Best action & documentary shows streaming, ranked.
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- #2100

Planet Earth
2006– · Series · 1 seasonDocumentary · Family
4 EmmysBest Documentary SeriesA documentary series on the wildlife found on Earth. Each episode covers a different habitat: deserts, mountains, deep oceans, shallow seas, forests, caves, polar regions, fresh water, plains and jungles. Narrated by David Attenbo...
MAX - #1595
The Wizard of Oz
1939 · Movie · 1h 42mAction · Family · Sci-Fi & Fantasy
2 OscarsYoung Dorothy Gale and her dog Toto are swept away by a tornado from their Kansas farm to the magical Land of Oz and embark on a quest with three new friends to see the Wizard, who can return her to her home and fulfill the others...
MAX - #2994

Capturing the Friedmans
2003 · Movie · 1h 47mDocumentary · Biography · Crime
Documentary on the Friedmans, a seemingly typical, upper-middle-class Jewish family whose world is instantly transformed when the father and his youngest son are arrested and charged with shocking and horrible crimes.
MAX - #3693

Cameraperson
2016 · Movie · 1h 42mDocumentary · Biography · History
Exposing her role behind the camera, Kirsten Johnson reaches into the vast trove of footage she has shot over decades around the world. What emerges is a visually bold memoir and a revelatory interrogation of the power of the camera.
MAX - #3793
A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms
2026– · Series · 1 seasonAction · Drama
A century before GOT, Ser Duncan the Tall, and his squire, Egg, wandered through Westeros while the Targaryen dynasty ruled the Iron Throne, and dragons were still remembered. Great destinies and enemies await the incomparable fri...
MAX - #5193
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 - #5293
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2
2011 · Movie · 2h 10mAction · Family · Sci-Fi & Fantasy
Harry, Ron and Hermione set out on a quest to eliminate the remaining horcruxes. On the other hand, the students and teachers must unite to defend Hogwarts against Lord Voldemort and his army.
MAXPeacock - #9091
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 - #9291

Grey Gardens
1976 · Movie · 1h 35mDocumentary · Comedy · Drama
Meet a mother and daughter, high-society dropouts, reclusive cousins of Jackie O., managing to thrive together amid the decay and disorder of their East Hampton, NY, mansion, making for an eerily ramshackle echo of the American Ca...
MAX - #10491
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 - #15189
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
2004 · Movie · 2h 22mAction · Family · Sci-Fi & Fantasy
Harry Potter, Ron and Hermione return to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry for their third year of study, where they delve into the mystery surrounding an escaped prisoner who poses a dangerous threat to the young wizard.
MAXPeacock - #15289
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 - #16589
The Kingdom of Dreams and Madness
2013 · Movie · Japanese · 1h 58mDocumentary
Follows the routines of those employed at Studio Ghibli, including filmmakers Hayao Miyazaki, Isao Takahata, and Toshio Suzuki as they work to release two films simultaneously, The Wind Rises and The Tale of the Princess Kaguya.
MAX - #16888
MythBusters
2003–2018 · Series · 15 seasonsDocumentary · Mystery · Reality
The Mythbusters use science (and explosions) to answer every shower thought ever. From testing the myth that coke and pop rocks can explode your stomach, to recreating historical weapons to see how they worked.
Disney+MAXHulu - #17588

Homicide Hunter: Lt Joe Kenda
2011–2023 · Series · 9 seasonsDocumentary · Crime
Through re-enactments, discussions with investigation teams, and interviews with victims' families and other involved persons, the show highlights Lt. Joe Kenda's successes with his 387 homicide case history and 92% solution rate.
MAXHulu - #19886
Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga
2024 · Movie · 2h 28mAction · Sci-Fi & Fantasy
After being snatched from the Green Place of Many Mothers, while the tyrants Dementus and Immortan Joe fight for power and control, the young Furiosa must survive many trials as she puts together the means to find her way home.
MAX - #21286
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+ - #22386
The Case Against 8
2014 · Movie · 1h 49mDocumentary · Biography
A behind-the-scenes look inside the case to overturn California's ban on same-sex marriage. Shot over five years, the film follows the unlikely team that took the first federal marriage equality lawsuit to the U.S. Supreme Court.
MAX - #23386
The Four Feathers
1939 · Movie · 2h 9mAction · Drama · Romance
A British Army officer resigns, burning his last-day summons to war in the Sudan. Accusing him of cowardice, his girlfriend and three friends give him white feathers. To gain redemption, he shadows his friends to save their lives.
MAX - #23485
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 - #24385
Beasts of the Southern Wild
2012 · Movie · 1h 33mAction · Drama · Sci-Fi & Fantasy
Faced with both her hot-tempered father's fading health and melting ice-caps that flood her ramshackle bayou community and unleash ancient aurochs, six-year-old Hushpuppy must learn the ways of courage and love.
MAX - #25185
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+ - #25385
Valentine Road
2013 · Movie · 1h 29mDocumentary · Crime
On February 12, 2008 in Oxnard, California, eighth-grade student Brandon McInerney shot his classmate Larry King twice in the back of the head during first period. When Larry died two days later, his murder shocked the nation. Was...
MAXPrime Video - #26285
Star Trek: Voyager
1995–2001 · Series · 7 seasonsAction · Drama
7 EmmysPulled to the far side of the galaxy, where the Federation is seventy-five years away at maximum warp speed, the crew of the Starfleet star-ship Voyager must forge a truce with a group of Maquis rebels in order to find a way home.
Paramount+ - #26485
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 - #27684

