3 thrilling new Netflix documentaries to watch this weekend (July 17-19)

Credit: Lucas Gouveia/How-To Geek Published Jul 17, 2026, 12:00 PM EDT Derek Malcolm has been covering the worlds of tech and entertainment for more than two decades. Before coming to How-To Geek in 2025, Derek was a contributing editor and writer for the A/V and Home Theater section at Digital Trends, where he wrangled and wrote everything from what to watch on Netflix to reviews, explainers, and guides on the latest Bluetooth speakers, turntables, projectors, and other A/V gear. Based in Toronto, Derek graduated from Humber College's Journalism program in 1999, after which he started covering the worlds of music, movies, TV, and celebrity for publications such as TV Guide, Hello! magazine, and Inside Entertainment. He then got the bug for covering tech and gadgets in 2006, when he served as editor-in-chief of Canadian tech magazine Connected for more than a decade. An avid skier, when all the snow's gone Derek can be found at home spinning vinyl with his daughter or cheering on his favorite F1 team, McLaren. Sign in to your How-To Geek account Somehow it's 2026, and Little House on the Prairie is the most-watched show in America, adding a whole lotta wholesome to Netflix’s summer. But its documentary side just got a shot of adrenaline. This weekend (July 17–19), for U.S. Netflix subscribers, three fresh documentaries have ripened: one about a legendary Native American athlete’s history, an all-access pass to football's most demanding job, and 48 hours that ignited an entire country. Jim Thorpe: Lit by Lightning The story of a Native American Olympic legend Executive produced by LeBron James and Maverick Carter through their Uninterrupted, a production company that focuses on stories about underrepresentation and empowerment in sport, Jim Thorpe: Lit by Lightning is a History Channel documentary (new to Netflix) film that profiles the first Native American to win Olympic gold for the U.S., a man still considered one of the greatest all-around athletes to ever live. Born on the Sac and Fox Nation in Oklahoma in 1887, Thorpe's life and achievements are traced in the doc—from his upbringing and his rise at the Carlisle Indian Industrial School to winning both the pentathlon and decathlon events at the 1912 Stockholm Games in a pair of mismatched shoes he fished from a trash can. It then explores the controversy and racism surrounding his medals being stripped over a technicality—a wrong that the International Olympic Committee only fully righted in 2022. Directed by Chris Eyre (Smoke Signals, Dark Winds), Lit by Lightning meshes together gorgeously grainy and rare archival footage, dramatized recreations, interviews, and passages from Thorpe's unpublished autobiography to paint a picture of an American sports icon. Quiz 8 Questions · Test Your KnowledgeGreatest athletes of all timeTrivia challenge From the track to the court — can you name these legendary icons who defined their sports forever? LegendsOlympicsTeam SportsRecordsIcons Begin This Native American athlete won both the pentathlon and decathlon at the 1912 Stockholm Olympics, only to have his medals controversially stripped due to a prior semi-professional baseball stint. Who was he? AJesse OwensBJim ThorpeCRafer JohnsonDBob Mathias Correct! Jim Thorpe is widely regarded as one of the greatest athletes in history. His medals were posthumously restored by the IOC in 1983, decades after his death, finally acknowledging the injustice he suffered. Not quite. The answer is Jim Thorpe, the Sac and Fox Nation athlete who dominated the 1912 Olympics. King Gustav V of Sweden reportedly told him, 'Sir, you are the greatest athlete in the world.' Continue At the 1936 Berlin Olympics, this American sprinter humiliated Adolf Hitler's notion of Aryan supremacy by winning four gold medals in front of a stunned Nazi crowd. Who was he? ACarl LewisBWilma RudolphCJesse OwensDEddie Tolan Correct! Jesse Owens won gold in the 100m, 200m, long jump, and 4x100m relay. His performance remains one of the most politically powerful moments in sports history. Not quite. The answer is Jesse Owens. Despite his heroic performance, Owens was not officially received by President Franklin D. Roosevelt upon his return to the United States — a slight that deeply hurt him. Continue Known as 'The Greatest,' this heavyweight champion lit the Olympic torch at the 1996 Atlanta Games and was famous for his phrase 'float like a butterfly, sting like a bee.' Who is he? AJoe FrazierBMuhammad AliCSugar Ray LeonardDGeorge Foreman Correct! Muhammad Ali, born Cassius Clay, is considered one of the greatest boxers and sportsmen of all time. He transcended sports with his activism, charisma, and refusal to be drafted into the Vietnam War. Not quite. The answer is Muhammad Ali. His three-fight rivalry with Joe Frazier, including the iconic 'Thrilla in Manila,' is one of the greatest chapters in boxing history. Continue This player won six NBA championships with the Chicago Bulls, all without going to a Game 7 in the Finals, and is widely credited with globalizing the NBA during the 1990s. Who is he? AMagic JohnsonBKobe BryantCLeBron JamesDMichael Jordan Correct! Michael Jordan's perfect 6-0 Finals record and five MVP awards cemented his GOAT status for millions of fans. The 1996 documentary series 'The Last Dance' reignited global fascination with his career. Not quite. The answer is Michael Jordan. His Air Jordan sneaker line, launched in 