Best war, musical, & documentary shows streaming, ranked.
Your next watch, decided. Every show ranked by quality — not popularity. No more arguing about what to watch tonight — share a WatchList with your partner.
- #896#896
NetflixDavid Attenborough: A Life on Our Planet
2020 · Movie · 1h 23mDocumentary · Biography
3 EmmysThe story of life on our planet by the man who has seen more of the natural world than any other. In more than 90 years, Attenborough has visited every continent on the globe, exploring the wild places of our planet and documenting the living world in all its variety and wonder. Addressing the biggest challenges facing life on our planet, the film offers a powerful message of hope for future generations.
Netflix - #996#996
NetflixPrime VideoMan on Wire
2008 · Movie · 1h 34mDocumentary · Biography · Crime
1 OscarA look at tightrope walker Philippe Petit's daring, but illegal, high-wire routine performed between New York City's World Trade Center's twin towers in 1974, what some consider, "the artistic crime of the century".
NetflixPrime Video - #2094#2094
NetflixTo Kill a Tiger
2023 · Movie · 2h 8mDocumentary
Ranjit, a farmer in India, takes on the fight of his life when he demands justice for his 13-year-old daughter, the victim of a brutal gang rape. His decision to support his daughter is virtually unheard of, and his journey unprecedented.
Netflix - #2493#2493
NetflixThe Last Days
1998 · Movie · 1h 27mDocumentary · War
1 OscarIn late 1944, even as they faced imminent defeat, the Nazis expended enormous resources to kill or deport over 425,000 Jews during the "cleansing" of Hungary. This Oscar-winning documentary, executive produced by Steven Spielberg,...
Netflix - #2793#2793
Paramount+Attica
2021 · Movie · 1h 56mDocumentary · History
This unnervingly vivid dive into the 1971 uprising from Emmy® winning director Stanley Nelson sheds new light on the enduring violence and racism of the prison system and highlights the urgent, ongoing need for reform 50 years later.
Paramount+ - #2893#2893
NetflixThe Elephant Whisperers
2022 · Movie · Tamil · 41mDocumentary
1 OscarBomman and Bellie, a couple in South India, devote their lives to caring for an orphaned baby elephant named Raghu, forging a family like no other that tests the barrier between the human and the animal world.
Netflix - #3692#3692
NetflixPrime VideoKabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham
2001 · Movie · Hindi · 3h 30mMusical · Drama · Romance
After marrying a poor woman, rich Rahul is disowned by his father and moves to London to build a new life. Years later, his now-grown younger brother Rohan embarks on a mission to bring Rahul back home and reunite the family.
NetflixPrime Video - #3792#3792
Netflix1917
2019 · Movie · 1h 59mWar · Action · Drama
3 OscarsApril 6th, 1917. As an infantry battalion assembles to wage war deep in enemy territory, two soldiers are assigned to race against time and deliver a message that will stop 1,600 men from walking straight into a deadly trap.
Netflix - #3892#3892
NetflixWinter on Fire: Ukraine's Fight for Freedom
2015 · Movie · 1h 42mDocumentary · History
A documentary on the unrest in Ukraine during 2013 and 2014, as student demonstrations supporting European integration grew into a violent revolution calling for the resignation of President Viktor F. Yanukovich.
Netflix - #4392#4392
NetflixThe Forgotten Battle
2021 · Movie · Dutch · 2h 4mWar · Action
In WWII's final years, a soldier in the German army, a British glider pilot, and a Dutch resistance fighter's paths intertwine. Their choices shape destinies, impacting not only their freedom but also that of others.
Netflix - #4591#4591
NetflixAmerican Factory
2019 · Movie · 1h 50mDocumentary
1 OscarIn post-industrial Ohio, a Chinese billionaire opens a factory in an abandoned General Motors plant, hiring two thousand Americans. Early days of hope and optimism give way to setbacks as high-tech China clashes with working-class...
Netflix - #4991#4991
NetflixJim Gaffigan: Obsessed
2014 · Movie · 1hDocumentary · Comedy
Jim Gaffigan bursts back on the scene with this eagerly anticipated fourth comedy special. Dubbed the "King of Clean Comedy" by The Wall Street Journal, Jim's obsession with all things food comes to fruition on "Obsessed" as he ta...
