Best documentary, animation, & drama shows on Paramount+, ranked.
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- #1100

Avatar: The Last Airbender
2005–2008 · Series · 3 seasonsAnimation · Action
1 EmmyBest Animation SeriesIn a war-torn world of elemental powers, a young boy reawakens to undertake a dangerous mystic quest to fulfill his destiny as the Avatar, and bring peace to the world.
NetflixParamount+Prime Video - #1591

Arrival
2016 · Movie · 1h 56mDrama · Mystery · Sci-Fi & Fantasy
1 OscarLinguist Louise Banks leads a team of investigators when gigantic spaceships touch down around the world. As nations teeter on the verge of global war, Banks and her crew must find a way to communicate with the extraterrestrial vi...
Paramount+ - #1790

Invader ZIM
2001–2006 · Series · 2 seasonsAnimation · Action
1 EmmyAn alien named Zim from the planet Irk is sent on a secret mission to conquer Earth, not realising that his leaders were just trying to get rid of him and hoped that he would die. Once there, Zim manages to disguise himself as a h...
Paramount+ - #3588

Hell on Wheels
2011–2016 · Series · 5 seasonsDrama · Western
The Civil War is past, but former Confederate soldier Cullen Bohannon can't put it behind him. Fresh are the memories of the death of his wife, killed at the hands of Union soldiers, an act that sets him on a course of revenge.
Paramount+ - #3987
Mike Judge's Beavis and Butt-Head
2022– · Series · 3 seasonsAnimation · Comedy
The iconic animated duo are back and dumber than ever. The '90s pop-culture phenomenons return, voiced by creator Mike Judge, to confound common sense, torment each other, and showcase some of the dumbest comedy imaginable.
Paramount+ - #4686
Fellow Travelers
2023– · Series · 1 seasonDrama · Romance
Decades-long chronicle of the risky, volatile and steamy relationship between the charismatic and ambitious Hawk and the pious and idealistic Tim, two political staffers who fall in love at the height of the 1950s Lavender Scare.
Paramount+ - #4786
Beavis and Butt-Head Do the Universe
2022 · Movie · 1h 27mAnimation · Comedy · Sci-Fi & Fantasy
After a "creative" judge sentences them to space camp, a black hole sends our adolescent heroes 24 years into the modern future where the duo misuse iPhones, embark on a quest to score, and become targets of the Deep State.
Paramount+ - #5185
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
1987–1996 · Series · 10 seasonsAnimation · Action
Four mutated turtles (Leonardo, Donatello, Raphael and Michelangelo), fight crime and eat pizza, whilst battling the evil Shredder and his foot robot ninjas as well as aliens, mad scientists, comedic gangsters and other weird muta...
Paramount+ - #6983

Great Barrier Reef with David Attenborough
2015–2016 · Series · 1 seasonDocumentary
David Attenborough revisits the Great Barrier Reef after nearly 60 years. His visit takes him from the most exposed part of the reef as well as down to 300m below the surface discovering corals never seen before.
Paramount+ - #7482

South Park: Joining the Panderverse
2023 · Movie · 48mAnimation · Comedy · Sci-Fi & Fantasy
The end of Cartman's familiar, beloved life is predicted by his incredibly unsettling dreams. As the arrival of AI upends their society, the grownups in South Park are also struggling with their own personal decisions.
Paramount+ - #7981

