April is shaping up to be a solid month on Netflix for documentary fans, as the world’s biggest streamer continues cranking out new movies and series covering every topic from true crime to biography to the super-niche.

For this week, these three recently-added trending documentaries and series dive deep into the depths of cult psychology, the grainy history of American mafia organized crime, and an emotional personal journey of a global folk-pop superstar.

3

Trust Me: False Prophet

The shocking exposure of the man behind a polygamist cult

Many fans of documentaries and docuseries enjoy them because they can offer a look inside some of the most obscure, secretive, and hard-to-access communities the world has to offer. They make you feel like you’re uncovering something with the filmmaker, and that can be thrilling, but sometimes shocking. The new four-part Netflix documentary Trust Me: The False Prophet is both.

When Warren Jeffs, the leader of the polygamist Mormon sect FLDS in Short Creek, Utah, was sent to prison for child sexual assault in 2011, one of Jeffs’ underlings, Samuel Bateman, proclaimed himself the prophet and took over. Bateman wasted little time asserting his leadership of the community, taking multiple wives, including some girls as young as nine years old. Trust Me: The False Prophet is a result of the extraordinary undercover work of Peabody-winning director Rachel Dretzin and her team, who follow cult psychology expert Christine Marie and her videographer husband, Tolga Katas, as they move into Short Creek and are allowed access to the community and Bateman, who believes they’re being filmed for a flattering film about him.

Dretzin, who’s known for her work on the PBS investigative show Frontline, captures compelling video, shocking interviews, and, ultimately, evidence of abuse and manipulation that would lead to Bateman’s 50-year sentence for his crimes against minors. Trust Me: The False Prophet hit number one on the Netflix Top 10 shows, and has a stunning 100% score for both critics and audience on Rotten Tomatoes.

2

American Godfathers: The Five Families

The definitive look at New York’s legacy crime families

Eh, badda-boom, badda-bing. If you’re a fan of, or are at all interested in, gangster movies like Goodfellas or The Godfather, or are into the mystery and danger of New York’s notorious crime families, then the three-part docuseries American Godfathers: The Five Families is a must-watch. Narrated by Emmy-winning Sopranos actor Michael Imperioli, it’s a compelling 4.5-hour exploration of the rise, domination, rivalry, and eventual fall of the five most prominent and powerful of the New York families—Genovese, Gambino, Bonanno, Lucchese, and Colombo.

Based on Selwyn Raab’s New York Times bestselling book, Five Families: The Rise, Decline and Resurgence of America’s Most Powerful Mafia Empires, the series looks at the more than 50 years of power and control these families had over a wide range of organized crime activities across America, from drug and weapons trafficking, bootlegging, gambling, extortion, and more. The series uses all kinds of great footage and archival news reports—from excellently grainy black-and-white video to rare photos of the big bosses and their made-men lieutenants—and also brings in historians, former mob members, law enforcement agents, and Rabb himself to tell the story on camera.

Formerly aired on the History Channel, American Godfathers landed on Netflix this month, and you should definitely watch it before it swims with the fishes.

1

Noah Kahan: Out of Body

A joyful and emotional look at the Stick Season singer’s life

American singer-songwriter Noah Kahan hasn’t had a career long enough to really warrant a flattering, retrospective documentary about him. But Noah Kahan: Out of Body isn’t that kind of documentary. Sure, the 30-year-old master of stomp-and-holler has been making music professionally for nearly a decade, and he does have a Grammy nomination under his belt already, for his groundbreaking second studio album, the four-times platinum Stick Season. But this is all still fresh in the minds of his fans, so what’s there to talk about in a documentary?

Out of Body is as much about Kahan’s music as it is a vulnerable, introspective look at his personal life growing up in the small town of Strafford, Vermont, the effect that his parents’ divorce had on him and his siblings, the tragic accident that changed his father forever, and the body dysmorphia and mental health issues the star has struggled with for years. But if you’re a fan of Kahan’s music, especially mega hits like Stick Season, Northern Attitude, and The Great Divide, you’ll already know much of this because the introspective artist has made a career of writing it all into his music.

Directed by documentarian Nick Sweeny, Noah Kahan: Out of Body rides along with Kahan on tour, and at his homes in Vermont and Nashville. Through interviews and intimate segments with his parents, siblings, friends, and locals from the town that’s clearly a big part of his identity and music, the doc is surprisingly emotional and raw. And it’s full of great music. While it’s too early for Rotten Tomatoes ratings (it hit Netflix on April 13), so far the reviews have been resoundingly positive.

Noah Kahan: Out of Body

Release Date

April 13, 2026

Cast

• 

Three very different Netflix documentaries, one thing in common—they’re all worth your time. Whether you’ve got 90 minutes on the weekend or four hours for a deep dive, I hope this list sparks some ideas for you to have a great weekend.

Subscription with ads

Yes, $8/month

Simultaneous streams

Two or four

Stream licensed and original programming with a monthly Netflix subscription.