Best Documentary Movies & TV Shows

Master dog trainer Graeme Hall finds long-lasting solutions for dogs with issues.

An exploration of the wrestling world's underground. Traveling from First Nations communities in rural Manitoba to Mexico's Lucha Libre scene in Juarez, the series sees Damian Abraham exploring the personalities involved in the sport of pro wrestling.

A cinematic ode to jazz legend, Wayne Shorter. Depicted in 3 portals, the viewer is transported into prolific periods of Shorter's life and how through adversity, he grew to greatness, shattered the limitations of jazz, and became one of the most influential musicians and composers in American music.

Comedy icon Joanna Lumley pursues a life-long dream to track down the elusive and beautiful Northern Lights. She travels North across the Arctic Circle, up through Norway and finally to Svalbard, the most northerly permanently inhabited place on Earth, where she has to cope with temperatures approaching minus 30° C. Joanna’s journey takes her from train to boat and huskysled to snowmobile as she is pulled ever northwards and finally, in a breathtaking climax to the film, Joanna gets to see with her own eyes the spectacular beauty of the Northern Lights. As seen on ABC1.

Enter an unseen micro-verse where miniature heroes use amazing superpowers to survive in a series of spellbinding dramas.

Mike Rowe shows how many things in the world are connected. By using historical facts, Mike takes two seemingly unrelated things and shows an indirect connection.

A documentary examining the end of live for five hospice patients and their families.

In new six-part series Untamed China, wildlife adventurer Nigel Marven explores the country's mountains and grasslands, crosses its greatest deserts and treks through its deepest jungles in search of the rare, little-known and extraordinary creatures that live there. Over half of China's plant and animal species live in Yunnan Province in the far southwest of the country. In episode one, Nigel goes there to explore the ancient city of Dali and the surrounding mountains and forests. He meets some bizarre and deadly reptiles and amphibians, goes on a very unusual fishing trip, enjoys the fairy-tale lifecycle of butterflies and gets up close to highly endangered Yunnan snub-nosed monkeys.

On the death of HM Queen Elizabeth II, a special documentary featuring contributions from HM King Charles III, her children, public figures, and those who worked with her. With previously unseen archive footage from the Queen's collection.

Journeying to the far reaches of our planet, this eight part series follows some of the world's most amazing species, telling extraordinary stories that are dramatic, thrilling, funny and sometimes heart-breaking, but always full of hope.

The complete landmark documentary series follows events from pre-history to 1990. Charting the country's past, this series chronicles the rise and fall of empires, the clash of great armies and epoch-making rebellions. The vibrant story is one of courage, daring and folly, told through the personal testimonies of the everyday men and women who lived it — trappers and traders, pirates and prospectors, soldiers and settlers, saints and shopkeepers.

This documentary series follows videogame developer Double Fine as they set-out to create a classic point-and-click adventure game. The series follows industry veteran, Tim Schafer, and his team as they launch a Kickstarter campaign to fund the game and finally, three years later, ship the finished product to fans.

In a universe where cool kids are nerds, the orchestra is world class and being Asian American is the norm, seniors at Lowell High School compete for the top prize: admission to the college of their dreams.

Inside Nature's Giants is a British science documentary, first broadcast in June 2009 by Channel 4. The documentary shows experts performing dissection on some of nature's largest animals, including whales and elephants. The programme is presented by Mark Evans. The series attempts to uncover the secrets of the animals examined. Mark is assisted by evolutionary biologists Richard Dawkins and Simon Watt, and comparative anatomist Joy Reidenberg. The show is currently airing on PBS in the United States and repeats are currently airing on Eden and Watch in the UK. There is an iPad application that allows you to see every animal the show have worked on close up.

Go inside the franchise's 20-year journey, from the unique chemistry that fueled six Super Bowl wins to the internal strife that sparked a turf war. Tom Brady, Bill Belichick, Robert Kraft, and key players reveal the road to—and cost of—greatness.

