We Couldn't Stop Thinking About These HBO Documentaries After Watching

HBO's prestige programming hardly begins and ends with Game of Thrones: The network also has a long history of producing, distributing, and curating incredible documentaries. In 2020 alone, there has been a slate of fascinating nonfiction works in everything from Hollywood history (Natalie Wood: What Remains Behind) to cutting-edge activism in the Russian state of Chechnya (Welcome to Chechnya).

HBO especially excels in the true crime genre, as the new series I'll Be Gone In the Dark, about author Michelle McNamara's quest to find the identity of the Golden State Killer, demonstrates so adeptly. Alternatively, the new series Atlanta's Missing and Murdered uses a harrowing period in Atlanta's history to tell a story about how race intersects with an investigation, and why Black lives seem to matter less when it comes to pursuing justice. Follow up that series with another doc about race in the U.S., focusing on Bryan Stevenson's work to create a more equal justice system.

Whether you're seeking a shocking true crime tale, an eye-opening history lesson, or a fresh profile of a beloved icon, these 19 HBO documentary films and series will keep you riveted—and have you falling into a did that really happen? Google rabbit hole of research after the credits roll.