Best HBO Max Documentaries 2022

Sam Jones directed Tony Hawk: Until The Wheels Fall Off in this 2022 American documentary. The film gives a full view of Hawk’s life and his career. It covers his connection to the sport he became known for.

Bruce David Klein directed Icahn The Restless Billionaire in this 2022 American documentary. The film shows the strange conflicts inside the famous financier, Carl Icahn. He amassed nearly $20 billion over fifty years and led some of the most legendary business deals.

The film covers the rise and fall of "Weigh Down Workshop," Gwen Shamblin Lara's weight-loss plan.

The story follows journalist Kim Wall, who disappeared in 2017.

Keith Cossrow directed Terry Bradshaw: Going Deep in this 2022 American documentary. It shows Terry Bradshaw, the Hall of Fame Quarterback, through an interview and rare old footage.

A classical painter served ten years in federal prison. He travels to his hometown to paint his family members.

Danny Gold directed The Super Bob Einstein Movie in this 2022 American documentary. It shows Bob Einstein’s unexpected discovery and lasting career, sharing his comedy’s changing parts from those who knew him best.

James Jones directed Chernobyl: The Lost Tapes in this 2022 British documentary. The film tells the Chernobyl disaster story using interviews with those present and new footage from the plant, much of which the West has not seen.

Joe Hunting directed We Met in Virtual Reality in this 2022 American documentary. The film happens entirely inside the VRChat video game. It explores social links made by VRChat users during the pandemic and how their lives shifted on the platform.

The film covers the upbringing of Dustin Lance Black.

The film shows the shooting at a Pittsburgh synagogue.

Willie Mays moved from the Negro League to Major League Baseball. He became one of America's first Black superstars who broke racial barriers and advanced the sport.

Told in the present tense, this documentary uses new testimony and rare archival footage. It puts viewers inside the most famous moments of the princess's life.

Actress and activist Evan Rachel Wood shares her experience surviving domestic violence.

Frank Marshall directed Carole King & James Taylor: Just Call Out My Name in this 2022 American concert documentary. It explores the 50-year friendship between award-winning singers James Taylor and Carole King. The duo played at Los Angeles’s Troubadour in 1970, and performed again in 2010.

Sebastián Alfie directed 'Diego: The Last Goodbye' in 2021. Friends, family, and former companions share the last year of Diego Maradona's life. This film shows his deep humanity. During the Covid-19 pandemic, a Maradona funeral sent him away amid tears, songs, and tear gas.

How to Survive a Pandemic is a 2022 American documentary film. David France directed it. The film shows the historic, worldwide race to research, develop, regulate, and roll out COVID-19 vaccines against the coronavirus pandemic.

Before Roe v. Wade, female activists called "Jane" built an underground network. They provided low-cost and free illegal abortions to about 11,000 women.

This explores the 2021 GameStop short squeeze and exposes the dark side of Wall Street.

Filmmakers Rex Miller and Sam Pollard show Arthur Ashe's many contributions to tennis. They also cover his human rights activism.

This follows the story of world-famous basketball player Shaquille O'Neal.

When We Were Bullies is a 2021 German-American documentary short film by Jay Rosenblatt. The director tracks down his fifth-grade teacher and recalls a bullying incident from 50 years ago. He also remembers his younger brother's death from colitis surgery.

Judd Apatow and Michael Bonfiglio directed 'George Carlin's American Dream' in 2022. This two-part documentary tracks the life and work of comedian George Carlin. It shows Carlin's rise to fame. The film opens an intimate look at Carlin's personal life. This includes his childhood in New York City. It covers his long drug struggle, which hurt his health. It shows his brushes with the law. It features his love for Brenda, his wife of 36 years. It also covers his second marriage to Sally Wade. Interviews with Carlin and Brenda's daughter, Kelly Carlin, provide unique insight.

Ava DuVernay shows how directors deconstruct their most iconic images in film history.

Spring Awakening: Those You've Known is a 2022 American documentary film. Michael John Warren directed it. Fifteen years after the Tony-winning Broadway run, the original cast and creative team reunite for a one-night-only concert.

Lizzo speaks candidly about body positivity.

This follows the Biden administration's attempts to change U.S. foreign policy and national security during his first year in office.

Richard Branson sits for an interview before he tries to reach space in his own spacecraft.

38 At The Garden is a 2022 American sports documentary film. Frank Chi directed it. The film tracks the cultural impact of NBA trailblazer Jeremy Lin during his 2011-12 season with the New York Knicks and the "Linsanity" phenomenon.

Edward Buckles, Jr. directed the 2022 American documentary film, 'Katrina Babies.' The film shows the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina and its effect on New Orleans youth.

This documentary shows Rupert Murdoch's unlikely rise as a media tycoon and his global influence.

Yemisi Brookes directed the 2022 American documentary 'Beanie Mania.' It features interviews with collectors, influencers, and company insiders of Beanie Babies, the Ty Warner stuffed toys that caused American greed.

Heidi Ewing and Rachel Grady directed the 2022 American documentary 'Endangered.' It offers a sober look at how democracy and press freedom erode in the United States and elsewhere. The film investigates threats against journalists globally, from intimidation to physical violence.

This covers the speeches given by Frederick Douglass.

Fabien Constant directed the 2022 American documentary film, "And Just Like That..." The late '90s saw "Sex and the City" dominate television with its honest, funny view of love, relationships, and sex, gaining many fans. This exclusive documentary offers a unique look behind the scenes of filming the new chapter, "And Just Like That…," over twenty years later.