TV Documentaries on Netflix
Last updated March 09, 2025
American Gangster: Season 1
2006 | NR | 4.0 out of 5 StarsGolden Globe-winning actor Ving Rhames narrates this documentary series that profiles notorious African-American criminal figures, reexamining their crimes, exploring their personal lives and analyzing their effect on the black community. In each episode, the series draws from archival footage, revealing interviews and authentic court records to separate truth from fiction and demystify the life of criminal infamy.
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American Gangster: Season 3
2008 | NR | 4.0 out of 5 StarsVing Rhames narrates the life and times of Black America's most notorious criminals in this third season of the eye-opening BET series. Using archival news footage, vintage interviews, archival photographs and expert testimony, the program paints complex portraits of the sensational figures -- whose crimes include drug dealing, theft and murder -- and examines their legacies through the lens of history.
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River Monsters: Season 2
2010 | NR | 4.0 out of 5 StarsBiologist and "extreme angler" Jeremy Wade returns for another mesmerizing season of the hit Animal Planet series that finds him searching the world's rivers and lakes for the biggest, most unusual and deadliest freshwater creatures. Join the adventure as Jeremy travels to Africa's Congo River to hunt for a Goliath Tigerfish, the world's most aggressive and deadly fish, and Thailand's Mekong River, where he catches a 700-pound venomous stingray.
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Ken Burns: The West
1996 | NR | 4.0 out of 5 StarsHistorian and Oscar nominee Ken Burns and his talented team mine vintage photographs, music, maps, letters, newspapers and more to bring to life the struggles and challenges Americans faced in the 19th century as they embarked on westward expansion.
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River Monsters
2009 | NR | 4.0 out of 5 StarsBiologist and self-proclaimed extreme angler Jeremy Wade hosts this Animal Planet series that takes viewers all over the world to visit freshwater rivers and lakes, where deadly creatures ranging from tiny piranha to 700-pound stingrays lurk. Jeremy debunks myths and uncovers the truth about these mysterious monsters, including vicious Goliath tigerfish in Africa, the snakeheads invading America and man-eating catfish in the Himalayas.
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American Gangster
2006 | NR | 4.0 out of 5 StarsIn this gripping documentary series from BET, Golden Globe winner Ving Rhames narrates profiles of history's most infamous African American crime figures, delving into the private life and criminal exploits of each subject. Photographs and film clips illustrate eyewitness and law enforcement accounts of Frank Lucas (subject of the film American Gangster), Philadelphia's Black Mafia, Larry Hoover, Nicky Barnes, the Beltway Snipers and others.
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American Masters: LENNONYC
2010 | NR | 3.9 out of 5 StarsThis commemorative tribute to music legend John Lennon charts the highlights of his solo career post-Beatles and examines his relationship with wife and collaborator Yoko Ono through never-before-seen footage on loan from the Lennon archives.
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TEDTalks: Head Games
2011 | NR | 3.9 out of 5 StarsDid you know scientists can see how you feel? Why are some of us susceptible to cults? These TED presenters explain elements within the complex world of behavior, from psychological disorders to self-awareness and the everyday smile.
Details about TEDTalks: Head Games
The Planets
1999 | NR | 3.9 out of 5 StarsTake a thrilling guided tour of our solar system in this documentary series, which examines cutting-edge scientific discoveries about the planets, explores the origin and fate of the sun, considers the possibility of life on other worlds and more.
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American Experience: Death and the Civil War
2012 | NR | 3.9 out of 5 StarsThis film explores how the American Civil War created a "republic of suffering" and charts the far-reaching social, political and social changes brought about by the pervasive presence and fear of death during the war.
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Summit on Ice
1992 | NR | 3.9 out of 5 StarsIn September 1972, the world watched as Canada faced Russia in the most significant sports event of its time. It was a battle of beliefs, a clash of cultures and some would say, a war.
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Steve Jobs: One Last Thing
2011 | NR | 3.9 out of 5 StarsLegendary businessman and Apple co-founder Steve Jobs changed the way Americans live, think and work before his death in 2011. This documentary traces his turbulent career and includes interviews with his associates as well as his rivals.