Netflix - #7590#7590
NetflixChef's Table
2015–2024 · Series · 7 seasonsDocumentary · Biography
Chef's Table goes inside the lives and kitchens of six of the world's most renowned international chefs. Each episode focuses on a single chef and their unique look at their lives, talents and passion from their piece of culinary ...
Netflix - #8589#8589
NetflixCity of Joy
2016 · Movie · 1h 14mDocumentary · Crime · Drama
This film follows the first class of students at a remarkable leadership center in the Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, a region often referred to as "the worst place in the world to be a woman." These women have been through...
Netflix - #9189#9189
PeacockThe Alpinist
2021 · Movie · 1h 32mDocumentary · Biography
Marc-André Leclerc climbs alone, far from the limelight. The free-spirited 23-year-old makes some of the boldest solo ascents in history. With no cameras and no margin for error, Leclerc's approach is the essence of solo adventure.
Peacock - #9489#9489
NetflixFound
2021 · Movie · 1h 37mDocumentary · Drama
The story of three American teenage girls-each adopted from China-who discover they are blood-related cousins on 23andMe. Their online meeting inspires the young women to confront the burning questions they have about their lost h...
Netflix - #9588#9588
NetflixPrime VideoThe Queen of Versailles
2012 · Movie · 1h 40mDocumentary
A documentary that follows a billionaire couple as they begin construction on a mansion inspired by Versailles. During the next two years, their empire, fueled by the real estate bubble and cheap money, falters due to the economic...
NetflixPrime Video - #10388#10388
NetflixSecret Mall Apartment
2025 · Movie · 1h 31mDocumentary
In 2003, eight Rhode Islanders created a secret apartment inside a busy mall and lived there for four years, filming everything along the way. Far more than a prank, the secret apartment became a deeply meaningful place for all in...
Netflix - #11388#11388
NetflixThe Death and Life of Marsha P. Johnson
2017 · Movie · 1h 45mDocumentary · Biography
Victoria Cruz investigates the mysterious 1992 death of black gay rights activist and Stonewall veteran, Marsha P. Johnson. Using archival interviews with Johnson, and new interviews with Johnson's family, friends and fellow activ...
Netflix - #11488#11488
Paramount+June
2023 · Movie · 1h 38mDocumentary
This documentary features never-before-seen footage revealing the extraordinary life, and iconic entertainment career, of June Carter Cash; including interviews with the remarkable woman herself, as well as her family, fans and fr...
Paramount+ - #11688#11688
NetflixCircus of Books
2019 · Movie · 1h 32mDocumentary · Biography · History
In 1976, Karen and Barry Mason had fallen on hard times and were looking for a way to support their young family when they answered an ad in the Los Angeles Times. Larry Flynt was seeking distributors for Hustler Magazine. What wa...
Netflix - #12288#12288
Paramount+Hunger Ward
2020 · Movie · 40mDocumentary · War
Filmed from inside two of the most active therapeutic feeding centers in Yemen, HUNGER WARD documents two female health care workers fighting to thwart the spread of starvation against the backdrop of a forgotten war. The film pro...
Paramount+ - #12888#12888
NetflixThey'll Love Me When I'm Dead
2018 · Movie · 1h 38mDocumentary · Biography
In the final fifteen years of the life of legendary director Orson Welles, he pins his Hollywood comeback hopes on a film, The Other Side of the Wind (2018), in itself a film about an aging film director trying to finish his last ...
Netflix - #12987#12987
Paramount+Personality Crisis: One Night Only
2022 · Movie · 2hDocumentary · Biography
Follow musician David Johansen's luminous set at Café Carlyle from January 2020. A concert that is wonderfully intimate and a testament to both a lost New York and an artist who remains as fresh and exciting as ever.
Paramount+ - #13387#13387
NetflixVeer-Zaara
2004 · Movie · Hindi · 3h 12mMusical · Drama · Family
An Indian Air Force pilot rescues a Pakistani girl stranded in India. Years later, a lawyer seeks to unravel the truth behind the pilot's mysterious imprisonment in Pakistan for over two decades, during which he remained silent.
