The 16 best documentaries of 2025

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Documentaries are a dime a dozen in the streaming era because they’re cheaper to produce, so while they satiate the appetite for true stories, not all can be deemed good.But the documentary films and series that managed to capture our attention this year broke through by telling us something new; educating us about an idea, a person or a perspective; or reframing a narrative.

Some are about famous people, some are about ordinary people who did something extraordinary, some are about people who suffered.Best is a matter of perspective, but these titles are certainly notable and 100% worth your time.Our picks for this year’s best in arts and entertainment.Significantly, the name Paul Reubens is absent from the title of this bountiful, sweet and sometimes melancholy look at one of pop culture’s great creations and its creator.

(Pee-wee Herman has a star on Hollywood Boulevard, Reubens will point out, but he does not.) As soft-spoken as Pee-wee is explosive, Reubens, who sat for 40 hours of interviews before withdrawing from the project, engages in a bemused, semi-ironic tussle with director Matt Wolf for control of the narrative and his legacy.(And, one would say, wins.) In addition to reminding us of the pure joy of Pee-wee and the beloved character’s ability to bounce back as circumstances sometimes sidelined Reubens, the film is a resume of the actor’s life and times, from prejudices that, for professional reasons, kept him in the closet, to the forward-looking, idiosyncratic brilliance of “Pee-wee’s Playhouse,” which enlivened Saturday mornings with its dedication to diversity, difference, inclusion, openness and love.

(Read the review | Watch on HBO Max) — Robert Lloyd Television ‘Pee-wee as Himself,’ a two-part documentary directed by Matt Wolf premiering Friday on HBO, supplies a vivid portrait of Paul Reubens, who receded behind his character.Katharin...