Floyd Norman: An Animated Life
2016 · Movie · 1h 34mDocumentary · Biography
Animator. Storyman. Troublemaker. At 80 years old, see how Disney Legend Floyd Norman, the first African-American animator at Disney, continues to impact animation and stir up "trouble" after the company forced him to retire at ag...
MAX - #28284

Galaxy Quest
1999 · Movie · 1h 42mAction · Comedy · Sci-Fi & Fantasy
The alumni cast of a space opera television series have to play their roles as the real thing when an alien race needs their help. However, they also have to defend both Earth and the alien race from a reptilian warlord.
Paramount+ - #29983
The Great Lillian Hall
2024 · Movie · 1h 50mAction · Biography · History
Lillian Hall, a Broadway actress, has never missed a performance throughout her long, illustrious career. Yet in the rehearsals her confidence is challenged. People and events conspire to take away her ability to do what she loves...
MAX - #30083
The Zen Diaries of Garry Shandling
2018– · SeriesDocumentary · Biography · Comedy
1 EmmyJudd Apatow presents an emotional two-part in-depth look at the life, career and complex internal struggles of his loving mentor, the influential stand-up comedian and actor Garry Shandling, based on Shandling's personal diaries.
MAX - #31283

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+ - #31982
Barbie
2023 · Movie · 1h 54mAction · Comedy · Sci-Fi & Fantasy
1 OscarBarbie and Ken are having the time of their lives in the seemingly perfect world of Barbie Land. However, when they get a chance to go to the outside world, they soon discover the joys and perils of living among regular humans.
MAX - #34081
Star Trek: Enterprise
2001–2005 · Series · 4 seasonsAction · Drama
4 EmmysA century before Captain Kirk's five-year mission, Jonathan Archer captains the United Earth ship Enterprise during the early years of Starfleet, leading up to the Earth-Romulan War and the formation of the Federation.
Paramount+ - #35481

Friends: The Reunion
2021 · Movie · 1h 44mDocumentary · Biography · Comedy
"Friends (1994)" reunion special hosted by James Corden in which the main cast revisit the sets of the original show, meet with celebrity guests, do table reads and re-enactments of episodes, and share behind-the-scenes footage.
MAX - #35581

