Best documentary shows streaming, ranked.
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- #298
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 - #1195
David Attenborough: A Life on Our Planet
2020 · Movie · 1h 23mDocumentary · Biography
3 EmmysIn this documentary David Attenborough, the celebrated naturalist, reflects upon both the defining moments of his lifetime and the devastating changes he has seen. The film provides a snapshot of global nature loss in a single lif...
Netflix - #1894
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+ - #2493
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 - #4191
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 - #5491
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 - #5890
Street Gang: How We Got to Sesame Street
2021 · Movie · 1h 47mDocumentary · Family · History
Take a stroll down Sesame Street and witness the birth of the most impactful children's series in TV history. From the iconic furry characters to the songs you know by heart, learn how a gang of visionary creators changed our world.
Prime Video - #6690
Beastie Boys Story
2020 · Movie · 1h 59mDocumentary · Biography
Here's a little story they're about to tell... Michael Diamond and Adam Horovitz share the story of the band, Beastie Boys, and 40 years of friendship in a live documentary experience directed by friend and collaborator, Spike Jonze.
Apple TV+ - #8189
The Disappearance of Shere Hite
2023 · Movie · 1h 58mDocumentary
Shere Hite's bestselling book The Hite Report liberated female orgasm by revealing the most private experiences of thousands of anonymous surveys. Her findings rocked the American establishment and conversations about gender and s...
Hulu - #8289
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 - #10088
Lucy and Desi
2022 · Movie · 1h 43mDocumentary · Biography · Comedy
2 EmmysThis film explores the rise of comedy icon Lucille Ball, her relationship with Desi Arnaz, and how their groundbreaking sitcom "I Love Lucy" forever changed Hollywood, cementing her legacy long after her death in 1989.
Prime Video - #12687
Swamp Dogg Gets His Pool Painted
2025 · Movie · 1h 35mDocumentary · Comedy
Cult musician Swamp Dogg and housemates Moogstar and Guitar Shorty have turned their suburban LA home into an artistic haven. They journey through the turbulent music business, forming a special friendship transcending eras.
Prime Video - #12787
Fragments of Paradise
2022 · Movie · 1h 38mDocumentary
Jonas Mekas chronicled life via diary films over 70+ years, from his 1949 NYC arrival until 2019. The Lithuanian exile shaped avant-garde cinema while building indie film institutions. "Fragments of Paradise" delves into his archives
Prime Video - #13787
American: An Odyssey to 1947
2022 · Movie · 1h 42mDocumentary
In the early 1930s, Orson Welles ascends to unprecedented stardom while President Franklin Delano Roosevelt navigates a nation in crisis. As WWII begins, an American boy visits abroad, and an American soldier enlists in the army.
Prime Video - #14187
Stay 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 - #14587
Turning 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 - #15387
Exposing Muybridge
2021 · Movie · 1h 28mDocumentary · Biography · History
Exposing Muybridge tells the story of trailblazing 19th-century photographer Eadweard Muybridge, who changed the world with his camera. Muybridge set the course for the development of cinema when he became the first photographer t...
Prime Video - #16486
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+ - #18186
The Remarkable Life of Ibelin
2024 · Movie · Norwegian · 1h 43mDocumentary · Animation · Biography
Mats Steen, a Norwegian gamer, died of a degenerative muscular disease at the age of 25. His parents mourned what they thought had been a lonely and isolated life, when they started receiving messages from online friends around th...
Netflix - #18786
A.rtificial I.mmortality
2021 · Movie · 1h 14mDocumentary
If you could create an immortal version of yourself, would you? Once the stuff of science fiction, A.I. experts now see it as possible. This feature documentary explores the latest thinking and technological advancements in AI.
Prime Video - #18886
James May: Our Man in…
2020–2024 · Series · 3 seasonsDocumentary · Action · Comedy
James May embarks on a remarkable journey across Japan, from its icy north to its balmy south. He'll see the sights, meet the locals, and eat the noodles in a bid to truly understand the Land of the Rising Sun.
Prime Video - #19486
Joan Baez: I Am a Noise
2023 · Movie · 1h 53mDocumentary · Biography
At the end of a 60-year career, legendary singer and activist Joan Baez takes an honest look back and a deep look inward as she tries to make sense of her large, history-making life, and the personal struggles she's kept private.
Hulu - #19885
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 - #19985
The 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.
Netflix - #20285
The Stringer: The Man Who Took the Photo
2025 · Movie · 1h 43mDocumentary · Biography · History
A two-year investigation uncovers a scandal behind the making of one of the most-recognized photographs of the 20th century. Five decades of secrets are unraveled in the search for justice for a man known only as "the stringer."
Netflix - #20385
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 - #21485
Summer of Soul (...Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised)
2021 · MovieDocumentary
The Harlem Cultural Festival, also known as "Black Woodstock", was a series of music concerts held in Harlem, Manhattan, New York City during the summer of 1969 to celebrate African American music and culture and to promote the co...
Disney+Hulu - #21685
Satan Wants You
2023 · Movie · 1h 28mDocumentary · Crime · Horror
It tells the story of how the Satanic Panic of the 1980s was ignited by "Michelle Remembers", a memoir by psychiatrist and his patient. The book relied on recovered-memory therapy to uncover Michelle's abduction by baby-stealing S...
Prime Video - #22085
Belushi
2020 · Movie · 1h 48mDocumentary · Biography
Using previously unheard audiotapes recorded shortly after John Belushi's death, director R.J. Cutler's documentary examines the too-short life of once-in-a-generation talent who captured the hearts and funny bones of devoted audi...
Paramount+ - #23185

Real Madrid: Until the End
2023– · Series · Spanish · 1 seasonDocumentary · Sport
On their path to one of the most remarkable endings in football history, which resulted in a record 14th Champions League triumph, they overcome the odds and doubters with the support of their ardent fans.
Apple TV+ - #23285
Conan O'Brien Must Go
2024– · Series · 2 seasonsDocumentary · Comedy
2 EmmysAfter years of conversations with listeners from across the world on his podcast Conan O'Brien Needs a Friend (2018), Conan O'Brien sets off on an epic journey to connect with some of his dedicated followers in person.
MAX - #24884
Hollywood Dreams & Nightmares: The Robert Englund Story
2022 · Movie · 2h 14mDocumentary
A classically trained actor and director, Robert Englund has become one of the most revolutionary horror icons of our generation. Throughout his career, Englund starred in many well-known movies, but shot to super-stardom with his...
Prime Video - #25384
Luke Bryan: My Dirt Road Diary
2021– · Series · 1 seasonDocumentary · Biography
Multi-platinum country music superstar and recent Academy of Country Music Awards "Entertainer of the Year" recipient, Luke Bryan, as he experiences the ups, downs, triumphs and tragedies along the road to unprecedented success.
Prime Video - #26284
The Return of Tanya Tucker Featuring Brandi Carlile
2022 · Movie · 1h 48mDocumentary
Decades after Tanya Tucker slipped from the spotlight, music star Brandi Carlile takes it upon herself to write an entire album for her hero based on Tanya's extraordinary life, spurring the greatest comeback in country music hist...
Hulu - #27783
Randy Rhoads: Reflections of a Guitar Icon
2022 · Movie · 1h 25mDocumentary
Randy Rhoads one of the greatest guitar players who ever lived was taken too soon and his story remains a mystery. We experience the life of Randy Rhoads from his time with Quiet Riot to becoming an icon with Ozzy Osbourne.
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