Netflix - #13587#13587
NetflixUnknown: The Lost Pyramid
2023 · Movie · 1h 23mDocumentary · History
In the sands of Saqqara, two of the world's most famous Egyptologists, Dr. Zahi Hawass and his protege and rival, Dr. Mostafa Waziri race with their teams against the clock to see who will make the biggest discovery.
Netflix - #13787#13787
NetflixKangaroo Valley
2022 · Movie · 1h 16mDocumentary
Coming-of-age story of a young kangaroo joey called Mala, learning what it takes to survive her incredible first year. Only one in five joeys make it to their first birthday. Mala's greatest enemy is the dingo pack that stalks her...
Netflix - #14287#14287
NetflixThe Wrecking Crew
2008 · Movie · 1h 41mDocumentary · History
A celebration of the musical work of a group of session musicians known as "The Wrecking Crew", a band that provided back-up instrumentals to such legendary recording artists as Frank Sinatra, The Beach Boys and Bing Crosby.
Netflix - #14487#14487
NetflixPrime VideoImage of Victory
2023 · Movie · Hebrew · 2h 8mWar · Drama · History
In 1948, Hassanin joins a platoon going to Palestine to liberate farmers. While documenting their mission, Hassanin's values are tested and both sides re-evaluate what they understand about war.
NetflixPrime Video - #14987#14987
NetflixPrime VideoRaise Hell: The Life & Times of Molly Ivins
2019 · Movie · 1h 33mDocumentary
RAISE HELL: THE LIFE & TIMES OF MOLLY IVINS tells the story of media firebrand Molly Ivins, six feet of Texas trouble who took on the Good Old Boy corruption wherever she found it.
NetflixPrime Video - #15387#15387
NetflixTurning Point: The Bomb and the Cold War
2024– · Series · 1 seasonDocumentary
The series chronicles the creation of the atomic bomb and the spread of nuclear arms over the following decades. It continues past the dissolution of the Soviet Union to Vladimir Putin's ascent and the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Netflix - #15887#15887
NetflixCamp Confidential: America's Secret Nazis
2021 · Movie · 36mDocumentary · Animation
At the height of WWII, a group of young Jewish refugees are sent to a secret POW camp near Washington, D.C. The recent refugees soon discover that the prisoners are no other than Hitler's top scientists.
Netflix - #16486#16486
Paramount+The Longest War
2020 · Movie · 1h 30mDocumentary
This documentary feature unpacks the human stories and drama behind America's involvement in Afghanistan, now the longest war in U.S. history. First-hand witnesses bring their experiences to life through emotional interviews.
Paramount+ - #17286#17286
NetflixStay on Board: The Leo Baker Story
2022 · Movie · 1h 12mDocumentary
Follows celebrated competitive skating icon Leo Baker as they try to make space for themselves in the gendered world of pro sports and build a more inclusive skate culture, which leads them to doing the punkest thing imaginable.
Netflix - #17986#17986
NetflixLead Me Home
2021 · Movie · 39mDocumentary
More than 500,000 people are homeless in the US. A few of these real-life stories give the audience a rare, in-depth look at the scale, scope, and diversity of the problem while questioning uninformed attitudes and outmoded policies.
Netflix - #18286#18286
Paramount+Prophet's Prey
2015 · Movie · 1h 41mDocumentary · Biography · History
Filmmaker Amy Berg sheds light on the sexual, financial and spiritual abuses heaped upon members of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints by their former leader, Warren Jeffs.
Paramount+ - #18586#18586
NetflixLenox Hill
2020– · Series · 1 seasonDocumentary · Biography
An intimate look at the lives of four doctors - two brain surgeons, an emergency room physician, and a Chief Resident OBGYN - as they navigate the highs and lows of working at the renowned Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City.
Netflix - #19286#19286
PeacockGood One: A Show About Jokes
2024 · Movie · 45mDocumentary
An adaptation of the hit Vulture podcast, GOOD ONE: A Show About Jokes is an immersive look at the craft of comedy from the ground up and a unique snapshot of the intersection between process and personal. The first docu-special f...
Peacock - #19685#19685
NetflixThe Trials of Gabriel Fernandez
2020– · Series · 1 seasonDocumentary · Crime
Filmmaker Brian Knappenberger investigates the tragic death of an 8-year-old California boy who endured horrific abuse by his mother and her boyfriend, along with the fractured and complex systems that failed to protect him.
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