Netflix’s "Trainwreck" documentary series has been dropping new episodes weekly for the last two months, and it’s rapidly become one of my favorite shows on the popular streaming service.
The series explores “major public disasters and cultural breakdowns,” looking at everything from the tragedy of 2021’s Astroworld Festival crowd crush to an out-of-control party that was dubbed “Project X’ in real life.” Each documentary explores its subject matter with slick presentation, and (for the most part) an attention to detail that really draws you in.
There have been nine installments of “Trainwreck” released on Netflix to date, including the three-parter covering Woodstock ‘99 released in 2022, and after watching them all, I’ve picked out the three you need to watch.
Best of 'Trainwreck' on Netflix
‘Trainwreck: Woodstock ‘99’
Let’s begin with the “Trainwreck” that started it all, Woodstock ‘99. This three-episode mini-series chronicles the disastrous late '90s festival that descended into sheer anarchy. While the original Woodstock in 1969 was all about “peace, love and flower power,” the revival three decades later was meaner and represented the dramatic shift in culture at the time.
Things started off well with the festival gates opening as planned, but high temperatures scorched the attendees, artists like Limp Bizkit riled up the crowd already on the edge of rioting, water supplies dwindled, and by the third day, many of the attendees had gone completely feral.
Because “Trainwreck: Woodstock ‘99” has three episodes to tell its story, instead of the hour-long format that is standard for most of the series, it’s able to slowly build the narrative. Each episode covers a day of the festival, which allows the drama to unfold at a great pace and keep you hooked.
Watch "Trainwreck: Woodstock '99" on Netflix now
‘Trainwreck: The Astroworld Tragedy’
“Trainwreck: The Astroworld Tragedy” was the first chapter of the series’ return this year, and while it debuted on Netflix two months ago, it’s still a documentary that I think about regularly. I go to a lot of concerts each year, so the events of the Astroworld Festival in 2021 really impacted me at the time, and this 80-minute feature offers a deeper insight into an avoidable tragedy.
For those out of the loop, the festival, curated and headlined by rap artist Travis Scott, was the site of a horrific crowd crush that resulted in the deaths of 10 people. “Trainwreck” explores how the crush started and what could have been done to prevent it.
This documentary isn’t exactly entertaining — it’s a very somber watch — but it’s morbidly fascinating and attempts to hold the people believed to be responsible for the tragedy to account.
Watch "Trainwreck: The Astroworld Tragedy" on Netflix now
‘Trainwreck: Poop Cruise’
I’ve never particularly seen the appeal of a cruise vacation. Being trapped on a boat with thousands of other people isn’t my idea of a holiday. But if I had ever lingering curiosity to see what taking a cruise trip was like, “Trainwreck: Poop Cruise” has well and truly stamped that out.
This (more light-hearted) installment of “Trainwreck” looks at a cruise voyage that proved to be a complete disaster for those onboard and quickly became a huge story for the watching world. In 2013, the Carnival Triumph ship left Mexico on its return to the U.S., when a fire in the engine room damaged the ship’s propulsion. Not only that, but power and sanitation systems were also knocked out.
This resulted in the ship being stranded, floating aimlessly in the ocean as passengers and crew endured food shortages, lack of basic amenities (like working air conditioning) and raw sewage flooding the entire ship. This “Trainwreck” is pretty stomach-turning but also a little funny.
Watch "Trainwreck: Poop Cruise" on Netflix now
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