his “concubines.” This isn’t some small sect like FLDS or NXIVM, it is one of the largest religious movements in the world. They have government and military connections. When their leader was eventually arrested, he somehow only got 16 years despite facing 19 charges for child pornography, rape and more. This should be just as big as The Vow or any other cult documentary, but the victims being people of color has largely kept this out of the mainstream conversation, it seems. Oh, also, it is way better than The Vow.
Docs That Made Me Happy About Humanity
A lot of these documentaries are depressing, so here are some that brought me joy!
George Carlin’s American Dream, HBO Max
I’m a comedian and I love things that actually make me feel optimistic about comedy! I’m also a Carlin fan, so this felt special. A lot of times, biographies like this bore me, but this one was fun even if it had very little new information.Phat Tuesdays, Prime Video
Looking at the history of The Comedy Store’s Phat Tuesdays, this is another one that I really loved as a black comic. Also, I got to interview Guy Torry, Luenell, Finesse Mitchell and Reggie Hudlin about it! It’s funny, informative and will make you angry when you realize black comics in LA are still fighting to be seen.Janet Jackson, Lifetime/Hulu
I feel like we were all watching this together when it came out and it was so fun!! We love you Janet! I will never forgive Justin Timberlake!Dark Side of Comedy, Vice/Hulu
Okay, you are seeing a pattern: I like things about comedy blah blah. But, this new Dark Side spin-off is made for me! Some episodes feel unnecessary (I think we have enough specials on Richard Pryor?), but it was great to see people like Maria Bamford and Brett Butler have their stories told.Dark Side of the 90s, Vice/Hulu
This is the closest thing we have to a modern I Love the 90s. It is fine.101 Places to Party Before You Die, HBO Max
I had Jon Gabrus and Adam Pally on the pod to talk about how fun this show is, so go listen to that if you haven’t yet!The Book of Queer, Discovery+
Imagine Drunk History but everyone is drunk on gayness instead of alcohol! This show actually did offer educational information on rare queers in history. It’s also very funny, which helps this feel like anything but another dry History Channel overview. This show taught me Lincoln was gay!
What Else?
Land of the Giants: Titans of Tech, Vice/Hulu
Lol, I’m in this one, so go watch it! I talk about Netflix!One Cup of Tea: The Ramy Aftershow, Hulu
I’m on this one too! Talking about polyamory!We Met in Virtual Reality, HBO Max
Everyone said this was good, so I’m including it, but it made me dizzy and I couldn’t finish it :(Documentary Now, IFC
I mean, it’s kind of a documentary series and this new season was amazing!The Con, ABC
This show has only gotten better since making Laci Mosley a regular and it’s still finding new cons and breaking down old ones (remember that kid who pretended to be a gynecologist? They talk about it!)Bling Empire, Netflix / My Unorthodox Life, Netflix
The new season of Bling Empire was so bad and the new season of My Unorthodox Life is so good.Who’s On TV, I Say This Week?
JASON MOTHERFUCKIN’ MANTZOUKAS is on the podcast tomorrow! YEAH! I KNOW! Did we fall in love? Maybe, tune in to find out! This interview was so great, we had to make it a two part episode!
Also Matt Rogers was on last week talking about his new holiday special. It isn’t Christmas anymore, but it is the week before NYE when you’re not doing anything, so go watch it! I loved it! We also talk about Survivor!
Ashley Ray's 2022 Documentary List
I was and still am DESPERATE for more people to watch and talk about the Playboy docu-series