Beavis and Butt-Head
1993–2011 · Series · 8 seasonsAnimation · Comedy
The show is about two slow-witted teenagers Beavis and Butt-Head and their everyday exploits, including trying to get laid (or "score," as they like to call it), breaking things, pulling pranks, skipping school and watching TV.
Paramount+ - #8980
Rugrats
1991–2003 · Series · 10 seasonsAnimation · Action · Comedy
Tommy, Chuckie, Angelica, Phil and Lil and Susie find themselves in a slew of adventures - both real and imaginary. Baldly go where no baby's every gone before as the Rugrats turn the ordinary into the extraordinary every day.
Paramount+ - #9579
We Need to Talk About Cosby
2022– · Series · 1 seasonDocumentary · Biography · Crime
Writer/director W. Kamau Bell's exploration of Bill Cosby's descent from "America's Dad" to convicted sexual predator. Comedians, journalists and survivors have a candid, first of its kind conversation about the man, his career an...
Paramount+ - #9879
South Park: Post COVID: The Return of COVID
2021 · Movie · 1h 2mAnimation · Comedy
If Stan, Kyle and Cartman could just work together, they could go back in time to make sure Covid never happened and save Kenny's life. Traveling back to the past seems to be the easy answer until they meet Victor Chaos.
Paramount+ - #11977
Welcome to Sarajevo
1997 · Movie · 1h 43mDrama · War
American and British journalists Flynn and Michael Henderson, along with their respective news teams, meet at the beginning of the Bosnian war in Sarajevo. During their reports, the group find an orphanage run by the devoted Mrs. ...
Paramount+ - #13476
The Angry Beavers
1997–2001 · Series · 4 seasonsAnimation · Action · Comedy
Brothers Daggett and Norbert Beaver have left home to gain independence by living on their own. Their goal is to live a wild bachelor lifestyle but, as might be expected from young brothers, they get into some weird situations.
Paramount+ - #13776
A Quiet Place Part II
2021 · Movie · 1h 37mDrama · Horror · Sci-Fi & Fantasy
Following the events at home, the Abbott family now face the terrors of the outside world. Forced to venture into the unknown, they realize the creatures that hunt by sound are not the only threats lurking beyond the sand path.
NetflixParamount+ - #13876
Light of My Life
2019 · Movie · 1h 59mDrama · Sci-Fi & Fantasy · Thriller
A father and his child journey through the outskirts of society a decade after a pandemic has wiped out half the world's population. As the father struggles to protect his child, their bond and the character of humanity are tested.
Paramount+ - #13976
South Park (Not Suitable for Children)
2023 · Movie · 46mAnimation · Comedy
A new sports drink called Cred is all the rage at the kids' school. Meanwhile, after a teacher at the school is discovered to have been making large amounts of money from OnlyFans, Randy decides to become an OnlyFans model.
Paramount+ - #14275
The Backyardigans
2004–2013 · Series · 4 seasonsAnimation · Action · Comedy
Uniqua, Pablo, Tyrone, Tasha, and Austin are a group of young friends who get together to play in the backyard they share. Each day, their imaginations transform that backyard into a different photo-realistic landscape.
Paramount+ - #16973
Sid & Judy
2019 · Movie · 1h 35mDocumentary · Biography · History
Revealing new look at Judy Garland fifty years after her tragic, untimely death. Fusing the unpublished recollections of producer, manager and third husband, Sid Luft, with film clips, rare concert footage and Judy's own inimitabl...
Paramount+ - #17573
Nöthin' But a Good Time: The Uncensored Story of '80s Hair Metal
2024– · Series · 1 seasonDocumentary
Follow the wild, excessive '80s hard rock scene's insanity and ambition that enthralled generations. Uncensored behind-the-scenes look at an iconic musical era's influence on culture through candid insights from renowned rock jour...
Paramount+ - #17873
The Killing of Kenneth Chamberlain
2021 · Movie · 1h 23mDrama · Thriller
Based on the true story of the events that led to the death of Kenneth Chamberlain Sr., an elderly African American veteran with bipolar disorder, who was killed during a conflict with police officers who were dispatched to check ...
Paramount+ - #17973
Lilies Not for Me
2025 · Movie · 1h 39mDrama · History · Romance
A gay novelist and his psychiatric nurse bond over a series of doctor-ordered 'dates' as he tells the story of a friendship which spiraled out of control when they turned to a risky procedure to cure themselves of feelings for eac...
Paramount+Prime Video - #19172
Kyle Kinane: Whiskey Icarus
2012 · Movie · 1hDocumentary · Comedy
In his first hour-long Comedy Central special, Kyle Kinane contemplates the existence of God, and the true meaning of being delivered an unsliced pizza. This special is extended and uncensored with all sorts of extra Kyle.
Paramount+ - #19272
Inside the Factory
2015– · Series · 10 seasonsDocumentary · History