1984, revolutionized sports marketing and today generates over $5 billion annually for Nike. Continue This Brazilian forward is the only player to have won three FIFA World Cups (1958, 1962, 1970) and scored over 1,200 goals in his career, earning him the nickname 'The King.' Who is he? ARonaldo NazárioBZicoCPeléDGarrincha Correct! Pelé is the only player to win three World Cup titles, a feat unlikely to ever be matched. He made his World Cup debut at just 17 years old in 1958, scoring six goals including two in the final. Not quite. The answer is Pelé. Born Edson Arantes do Nascimento, he was so beloved that warring factions in Nigeria reportedly declared a ceasefire in 1967 just to watch him play in an exhibition match. Continue This American swimmer holds the all-time record for Olympic gold medals with 23, and at the 2008 Beijing Games he won eight golds in a single Olympics — a feat never seen before or since. Who is he? AMark SpitzBRyan LochteCIan ThorpeDMichael Phelps Correct! Michael Phelps retired with 28 Olympic medals total, 23 of them gold. His eight-gold performance in Beijing surpassed Mark Spitz's 1972 record of seven golds in a single Games. Not quite. The answer is Michael Phelps. His wingspan of 6 feet 7 inches and unusually long torso gave him a hydrodynamic advantage that coaches recognized when he was just a teenager in Baltimore. Continue This Swiss tennis player held the world No. 1 ranking for a record 310 weeks and won 20 Grand Slam singles titles, including a record eight Wimbledon crowns. Who is he? ARafael NadalBRoger FedererCPete SamprasDNovak Djokovic Correct! Roger Federer's elegance, consistency, and longevity made him one of the most celebrated athletes across all sports. He won his first Wimbledon title in 2003 and his last in 2017 at age 35. Not quite. The answer is Roger Federer. He retired in 2022 at the Laver Cup, where his tearful farewell alongside rival-turned-friend Rafael Nadal moved audiences worldwide. Continue This Jamaican sprinter is the only person to win the Olympic 100m and 200m titles at three consecutive Games, and he set a 100m world record of 9.58 seconds in 2009 that still stands today. Who is he? AAsafa PowellBYohan BlakeCUsain BoltDMaurice Greene Correct! Usain Bolt's 9.58-second 100m world record, set in Berlin, is considered by physicists to be close to the absolute human limit. His showboating style and infectious personality made him a global superstar. Not quite. The answer is Usain Bolt. Standing 6 feet 5 inches tall, Bolt was considered too tall to be a sprinter by many early coaches — yet his height ultimately gave him an unmatched stride length at full speed. See My Score Challenge CompleteYour Score / 8 Thanks for playing! Try Again Quarterback (Season 3) Four hotshot NFL quarterbacks, mic'd up through the 2025 season Netflix's flagship football series, Quarterback, is back with a third season of this fly-on-the-locker-room-wall series that has made all-access quarterback voyeurism a summer staple. This time, four QBs are mic'd up through the 2025 season, with the cameras firmly in their shadows—Washington's Jayden Daniels, chasing a followup to his 2024 Offensive Rookie of the Year win; Tampa Bay's Baker Mayfield, as he struggles through a season of injuries; Tennessee's rookie Cam Ward, the No. 1 overall draft pick, as he learns on the job; and Super Bowl winner Joe Flacco, who's traded mid-season to the Cincinnati Bengals. Often compared to F1's Drive to Survive, but for football, each of the season's seven episodes checks in with the athletes as their stories are told through game audio, locker-room and sideline access, and home footage. Quarterback Release Date February 22, 2023 Cast Patrick Mahomes, Kirk Cousins, Marcus Mariota Franchise(s) NFL Main Genre Documentary Seasons 3 Streaming Service(s) Netflix Miguel Ángel Blanco: The 48 Hours that Changed Spain A kidnapping, a countdown, and a country awakened by tragedy The weightiest—and most gripping—watch of the week arrived on Netflix on the 29th anniversary of the gripping events it reconstructs. Miguel Ángel Blanco: The 48 Hours that Changed Spain is a Spanish-language feature doc that revisits July 1997, when Spain's Basque separatist terrorist group known as ETA kidnapped Miguel Ángel Blanco, a 29-year-old municipal politician. The group, which sought an independent Basque socialist state, gave Spain's government 48 hours to transfer several ETA prisoners, or Blanco would die. Madrid refused to negotiate, but the country erupted in united protests, wearing blue ribbons as a symbol of peace. And while millions flooded the streets, Blanco was found shot just past the deadline, tragically dying in hospital the next day. But what's remarkable is that his murder signaledt he beginning of the end of ETA, as the public turned against them for good. The 93-minute film is told hour by hour through remarkable archival news footage and first-person interviews, including with Blanco's sister Marimar, the King of Spain, Felipe VI, and people speaking publicly for the first time about the ordeal. Roku Streaming Stick 4K $43 $50 Save $7 Sports, sports, and a revolution The truth, as usual, is more dramatic than anything a screenplay writer could ever conjure up. We cover the latest documentaries to watch across Netflix, Paramount+, HBO Max, and more, so keep referring to How-To Geek's streaming recommendations for more. Subscription with ads Yes, $8/month Simultaneous streams Two or four Live TV No Price Starting at $8/month