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+ - #36580
Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country
1991 · Movie · 1h 50mAction · Sci-Fi & Fantasy
On the eve of retirement, Kirk and McCoy are charged with assassinating the Klingon High Chancellor and imprisoned. The Enterprise crew must help them escape to thwart a conspiracy aimed at sabotaging the last best hope for peace.
Paramount+ - #37480
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
2002 · Movie · 2h 41mAction · Family · Sci-Fi & Fantasy
Harry Potter lives his second year at Hogwarts with Ron and Hermione when a message on the wall announces that the legendary Chamber of Secrets has been opened. The trio soon realize that, to save the school, it will take a lot of...
MAXPeacock - #38380
Shin Godzilla
2016 · Movie · Japanese · 2hAction · Drama · Horror
Something has surfaced in Tokyo Bay. As the Prime Minister of Japan pleads with the public to remain calm, a horrific creature of tremendous size makes landfall in the city, leaving death and destruction in its wake. Then it evolves.
MAX - #38779
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+ - #39679
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1
2010 · Movie · 2h 26mAction · Family · Sci-Fi & Fantasy
Harry Potter is tasked with the dangerous and seemingly impossible task of locating and destroying Voldemort's remaining Horcruxes. Harry must rely on Ron and Hermione more than ever, but dark forces threaten to tear them apart.
MAXPeacock - #41878
CSI: Vegas
2021–2024 · Series · 3 seasonsAction · Crime
Facing an existential threat that could bring down the Crime Lab, a brilliant team of forensic investigators must welcome back old friends and deploy new techniques to preserve and serve justice in Sin City (aka Las Vegas, Nevada).
Paramount+ - #43478
I Love You, Now Die: The Commonwealth v. Michelle Carter
2019– · SeriesDocumentary · Crime
Teen Michelle Carter's actions shocked a nation - but what really happened behind closed doors? This HBO special showcases the prosecution's point of view and alternately the defense's. Which side do you fall on?
MAX - #44278
Carrie Fisher: Wishful Drinking
2010 · Movie · 1h 17mDocumentary · Comedy
Hollywood icon Carrie Fisher tells her raw and intoxicating true story in this documentary based on her hit stage production. Touching on stardom, mental illness, addiction and more, the actress recounts her peaks and valleys with...
MAX - #45277

Exterminate All the Brutes
2021– · Series · 1 seasonDocumentary · History
Through time, into the darkest hours of humanity, the documentary deconstructs the making and masking of history, digging deep into the exploitative and genocidal aspects of European colonialism, from America to Africa and its imp...
MAX - #45877
Sonic the Hedgehog 3
2024 · Movie · 1h 50mAction · Comedy
Sonic, Knuckles, and Tails reunite against a powerful new adversary, Shadow, a mysterious villain with powers unlike anything they have faced before. With their abilities outmatched, Team Sonic must seek out an unlikely alliance.
Paramount+Prime Video - #46377
Team America: World Police
2004 · Movie · 1h 38mAction · Comedy
Popular Broadway actor Gary Johnston is recruited by the elite counter-terrorism organization Team America: World Police. As the world begins to crumble around him, he must battle with terrorists, celebrities and falling in love.
Paramount+ - #48576
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them
2016 · Movie · 2h 12mAction · Family · Sci-Fi & Fantasy
1 OscarIn 1926, magizoologist Newt Scamander arrives in New York during his worldwide tour to research and rescue magical creatures as something mysterious leaves trails of destruction in the city, threatening to expose the wizarding world.
MAX - #49476

Nickelodeon GUTS
1992–1995 · Series · 1 seasonAction · Family
Three kids dawning the different colors blue, red, and purple compete in relatively cool-looking olympic-style games to achieve as many points as they can. At the end of every episode, they climb a big fake mountain, braving tumbl...
Paramount+ - #51075
Bleed Out
2018 · Movie · 1h 28mDocumentary · Drama · Romance
After a routine partial hip replacement operation leaves his mother in a coma with permanent brain damage, what starts as a son's video diary becomes a citizen's investigation into the future of American health care. Using underco...
MAX - #51875
Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning
2025 · Movie · 2h 49mAction · Thriller
Hunt and the IMF pursue a dangerous AI called the Entity that's infiltrated global intelligence. With governments and a figure from his past in pursuit, Hunt races to stop it from forever changing the world.
Paramount+Prime Video - #52075

CSI: NY
2004–2013 · Series · 9 seasonsAction · Crime · Drama
Second CSI spin off which follows the Crime Scene Investigator's (CSI's) of the New York Police Department (NYPD) as they use advanced forensic science to reveal the circumstances behind mysterious and unusual deaths in New York C...
HuluParamount+ - #53374
George Stevens: D-Day to Berlin
1994 · Movie · 46mDocumentary · Biography · War
3 EmmysProduced and narrated by George Stevens Jr., this short documentary uses footage taken by his father when he was in the Army Signal Corps and follows American troops from D-Day in June 1944 to the end of the European war.
MAX - #54074
Let Us Prey: A Ministry of Scandals
2023– · Series · 1 seasonDocumentary
Let Us Prey examines the pain of survivors' IFB members Ruthy Heiler, Kathy Durbin and Amanda Householder. Tell their stories of abuse at the hands of church leaders and the violence, manipulation and alleged cover-ups by other me...
MAX - #54174

