Best war & 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.
Sign in to triage shows — WatchList, SkipList, or rank what you've seen. Triaged shows are hidden.
- #1095
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 - #2191
Jim 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 - #3490
Chef'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 - #3590
City 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 - #5188
Winter 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 - #6487
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 - #6787
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 - #7986
Once Brothers
2010 · Movie · 1h 19mDocumentary · Biography · History
Drazen Petrovic and Vlade Divac were two friends who grew up together sharing the common bond of basketball. Together, they lifted the Yugoslavian National team to unimaginable heights. After conquering Europe, they both went to A...
Netflix - #8586

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+ - #8686
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 - #9385
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 - #9685
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 - #10685
Sunderland 'Til I Die
2018–2024 · Series · 3 seasonsDocumentary · Sport
Highlights the unfailing passion Sunderland residents have for their beloved football club, taking viewers through the highs and lows of SAFC's 2017-18 season in the Championship following its relegation the previous year.
Netflix - #10885
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+ - #13284
Elena
2013 · Movie · Portuguese · 1h 20mDocumentary · Biography · Drama
Elena, a young Brazilian woman, travels to New York with the same dream as her mother, to become a movie actress. She leaves behind her childhood spent in hiding during the years of the military dictatorship. She also leaves Petra...
Netflix - #14983
The 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 - #15583

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+ - #16382
Struggle: The Life and Lost Art of Szukalski
2018 · Movie · 1h 55mDocumentary · Biography
This documentary chronicles the life of Polish-American artist Stanislav Szukalski (1893-1987) from his early years in Chicago, to his time in Poland and Los Angeles, and his artistic and political contributions to the world.
Netflix - #16482
The Deepest Breath
2023 · Movie · 1h 48mDocumentary · Action · Sport
A champion and expert safety diver seemed destined for one another. Despite different paths taken, they meet at the pinnacle of the free-diving world, experiencing the thrilling rewards and inescapable risks of chasing dreams thro...
Netflix - #17582
Alma Matters: Inside the IIT Dream
2021– · Series · HindiDocumentary
In a "nation of middle-class" the IIT dream involves clearing the world's toughest public exam for guaranteed lifelong success. Life is not an exam though. It's a hustle, one that nobody trains them for. The result? Eternal tumult.
Netflix - #17782
Headspace Guide to Meditation
2021– · Series · 1 seasonDocumentary · Animation
Over the course of eight animated episodes, Andy Puddicombe—former Buddhist monk and co-founder of the globally beloved Headspace meditation app—takes viewers through the benefits and science behind meditation.
Netflix - #19881
Number 24
2024 · Movie · Norwegian · 1h 51mWar · Biography · Drama
Young apprentice Gunnar Sønsteby from Rjukan decides to resist Nazi-Germany on the day of the invasion to later become the leader of the "Oslo-gang" carrying out countless daring acts of sabotage making him Norway's greatest war h...
Netflix - #20581
Chef's Table: France
2016– · Series · 1 seasonDocumentary
Chef's Table, French edition, goes inside the lives and kitchens of some of the world's most renowned French chefs. Each episode focuses on a single chef and their unique look at their lives, talents and passion from their piece o...
Netflix - #21281

Aerial America
2010– · Series · 8 seasonsDocumentary
Helicopter flights above the USA give breathtaking views of the nation's historic landmarks and natural wonders all presented in stunning HD aerial cinematography while narration provides background information and historical cont...
Paramount+ - #22380
The 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.
NetflixPrime Video - #24680
The Loneliest Whale: The Search for 52
2021 · Movie · 1h 36mDocumentary · Action
THE LONELIEST WHALE is a cinematic quest to find the "52 Hertz Whale," which scientists believe has spent its entire life in solitude, calling out at a frequency that is different from any other whale. As a group of scientists mou...
Netflix - #25480
American 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 - #25579
The Guernsey Literary & Potato Peel Pie Society
2018 · Movie · 2h 4mWar · Drama · Romance
In the aftermath of World War II, a writer forms an unexpected bond with the residents of Guernsey Island when she decides to write a book about their experiences during the war. Then she learns the secret they are afraid to reveal.
Netflix - #25979
Jack Whitehall: Travels with My Father
2017–2021 · Series · 5 seasonsDocumentary · Comedy
Follows Jack Whitehall as he embarks on the trip of a lifetime with his father, Michael. The two set off on a journey across South East Asia to partake in a series of adventures, mishaps and escapades with two very different persp...
Netflix - #26079
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+ - #28079
American Manhunt: The Boston Marathon Bombing
2023– · Series · 1 seasonDocumentary · Crime · History
Follows the tragedy in which terrorists detonated a bomb at the Boston Marathon's finish line; they carried out the attack by placing two homemade pressure-cooker bombs that resulted in three fatalities and numerous injuries.
Netflix - #29479
The Rise of the Red Hot Chili Peppers: Our Brother, Hillel
2026 · Movie · 1h 33mDocumentary · History
Gritty, formative years of the Los Angeles band, and the influence of original guitarist Hillel Slovak, who died in 1988. It features interviews with bandmates Flea and Anthony Kiedis who discuss the band's early evolution.
Netflix
















































