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Echo of the Elephants: The Next Generation
1996 | NR | 3.9 out of 5 StarsIn this continuation of the Echo of the Elephants saga, elephant behavioral expert Cynthia Moss takes viewers back into Kenya's Amboseli National Park for a look at Echo's ever-growing brood. Mirroring the realm of human drama, the animals' natural habitat contains stories of love, loss and plenty of laughter, with an emphasis on the new faces that have joined the herd since the first installment in the series.
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Great Crimes and Trials
2011 | NR | 3.9 out of 5 StarsWith cases dating from the 1960s to the 2000s. The series offers a winning formula of the details of the crime, followed by the Police investigation and then the trial and the punishment.
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Attenborough in Paradise
1996 | NR | 3.9 out of 5 StarsRenowned naturalist David Attenborough takes viewers on journeys through some of the world's most fascinating and vivid natural wonders in this collection of seven of his television specials.
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Churchill
2003 | NR | 3.9 out of 5 StarsFollow the career of one of Britain's most illustrious leaders, Winston Churchill, in this three-part documentary, which examines Churchill's childhood, his tempestuous first turn as prime minister, his memorable second term and tragic death.
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Great Crimes and Trials
2011 | NR | 3.9 out of 5 StarsFrom serial murders to assassinations to kidnappings, this documentary series chronicles notorious crimes committed between the 1960s and 2000s and their subsequent investigations, trials and punishments.
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Deadliest Warrior: Season 1
2009 | NR | 3.9 out of 5 StarsUsing animation and applied science, Season 1 features fictional match-ups between an Apache Indian and a gladiator, a Viking and a samurai, a pirate and a knight, a Shaolin monk and a Maori warrior, and a Spartan and a ninja.
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Deadliest Warrior: Season 2
2010 | NR | 3.9 out of 5 StarsGet ready for all-out warfare as a dream team of history's most fearsome warriors -- including Alexander the Great, Attila the Hun, Vlad the Impaler, Sun Tzu, the KGB and the CIA -- clash in simulated one-on-one battles to the death.
Details about Deadliest Warrior: Season 2
Attenborough in Paradise
1996 | NR | 3.9 out of 5 StarsRenowned naturalist David Attenborough takes viewers on journeys through some of the world's most fascinating and vivid natural wonders in this collection of seven of his television specials.
Details about Attenborough in Paradise
Deadliest Warrior
2009 | NR | 3.9 out of 5 StarsWho would emerge victorious if a Roman centurion were pitted against a Rajput warrior? Or if outlaw Jesse James faced off against gangster Al Capone? This series surveys military might across the millennia by examining fictional face-offs.
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Churchill
2003 | NR | 3.9 out of 5 StarsThe life and career of the great world leader Winston Churchill are explored in this three part documentary, from his childhood, his two turns as the Prime Minister of England, and up to his tragic death.
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TEDTalks: Head Games
2011 | NR | 3.9 out of 5 StarsDid you know scientists can see how you feel? Why are some of us susceptible to cults? These TED presenters explain elements within the complex world of behavior, from psychological disorders to self-awareness and the everyday smile.
Details about TEDTalks: Head Games
The Planets
1999 | NR | 3.9 out of 5 StarsIn this BBC documentary series, the solar system is front and center as interviews with scientists from around the globe, computer-generated images, and archival footage reveal information about space exploration, the sun, atmosphere and more. The comprehensive program also features famed astrophysicist-author Carl Sagan's theories as well as moonwalkers Buzz Aldrin and Neil Armstrong discussing their historic 1969 journey.
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TEDTalks: Robotic Machinations
2011 | NR | 3.8 out of 5 StarsTake a ride on the silicon side with these speakers whose robotic machinations are redefining what it means to be a machine. These incredible examples of artificial intelligence and cutting-edge machinery will amaze you.
Details about TEDTalks: Robotic Machinations
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