Charlotte's Web
2006 · Movie · 1h 37mAction · Comedy · Family
Wilbur the pig is scared of the end of the season, because he knows that come that time, he will end up on the dinner table. He hatches a plan with Charlotte, a spider that lives in his pen, to ensure that this will never happen.
Paramount+ - #54474
The History of Comedy
2017–2018 · Series · 2 seasonsDocumentary · Comedy · History
Utilizing archival footage punctuated by contemporary interviews with comedy legends and scholars, this is the history of not only what makes us laugh, but how comedy has affected the social and political landscape throughout hist...
MAX - #54774
State of Play: Trophy Kids
2013 · Movie · 1h 47mDocumentary
From the director of Bigger Stronger Faster comes an intense look at overbearing parents in sports. The film asks the question "Do we want what's best for our children? Or do we just want them to be the best?" Parts of this film w...
MAX - #54874
Inventing David Geffen
2012 · Movie · 1h 55mDocumentary · Biography · History
David Geffen's far-reaching influence - as agent, manager, record industry mogul, Hollywood and Broadway producer, and philanthropist - has helped shape American popular culture for the past four decades. Notoriously press and cam...
MAX - #55374
Battlestar Galactica: The Plan
2009 · Movie · 1h 52mAction · Drama · Romance
When the initial Cylon attack against the Twelve Colonies fails to achieve complete extermination of human life as planned, twin Number Ones (Cavils) embedded on Galactica and Caprica must improvise to destroy the human survivors.
Paramount+ - #55474
100 Years of Warner Bros.
2023– · Series · 1 seasonDocumentary · History
100 Years of Warner Bros. takes a historical look at the legacy of one of America's leading studios. The documentary explores the origin, evolution and endurance of Warner Bros. - from a family affair to a global juggernaut.
MAX - #56373
Danger Close: The Battle of Long Tan
2019 · Movie · 1h 58mAction · Drama · War
In August 1966, in a Vietnamese rubber plantation called Long Tan, 108 young and inexperienced Australian and New Zealand soldiers are fighting for their lives against 2500 North Vietnamese and Viet Cong soldiers.
Paramount+ - #56473

The Way Down: God, Greed, and the Cult of Gwen Shamblin
2021–2022 · Series · 1 seasonDocumentary · Crime
Follows the Remnant Fellowship Church, exploring the fame and power of its leader Gwen Shambling Lara as a diet guru and church leader, and the truth behind her carefully-curated image, detailing the church's controversial practices.
MAX - #56673
The Return
2024 · Movie · 1h 56mAction · Drama · History
After 20 years Odysseus finally returns to Ithaca, where he finds his wife held prisoner by suitors vying to be king and his son facing death at their hands. To win back his family and all he has lost, Odysseus must rediscover his...
Paramount+ - #56873
Nixon by Nixon: In His Own Words
2014 · Movie · 1h 11mDocumentary
On Aug. 9, 1974, Richard Milhous Nixon became the first American president to resign from office. From 1971 to 1973, he had secretly recorded his private conversations, purportedly for the purpose of historical record, but in the ...
MAX - #57173
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+ - #57273
I (Almost) Got Away With It
2010–2016 · Series · 8 seasonsDocumentary · Crime · Mystery
Murders, drug dealers, bank robbers or jail escapees. The stories are different, but the motive is always the same: to stay out of prison. See what pushed these fugitives to their crimes, how they changed their identities, evaded ...
MAXHulu - #58273

The Nightclub: Stories from Turkish Nightlife
2019–2021 · Series · Turkish · 1 seasonDocumentary
Although the pavilions operating under the name of casinos, taverns and entertainment centers meet approximately 80% of the Ankara entertainment sector and feed the provincial economy remarkably, they are not widely accepted as le...
MAX - #58373
Money Electric: The Bitcoin Mystery
2024 · Movie · 1h 40mDocumentary
Cullen Hoback investigates the origins of Bitcoin and its anonymous creator Satoshi Nakamoto, exploring the potential of this cryptocurrency on the global financial system and who could hold immense power if it became mainstream.
MAX - #58873
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+ - #59173
Walker Independence
2022–2023 · Series · 1 seasonAction · Crime · Drama
Abby Walker's husband is murdered before her eyes. On her quest for revenge, Abby crosses paths with Hoyt Rawlins. Abby and Hoyt's journey takes them to Independence, Texas, where they encounter residents running from their own pa...
MAX - #59873

NCIS: New Orleans
2014–2021 · Series · 7 seasonsAction · Comedy
Follows a team of Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS) Special Agents who investigate criminal cases involving military personnel in New Orleans, Louisiana aka The Big Easy, a city known for its music, entertainment, and de...
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