How our favorite foods and products are made? Cherry Healey and Gregg Wallace go into the factories to figure out, while Ruth Goodman tell us about the historical development of the manufacturing process of these products.
Paramount+ - #19472
The Day Kennedy Died
2013 · Movie · 1h 32mDocumentary · History
Captures the frantic rush to the local hospital, the public chaos that ensued, the quickly mobilized manhunt by law enforcement looking for a suspect after witnesses identified the source of the gunshots as the Texas Book Deposito...
Paramount+ - #19872
The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants
2025 · Movie · 1h 28mAnimation · Action · Comedy
Desperate to be a big guy, SpongeBob sets out to prove his bravery to Mr. Krabs by following the Flying Dutchman, a mysterious swashbuckling ghost pirate, to the deepest depths of the deep sea.
Paramount+ - #20072
The Spymasters: CIA in the Crosshairs
2015 · Movie · 2hDocumentary · Drama · War
Documentary revealing the inner workings of the world's most powerful intelligence organization, with unprecedented access to America's spy network, all 12 living CIA directors and top agency operatives, who talk candidly about to...
Paramount+ - #20671
Lynching Postcards: Token of a Great Day
2021 · Movie · 15mDocumentary
During 1880-1968 over 4,000 African Americans were lynched at the hands of white mobs. These lynchings were commemorated through souvenir postcards that would ultimately be subverted by Black activists to expose racist violence in...
Paramount+ - #20871
The Wild Thornberrys
1998–2004 · Series · 5 seasonsAnimation · Action · Comedy
Eliza Thornberry is not your ordinary kid. It's not just because she travels the world in an RV with her parents: famous nature show hosts. Eliza also happened to be granted the magical ability to talk with and understand animals.
Paramount+ - #22670
The Last Expedition
2024 · Movie · Polish · 1h 20mDocumentary
The true story of Wanda Rutkiewicz, the first woman in the world and the first person from Poland to climb the highest peaks on earth - told by herself. Wanda entered the men's world of high-mountain expeditions without an invitat...
Paramount+ - #22970
Super Mario World
1991– · Series · 1 seasonAnimation · Action · Comedy
Mario, Luigi and Princess Toadstool are living in Dinosaur Land and have a cute always hungry dinosaur named Yoshi as a pet and a caveman child as a friend. They must stop evil King Koopa and his minions the Koopalings.
Paramount+Prime Video - #23469
The Mountain Lion and Me
2018 · Movie · 51mDocumentary
On the outskirts of Yellowstone National Park is Paradise Valley, Montana, home to bears, wolves, elk, and an animal so secretive, few ever get to see it: the mountain lion. Wildlife filmmaker Casey Anderson became one of those lu...
Paramount+ - #23869
Mystery in Yellowstone
2015 · Movie · 46mDocumentary
Yellowstone National Park is home to a vast array of landscapes and a huge diversity of animals, united in a fascinating ecosystem, one that is currently in severe trouble. The area once contained over 19,000 elk, but its numbers ...
Paramount+ - #23969
Americans Underground: Secret City of WWI
2017 · Movie · 44mDocumentary
An amazing discovery has been made beneath a farm field in Northern France: a vast underground city where World War I soldiers, on both sides of the conflict, took refuge a century ago. Even more remarkable, it is one of hundreds ...
Paramount+ - #24069
Madagascar: Africa's Galapagos
2019 · Movie · 50mDocumentary
It's the 10th of May 1836, Charles Darwin leans on the beaten wooden gunwale of The Beagle. He's yet to start writing his "Origin of the Species", but he's already forming his theories about evolution. Locations like the Galapagos...
Paramount+ - #24569
Miles To Go Before I Sleep
2016 · Movie · 35mDocumentary
35 minute documentary about musicians and the relationships they have with their roadies. Features Chad Smith (Red Hot Chili Peppers), Chris Shiflett (Foo Fighters) and Jim James (My Morning Jacket), who talk about their time on t...
Paramount+ - #24769
Unbelievable Flying Objects
2007 · Movie · 52mDocumentary
In the history of aviation, there were some ideas that didn't quite...fly. From the bizarre vertical "Pogo" plane to the disastrous Goblin, nicknamed the "Flying Egg," we take an in-depth probe of some magnificent men and their no...
Paramount+ - #24969
Angola Do You Hear Us? Voices from a Plantation Prison
2021 · Movie · 27mDocumentary
Angola Do You Hear Us? Voices from a Plantation Prison gives us a window into playwright Liza Jessie Peterson's performance in 2020 of her acclaimed play The Peculiar Patriot performed at Angola, the Louisiana State Penitentiary, ...
Paramount+ - #25269
More Than I Want to Remember
2022 · Movie · 14mAnimation
1 EmmyOne night at her home in southeastern Congo, 14-year-old Mugeni awakes to the sounds of bombs. As her family scatters to the surrounding forests to save themselves, Mugeni finds herself completely alone. From there, she sets out o...
Paramount+ - #25369

