Best documentary shows streaming, ranked.
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- #995
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 - #1891
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 - #2890
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 - #4288
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 - #5587
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 - #5787
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 - #6886
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 - #7486
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 - #8185
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 - #8385
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 - #9385
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 - #11784
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 - #13083
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 - #13683

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+ - #14482
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 - #14582
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 - #15782
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 - #18781

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+ - #19780
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 - #21980
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 - #22580
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 - #22879
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 - #23079
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+ - #25979
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 - #26778
The Confession Tapes
2017–2019 · Series · 1 seasonDocumentary · Crime
A critical look into some true crime cases where American law enforcement made up for lack of actual physical evidence by using devious psychological tactics during interrogation in order to extract confessions from naive suspects.
Netflix - #26978
They'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 - #27778
American Manhunt: O.J. Simpson
2025– · Series · 1 seasonDocumentary · Crime · History
Revisits the infamous 1990s murder case and trial that captivated America. With new interviews and insights, it explores the chase, courtroom drama, and cultural impact, offering a fresh look at this pivotal moment in US history.
Netflix - #28278
Civil: Ben Crump
2022 · Movie · 1h 41mDocumentary · Biography
Crump's mission to raise the value of Black life as the civil lawyer for the families of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Black farmers and banking while Black victims, Crump challenges America to come to terms with what it owes his ...
Netflix - #28478
June 17th, 1994
2010 · Movie · 53mDocumentary · Biography · History
Documents on how the events on the day OJ Simpson was pursued and arrested on charges of murdering his ex wife and her boyfriend overshadowed and took precedence over other sporting events from around the country by the media. No ...
Netflix - #31777

Sebastian Maniscalco: Aren't You Embarrassed?
2014 · Movie · 1h 3mDocumentary · Comedy
Sebastian Maniscalco returns home to Chicago to perform in front of a live sold-out audience in this all-new comedy event. With his inimitable delivery, he burns modern-day society through the lens of his old-world Italian-America...
NetflixPrime Video - #32277
Casting JonBenet
2017 · Movie · 1h 20mDocumentary · Crime · Drama
In the months following the unsolved murder of 6-year-old beauty queen JonBenet Ramsey, responses were elicited from her Colorado hometown community, creating a work of art from the collective memories and mythologies the crime in...
Netflix - #32477
Ancient Apocalypse
2022–2024 · Series · 2 seasonsDocumentary · History
What if everything we know about prehistory is wrong? Journalist Graham Hancock visits archaeological sites around the world investigating if a civilization far more advanced than we ever believed possible existed thousands of yea...
Netflix - #33177
This Magic Moment
2016 · Movie · 1h 41mDocumentary · Biography · History
In the mid-1990s, Orlando was the center of excitement in the NBA. The young franchise, led by mega-stars Shaquille O'Neal and Penny Hardaway, beat the mighty Bulls en route to the 1995 NBA Finals. While it was clear Orlando was a...
Disney+Netflix - #33977
Street Food: Latin America
2020– · Series · 1 seasonDocumentary
The newest installment will travel to six countries in Latin America and explore the vibrant street food culture of Oaxaca, Mexico; Salvador, Brazil; Buenos Aires, Argentina; Lima, Peru; Bogota, Colombia; and La Paz, Bolivia.
Netflix - #34877
Selena y Los Dinos: A Family's Legacy
2025 · Movie · 1h 57mDocumentary · Biography · Family
Selena Quintanilla's journey from performing at local events to becoming the "Queen of Tejano Music" with her family band Selena y Los Dinos, culminating in sold-out stadium tours, is chronicled through personal archive footage.
Netflix - #35877
My Next Guest with David Letterman and Volodymyr Zelenskyy
2022 · Movie · 44mDocumentary
David Letterman visits war torn Kyiv, Ukraine to meet with, and interview, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy about the impact of the war with Russia on its people, economy, and relations with the Western world. Letterman provides some...
Netflix - #36576
Island of the Sea Wolves
2022– · Series · 1 seasonDocumentary · Action
Where the Pacific meets the wilderness of Canada lies a mysterious island. But peer a little deeper and we find something even more remarkable: a community full of charismatic animal residents, waiting to show you around.
Netflix - #38476
Pony Excess
2010 · Movie · 1h 42mDocumentary · Biography · History
SMU puts together the best football team in America during the early 1980s with the help of bribes and payoffs, until the NCAA gives the team the "Death Penalty"--a sanction from which the team has yet to competitively recover.
Netflix - #38876
This Is the Zodiac Speaking
2024– · Series · 1 seasonDocumentary · Crime
A shocking new series that points to Arthur Leigh Allen as the Zodiac killer. At the heart of the revelations is an unlikely family whose increasingly chilling relationship with Allen promises to connect him to the infamous Zodiac...
Netflix - #39376
The 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...
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