Edwardian Farm is an historical documentary TV series in twelve parts, first shown on BBC Two from November 2010 to January 2011. It depicts a group of historians trying to run a farm like it was done during the Edwardian era. It was made for the BBC by independent production company Lion Television and filmed at Morwellham Quay, an historic quay in Devon. The farming team was historian Ruth Goodman and archaeologists Alex Langlands and Peter Ginn. The series was devised and produced by David Upshal and directed by Stuart Elliott. The series is a development from two previous series Victorian Farm and Victorian Pharmacy which were among BBC Two's biggest hits of 2009 and 2010, garnering audiences of up to 3.8 million per episode. The series was followed by Wartime Farm in September 2012, featuring the same team but this time in Hampshire on Manor Farm, living a full calendar year as wartime farmers. An associated book by Goodman, Langlands, and Ginn, also titled Edwardian Farm, was published in 2010 by BBC Books. The series was also published on DVD, available in various regional formats.

As told through clips from 183 female directors, this epic history of the cinema focuses on women’s integral role in the development of film art. Using almost a thousand film extracts from thirteen decades and five continents, Mark Cousins asks how films are made, shot and edited; how stories are shaped and how movies depict life, love, politics, humour and death, all through the compelling lens of some of the world’s greatest filmmakers – all of them women.

Sexual Secrets is a documentary television series which explores various concepts of human sexuality shown on Slice in Canada. Sexual Secrets is the only television series that combines equal measures of fun, down-to-earth talk, and need-to-know information to present a highly entertaining look at that most primordial of human urges - sex. Over the course of the hour-long episodes, we examine the latest work by scientists and sex experts from around the globe as they investigate a broad spectrum of sexual topics.

Exploring some of the world's most isolated and iconic tropical islands.

The History of Sex is a 1999 five part documentary series by Jim Milio, Kelly McPherson, and Melissa Jo Peltier; and narrated by Peter Coyote. It was first aired on The History Channel. It features interviews of Hugh Hefner, Dr. Ruth Westheimer, Helen Gurley Brown, and more.

Isolated since the time of the dinosaurs, New Zealand’s wildlife has been left to its own devices, with surprising consequences. Its ancient forests are still stalked by predators from the Jurassic era. It’s also one of the most geologically active countries on earth. From Kiwis with their giant eggs, to forest-dwelling penguins and helicopter-riding sheep dogs, meet the astonishing creatures and resilient people who must rise to the challenges of their beautiful, dramatic and demanding home.

Documentary looking at people and families whose sole source of income is benefits and state welfare

Join an incredible journey through the history, chemistry and societal impacts of the world’s most extraordinary drugs.

What it felt like to live through the collapse of communism and democracy. A series of films by Adam Curtis.

Jeff Lucas is already an outcast, but when he makes a horror film instead of a documentary for his class project, the ridicule his classmates inflict upon him soon turns to outright abuse.

Raising Bertie is a longitudinal documentary feature following three young African American boys over the course of six years as they grow into adulthood in Bertie County, a rural African American-led community in Eastern North Carolina. Through the intimate portrayal of these boys, this powerful vérité film offers a rare in-depth look at the issues facing America's rural youth and the complex relationships between generational poverty, educational equity, and race. The evocative result is an experience that encourages us to recognize the value and complexity in lives all too often ignored.

An in-depth look into the ground breaking franchise and features new interviews with cast and crew.

A documentary that follows Anya, a woman residing in Ukraine during the early stages of the war, who tells her story and contemplates how countries will treat her fellow Ukrainians who were forced to flee.

Observational documentary series following the work of staff at one of Britain's largest water companies, United Utilities, as they work tirelessly to keep the country's vital sewer systems running freely.

