From Meh To Outstanding, Ranking Netflix's Trainwreck Documentaries

From Making A Murderer to Evil Genius to Tiger King, Netflix has spent the last decade establishing itself as a prime home for compelling documentaries, and one of their latest hits in that arena has been the series Trainwreck. The first installment was released in 2022 (the 3-part look at Woodstock ‘99), but it has become one of the streamer’s big brands in 2025 – with eight docs released in June and July alone. The films provide a collection of stories that evoke a wide range of emotions… but some of the titles are definitely better than others.

If you’re a Netflix subscriber trying to figure out where to start with the Trainwreck documentaries, or simply a fan looking for some analysis, you’ve come to the right place, as I have watched and ranked all of them. Which of the bunch is the worst and which is the best? Read on to find out.

9. P.I. Moms

In the context of Netflix’s Trainwreck series, the biggest issue with the P.I. Moms installment concerns the scale of the subject matter. As will be discussed as we get deeper into this ranking, most of the documentaries are about major viral events, extreme tragedy, and political corruption. Simply put, the behind-the-scenes drama of a reality show is small potatoes.

There are twists and turns to behold in P.I. Moms (my favorite being the journalist who goes from doing a fluff piece to finding himself in the middle of a ruse), but the film ultimately feels like an outlier in the scope of the series and doesn’t have much of a larger point to make.

8. Mayor Of Mayhem

I like to think that the vast majority of us can agree that it’s best that the mayor of a city not be an unrepentant alcoholic who has a penchant for getting caught on video smoking crack cocaine. In that light, the story of former Toronto Mayor Rob Ford is one that is very much fitting for this series. The reason why I have the installment ranked so low on this list is principally because of the documentary’s focus and execution.

I recognize that this is a series about scandals, and Ford’s substance abuse is definitely that, but almost all of the emphasis in the doc concerns the mayor’s drug use and relationship with the media, and there is almost no exploration of how his addictions impacted his administration and the city of Toronto. That’s obviously dryer material, but I also think that it’s context that is lacking from the film.

7. Storm Area 51

One of the nice things about the Trainwreck documentaries is that it seems as though the runtime is dictated by the material. There are multi-part series, and single chapter installments range from 45 minutes to 80 minutes. Storm Area 51 is the only one where I feel that the filmmakers got it wrong. It’s a fun story, and there is a good amount of drama, but two parts stretches the material a touch thin.

On the one hand, it’s a picture perfect example of how simple “shitposting” can end up having accidental and serious consequences, and there is a mix of both conflict and pressure as Matty Roberts struggles to figure out what to do as potentially thousands of people plan to descend on Area 51. Despite there being two distinct results from the whole ordeal (the Vegas concert and the small gathering in Rachel, Nevada), however, neither is particularly satisfying.

6. Balloon Boy

If I were to describe any of the Trainwreck documentaries as simply average, Balloon Boy is definitely the entry most deserving of the adjective. It’s a story worthy of being told, as it felt like everybody in the world was glued to their televisions/the internet on October 15, 2009 when the titular balloon was accidentally launched and everyone thought the life of a child was in danger – but beyond being thorough about the events that transpired on that day, the doc doesn’t succeed in providing any grander takeaways.

Balloon Boy presents an objective take on the actions of Richard Heene and Mayumi Iizuka, allowing the audience to decide the truth about the incident regarding whether or not it was a planned hoax, but doing so also means that there aren’t any firm conclusions drawn and there’s nothing revelatory in any of the interviews. Neither particularly bad nor particularly great, it feels destined to stay right in the middle of this ranking as the streamer releases more docs in this series.

5. The Cult Of American Apparel

Not being someone who is particularly tapped into the fashion world, my entire awareness of American Apparel prior to watching the Trainwreck documentary about the company was via provocative ads that I used to see all over Los Angeles… and the impression that I got from the advertising definitely jives with the story told in the film. The billboards always struck me as extremely seedy-looking, and it turns out that’s because founder Dov Charney, evidently, operated the place quite seedily.

It’s not a good thing when the line between “company” and “cult” gets blurred, but that’s exactly what transpires with American Apparel in the documentary. The employment procedures were totally bananas (very much including the contracts that employees were forced to sign), and Charney’s recorded management style is gross and abusive – which is well-illustrated both via footage and personal accounts in interviews.

4. The Real Project X

I feel the fact that I can write the sentence “The Night Mayor is the hero that this story didn’t deserve” is justification alone for The Real Project X being in the Top 5 Trainwreck episodes. I appreciate both the responsibilities of the position and its kick-ass name, the man holding the job amid the escalating chaos in the documentary is awesome, and if his proposed solution had been accepted – to organize an actual event for the invading party-goers to attend – the whole nightmare could have been avoided (pun totally intended).

In all seriousness, though, this is a fascinating examination of how extreme real world consequences can spin out of internet virality and escalate in dangerous ways (and it’s executed much better than Storm Area 51 in that sense). The documentary also has a really compelling tonal shift, as things seem pretty silly at the start, but the rioting that eventually begins becomes sincerely scary.

3. Woodstock ‘99

I very distinctly remember being a 12-year-old kid watching MTV and learning about all of the chaos that unfolded at Woodstock ‘99 – but in watching the Trainwreck episode about the disastrous concert, I realize that my awareness only amounted to a fraction of what kind of insanity played out in Rome, New York.

Extreme heat, poor planning, extortionist prices for concessions, horrific sanitary conditions and some rough energy in the crowd transformed what was meant to be a nostalgia-filled blockbuster concert into a terrifying powder keg that ultimately exploded with extreme behavior, violence, and death. Pre-teen me would have sold his parents for a chance to go to Woodstock ‘99; adult me is beyond grateful that I didn’t attend.

2. Poop Cruise

My biggest gripe with Poop Cruise concerns its title. Why? Because the word “poop” is funny. It’s perhaps the silliest word that we have for excrement, and it can get a giggle out of most people with even a modest sense of humor. But, there’s really nothing to laugh about in this Trainwreck documentary, as the whole ordeal is wall-to-wall disgusting and traumatic.

I’ve personally never felt any desire to go on a cruise, and any chance that I ever would go on one went out the window (porthole?) upon learning the details of what happened to the Carnival Triumph in 2013. The crew deserves all the credit in the world for preventing true bedlam breaking out aboard the ship, but the documentary does a terrific job putting you in the perspective of the passengers to understand their hellish experience.

1. The Astroworld Tragedy

I didn’t think that a concert experience could get much worse than what is depicted in Trainwreck: Woodstock ‘99 – but then along came the documentary about the 2021 tragedy at the Astroworld Festival that was put on by rapper Travis Scott. Once again, it’s a story where lack of planning, proper regulations and empathy resulted in terror and death, but what makes this episode particularly special is the emotional reaction it evokes.

Not since watching the “Battle of the Bastards” episode of Game Of Thrones have I felt such claustrophobia while sitting on the sofa in the middle of my living room, as The Astroworld Tragedy works magic in its editing to help you properly understand the fear of crowd crush. Perhaps the only more extreme emotion that this doc brings on is fury, as it’s utterly insane that nobody was properly held responsible for the deaths and trauma from the event.

Given the success of the Trainwreck documentary series, one imagines that more films are on the way in the coming months/years, and as they're released, I’ll continue to update these rankings.