Best documentary shows streaming, ranked.
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- #1100

Planet Earth
2006– · Series · 1 seasonDocumentary · Family
4 EmmysBest Documentary SeriesA documentary series on the wildlife found on Earth. Each episode covers a different habitat: deserts, mountains, deep oceans, shallow seas, forests, caves, polar regions, fresh water, plains and jungles. Narrated by David Attenbo...
MAX - #598
Ocean with David Attenborough
2025 · Movie · 1h 35mDocumentary
Attenborough explores the planet's undersea habitats, revealing the greatest age of ocean discovery and emphasizing the ocean's vital importance while exposing its problems and highlighting opportunities for marine life recovery.
Disney+Hulu - #2694

Capturing the Friedmans
2003 · Movie · 1h 47mDocumentary · Biography · Crime
Documentary on the Friedmans, a seemingly typical, upper-middle-class Jewish family whose world is instantly transformed when the father and his youngest son are arrested and charged with shocking and horrible crimes.
MAX - #3394
Music by John Williams
2024 · Movie · 1h 45mDocumentary · Biography
1 EmmyHis unforgettable scores are an essential part of some of the most beloved movies of our time, over a career that spans decades. See and hear maestro John Williams' own story, with insights from filmmakers, musicians, and others he has inspired, complete with rare behind-the-scenes looks at the making of movie history.
Disney+ - #3593

Cameraperson
2016 · Movie · 1h 42mDocumentary · Biography · History
Exposing her role behind the camera, Kirsten Johnson reaches into the vast trove of footage she has shot over decades around the world. What emerges is a visually bold memoir and a revelatory interrogation of the power of the camera.
MAX - #4493
Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story
2024 · Movie · 1h 44mDocumentary · Biography
Reeve's rise to becoming a film star follows with a near-fatal horse-riding accident in 1995 that left him paralyzed from the neck down. After the accident, he became an activist for spinal cord injury treatments and disability ri...
MAX - #7691
Tony Hawk: Until the Wheels Fall Off
2022 · Movie · 2h 15mDocumentary · Biography · Sport
Follows famous skater Tony Hawk's personal life, career and relationship with skateboarding, including never-before-seen footage and unprecedented access to Hawk, along with interviews with figures from the skateboarding world.
MAX - #7891

Grey Gardens
1976 · Movie · 1h 35mDocumentary · Comedy · Drama
Meet a mother and daughter, high-society dropouts, reclusive cousins of Jackie O., managing to thrive together amid the decay and disorder of their East Hampton, NY, mansion, making for an eerily ramshackle echo of the American Ca...
MAX - #8891
Escape from Kabul
2021 · Movie · 1h 13mDocumentary · History
Features never-before-seen archival footage of the historic confrontation at Kabul airport, from the U.S. withdrawal of its troops from Afghanistan through the subsequent evacuation of Afghan citizens after the Taliban seized the ...
MAX - #12489
After Truth: Disinformation and the Cost of Fake News
2020 · Movie · 1h 35mDocumentary
A look at the ongoing threat caused by the phenomenon of "fake news" in the U.S., focusing on the real-life consequences that disinformation, conspiracy theories and false news stories have on the average citizen.
MAX - #13589
The Kingdom of Dreams and Madness
2013 · Movie · Japanese · 1h 58mDocumentary
Follows the routines of those employed at Studio Ghibli, including filmmakers Hayao Miyazaki, Isao Takahata, and Toshio Suzuki as they work to release two films simultaneously, The Wind Rises and The Tale of the Princess Kaguya.
MAX - #13988
MythBusters
2003–2018 · Series · 15 seasonsDocumentary · Mystery · Reality
The Mythbusters use science (and explosions) to answer every shower thought ever. From testing the myth that coke and pop rocks can explode your stomach, to recreating historical weapons to see how they worked.
Disney+MAXHulu - #14388
LIGHT & MAGIC
2022–2025 · Series · 2 seasonsDocumentary · History
Showcasing the people of Industrial Light and Magic, the special effects division of Lucasfilm, this series takes us back in time as they create the effects for some of the biggest and most successful films of the last 45 years.
Disney+ - #14688

Homicide Hunter: Lt Joe Kenda
2011–2023 · Series · 9 seasonsDocumentary · Crime
Through re-enactments, discussions with investigation teams, and interviews with victims' families and other involved persons, the show highlights Lt. Joe Kenda's successes with his 387 homicide case history and 92% solution rate.
MAXHulu - #15887
The Boys: The Sherman Brothers' Story
2009 · Movie · 1h 41mDocumentary
Their music is unforgettable. Their name is legend. Delve into the lives and cinematic legacy of the prolific songwriting duo whose music has been featured in classic movies such as Mary Poppins (1964) and The Jungle Book (1967).
Disney+ - #16686
The End of an Era
2025– · Series · 1 seasonDocumentary
A behind-the-scenes docuseries event chronicling the development, impact, and inner workings that created the phenomenon that was Taylor Swift | The Eras Tour, as well as providing an intimate look at Taylor's life as her tour made headlines and thrilled fans around the world. The series also spotlights performers, family members, and friends — including Gracie Abrams, Sabrina Carpenter, Ed Sheeran, and Florence Welch — offering never-before-seen insight into what it took to create a phenomenon.
Disney+ - #17486

Prophet's Prey
2015 · Movie · 1h 41mDocumentary · Biography · History
When Warren Jeffs rose to Prophet of the Fundamentalist Church of Latter Day Saints, he took control of a religion with a history of polygamous and underage marriage. In a short time, Warren managed to expand these practices and t...
Paramount+ - #18386
The Case Against 8
2014 · Movie · 1h 49mDocumentary · Biography
A behind-the-scenes look inside the case to overturn California's ban on same-sex marriage. Shot over five years, the film follows the unlikely team that took the first federal marriage equality lawsuit to the U.S. Supreme Court.
MAX - #19485
One to One: John & Yoko
2025 · Movie · 1h 41mDocumentary · Biography
Set in 1972 New York, this documentary explores John and Yoko's world amid a turbulent era. Centered on the One to One charity concert for special needs children, it features unseen archives, home movies, and restored footage.
MAX - #19885
Road Diary: Bruce Springsteen and The E Street Band
2024 · Movie · 1h 39mDocumentary · Biography
Bruce Springsteen and E Street Band showcase the process of creating their live performances, sharing footage from band rehearsals, behind-the-scenes moments, rare clips, and personal reflections from Springsteen himself.
Disney+Hulu










































