Out of the Rubble
2016 · Movie · 17mDocumentary
This is a fine short film neatly pulling together post-war archive to tell a story of the modernisation of Britain through architectural change, town planning, immigration and attitudes towards all this. All done in less than 20 minutes. There's such a good flow to the editing that it probably won't even feel its running length. There's a few contemporary additions including interviews with some of the subjects from the archive, which help to pull of the social commentaries together, but none detract from the flow or style of this piece of documentary cinema. All in all it's a good use of the BFI's archive so hopefully there'll be more similar efforts like this in the future.
Paramount+ - #25469
Hunting the Hammerhead
2016 · Movie · 46mDocumentary
The tropical waters of Bimini in the Bahamas are the hunting grounds for a large, yet elusive predator - the Great Hammerhead Shark. After 7 years research into the hunting senses of the Great White Shark, sensory biologist Dr. Cr...
Paramount+ - #26069
Ari Shaffir: Paid Regular
2015 · Movie · 1h 13mDocumentary · Comedy
Stand-up comic Ari Shaffir discusses inappropriate subjects like taking shrooms while camping, unusual new racial stereotypes, morning blowjobs, oddities of some of the ten commandments, and his profound hatred towards TSA.
Paramount+ - #26169
China's Emperor of Evil
2016 · Movie · 46mDocumentary
In China's Valley of the Kings, there stands a tall, carved stone. It honors the resting place of a woman named Wu Zetian, who rose from concubine to become China's only female emperor. For more than a millennia, history claimed s...
Paramount+ - #26969
Under the Dome
2013–2015 · Series · 3 seasonsDrama · Mystery · Sci-Fi & Fantasy
An invisible and mysterious force field descends upon the small town of Chester's Mill, Maine, USA, trapping residents inside, cut off from the rest of civilization. The trapped townspeople must discover the secrets and purpose of...
Paramount+ - #27069
Battle of Little Bighorn
2020 · Movie · 45mDocumentary · Action · Biography
The U.S. expands westward after the Civil War displacing the last of the free-roaming Native Americans onto Reservations. This show focuses special attention on General George A. Custer and the Battle of the Little Bighorn and Buf...
Paramount+ - #29068
Dora the Explorer: Mermaid Adventures
2025 · Movie · 55mAnimation · Action · Comedy
Dive into a majestic mermaid world with Dora! After playing a magical charango, Dora and Boots turn into mermaids and go on a series of mer-mazing underwater adventures with their new friend, Marisol the Mermaid and her dolphin bestie Rosa!
Paramount+ - #29867

Gabrielle Union: My Journey to 50
2023– · Series · 1 seasonDocumentary
Celebrated actress Gabrielle Union is turning 50, and she's embarking on an adventure through four countries in Africa with her closest loved ones. On this journey she will experience the birthday bash of a lifetime.
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