The largest art museum in the Americas prepares to celebrate its 150th birthday with a treasure trove of landmark exhibitions. When COVID-19 strikes, the world shuts down and, for the first time in its history, the Met closes its doors. Then comes another crisis: in the wake of the killing of George Floyd, there are urgent demands for social justice.

Sex, Death and the Meaning of Life is a three-part television documentary presented by Richard Dawkins which explores what reason and science might offer in major events of human lives. He argues that ideas about the soul and the afterlife, of sin and God's purpose have shaped human thinking for thousands of years. He believes science can provide answers to some of these old questions we used to entrust to religion.

This is a planet on the move - animals in every landscape are embarking on epic migrations in search of food, shelter, and love.

Three wildlife camera operators follow six iconic baby animals as they face the challenges of surviving their first year on Earth.

A 2003 BBC television historical documentary presented by Jeremy Clarkson who examines the history of the Victoria Cross, and follows the story of one of the 1,358 men who were awarded it: Major Robert Henry Cain.

Follow Philippe and Ashlan Cousteau as they explore the Caribbean by boat, investigating legends of lost treasure and pirates' plunder. Their adventures take them to some of the most beautiful destinations in the world.

Documentary about the life and career of a comic genius, Peter Sellers.

Documentary series investigating water wars from West Virginia and Michigan to Syria and India including the corporate, political and social interests that are responsible for our water-limited future.

Documentary featuring an intimate profile of American rock legend Meat Loaf, spanning from his childhood of domestic violence, through a decade of rejection by record companies to global fame, bust-ups and a major comeback.

One family, fifty years of scandal. The rise and fall of a media mogul and the unravelling of his deeply troubled family. A staggering tale of money, sex, privacy and power.

How Sex Changed the World is a documentary series exploring how sex has changed history: from Ghengis Khan using it to expand the Mongol Empire to the survival of harems for thousands of years and even how Hoover used it to blackmail top level politicians.

Springwatch is an annual BBC television series which charts the fortunes of British wildlife during the changing of the seasons in the United Kingdom.

Documentary which celebrates, over the period covering the end of the 1950s and the beginning of the 60s, the phenomenon of the Everly Brothers, arguably the greatest harmony duo the world has witnessed, who directly influenced the greatest and most successful bands of the 60s and 70s - The Beatles, The Stones, The Beach Boys and Simon & Garfunkel to name but a few.

Documentary following the men and women of the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI).

Melvyn Bragg explores the dramatic story of William Tyndale and his mission to translate the Bible into English, which made him a threat to the authority of the church and state.

This series follows the stories of the orangutans and the staff at the world’s biggest orangutan rehabilitation center.

This documentary follows rapper J. Cole's 2016 HBO concert film feature on the making of his fourth studio album 4 Your Eyez Only. The film Includes musical performances from Cole, as well as stories from low-income residents in cities around the country, such as Baton Rouge, Atlanta, and Cole's hometown of Fayetteville, North Carolina.

Documentary about a pioneering British school helping 11 and 12-year-old pupils uncover and eradicate hidden racial biases by giving them a series of activities designed to challenge everything they thought they knew about race.

Bill Kurtis examines cold cases that are solved through advancements in DNA, along with help from victims’ families, law enforcement and the public. Each episode tells the story of how forensic evidence is used to solve murder cases that have remained unsolved for years.

Black Coffee is a 2007 Canadian documentary film examining the complicated history of coffee and detailing its political, social, and economic influence from the past to the present day. The film details how coffee is the eighth most traded legal commodity in the world. It is also the fourth most valuable agricultural commodity. However, only one cent of a $2 cup of coffee goes to the grower.[1] This inequality has helped shape the history of continents and the Cold War.

Continuing the compelling saga of the heartstring-tugging, dramatic tale of survival revolving around three families of meerkats who are descendants of the legendary meerkat matriarch, Flower. Neighbors and rivals who share a bloodline are forced to compete for food and resources in an environment that is undergoing a great deal of change: the Kalahari Desert in South Africa.