Documentaries - Historical
by rebeccarico | created - 10 Oct 2018 | updated - 9 months ago | Public- Instant Watch Options
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1. Empire Games (2018– )
50 min | Documentary, History
This series explores the greatest empires in a way that has never been fully investigated. Each episode highlights and exposes the political intrigue, personal vendettas, family mayhem, ... See full summary »
Stars: Jim O'Brien, Fabrizio Conti, Caroline Dodds Pennock, Yasmin Koppen
Votes: 375
2. Ancient Worlds (2010)
Not Rated | 60 min | Documentary
An Ancient society is examined, but not just from a historical point of view. The researchers try to present and approach it as if they lived in that Classical or earlier culture, religion etcetera.
Stars: Richard Miles, Simon Russell Beale, Valerio Massimo Manfredi, Julie Berry
Votes: 210
4. A History of Britain (2000–2002)
60 min | Documentary, History
A comprehensive historical survey of the British Isles.
Stars: Simon Schama, Michael Kitchen, Samuel West, Lindsay Duncan
Votes: 945
5. The Putin Interviews (2017)
TV-PG | 58 min | Documentary, Biography
Academy Award-winning film-maker Oliver Stone interviews Russian president Vladimir Putin about divisive issues related to U.S.-Russia relations.
Stars: Oliver Stone, Vladimir Putin, Sergei Chudinov, Fernando Sulichin
Votes: 5,266
6. We Built This City: Paris (2008 TV Movie)
Documentary
A true valuable documentary about Paris since the very first settlements around 300 BC by a Celtic Gauls tribe called Parisi, expelled by Romans at 52 BC, the roman named the city as ... See full summary »
Director: Jeremy Llewellyn-Jones | Star: Bradley Lavelle
Votes: 27
7. We Built This City: London (2003 TV Movie)
Documentary
Fantastic documentary over London as the first Roman settlement at Thames river on Britannia, the Romans named as Londinium, after a little time was attacked by the Celtic Queen called ... See full summary »
Director: Paul Burgess | Star: Bradley Lavelle
Votes: 26
8. We Built This City: New York (2003 TV Movie)
Documentary
The third and final documentary of this series, New York the most impressive city all over the world, since the first Dutch trading post as New Amsterdam, later on British hands it became ... See full summary »
Director: Alexander Marengo | Star: Bradley Lavelle
Votes: 41
9. American Experience (1987– )
TV-PG | 120 min | Documentary, Biography, History
A series showcasing documentaries on American history.
Stars: David McCullough, David Ogden Stiers, Michael Murphy, Oliver Platt
Votes: 2,200
10. Newton: The Dark Heretic (2003 TV Movie)
Documentary
This BBC documentary outlines the evidence that suggest that Newton's revolutionary ideas about light came from his secret work as an alchemist.
Director: Chris Oxley | Stars: Philip Harvey, Phillip Keiman, Clare Angelini Heather
Votes: 31
11. Einstein's Big Idea (2005 TV Movie)
120 min | Documentary, Biography, Drama
This docudrama examines the history of scientific discovery that lead up to Albert Einstein's famous equation E=mc2 and its aftermath in the creation of nuclear energy. This includes ... See full summary »
Director: Gary Johnstone | Stars: Aidan McArdle, Shirley Henderson, Steven Robertson, Gregory Fox-Murphy
Votes: 639
12. World War I in Colour (2003)
372 min | Documentary, History, War
Documentary using computer colorized footage from World War I to give the audience the feel of how it really looked back during the war.
Stars: Kenneth Branagh, Harry Patch, Hubert Williams, Arthur Barraclough
Votes: 916
13. America: The Story of the US (2010)
Documentary, History
Why did the United States become a global superpower? America The Story of Us is an epic 12-hour television event that explores the country's remarkable journey.
Stars: Daniel Webb, Liev Schreiber, Tom Brokaw, James Meigs
Votes: 1,966
14. The Men Who Built America (2012)
TV-14 | 37 min | Documentary, Biography, History
Rockefeller, Vanderbilt, Carnegie, Astor, Ford and Morgan. Their names are part of history and synonymous with the American dream. These men transformed every industry they touched: oil, rail, steel, shipping, automobiles, and finance.
Stars: Campbell Scott, H.W. Brands, Mark Cuban, Donny Deutsch
Votes: 4,577
15. Barbarians Rising (2016)
TV-14 | 120 min | Documentary, Action, Drama
Rome. The greatest empire the world has ever known. This docudrama tells the story of Rome through the eyes of the empire's many adversaries who battled to see its destruction.
Stars: Michael Ealy, Barry Strauss, Richard Riddell, Julian Kostov
Votes: 2,251
16. Egypt: Engineering an Empire (2006 TV Movie)
92 min | Documentary, History
Twenty-five hundred years before the reign of Julius Caesar, the ancient Egyptians were deftly harnessing the power of engineering on an unprecedented scale. Egyptian temples, fortresses, ... See full summary »
Director: Christopher Cassel | Stars: Lawrence Berman, Michael Carroll, Stephen Harvey, Zahi Hawass
Votes: 275
17. Engineering an Empire (2005–2007)
TV-PG | 44 min | Documentary, History
A series of documentaries that go over the world's history and it's many accomplishments.
Stars: Michael Carroll, Peter Weller, J.J. Huckin, Sam Kalidi
Votes: 700
18. Rome: Rise and Fall of an Empire (2008)
TV-PG | 60 min | Documentary, History, War
The historical drama details the Roman military campaigns against the barbarians. It shows how continuous wars depleted resources, a key factor in the fall of the Empire.
Stars: Leif Anders, Sam Mercurio, Karl Otter, Andre de Nesnera
Votes: 857
19. She-Wolves: England's Early Queens (2012)
60 min | Documentary, Biography, History
Historian of the medieval period, Helen Castor, presents an in depth and insightful series covering England's early Queens, from the High Middle Ages with Eleanor and get daughter-in-law ... See full summary »
Star: Helen Castor
Votes: 487
20. Ancient Civilizations (2017– )
TV-G | History, Mystery
Explore ancient sites and delve deeper into the forgotten codes hidden throughout ancient mythology to unlock new understanding of humanity's origins.
Stars: Gregg Braden, Graham Hancock, David Wilcock, Andrew Collins
Votes: 242
21. The Pyramid Code (2009)
45 min | Documentary
The Pyramid Code is a documentary series of 5 episodes that explores the pyramid fields and ancient temples in Egypt as well as ancient megalithic sites around the world looking for clues ... See full summary »
Stars: Sally Jennings, Abd'el Hakim Awyan, John Anthony West, Carmen Boulter
Votes: 839
22. Secrets of Great British Castles (2015–2016)
TV-PG | 45 min | Documentary, History
Historian Dan Jones explores the millennium of history behind six of Great Britain's most famous castles: Warwick, Dover, Caernarfon, the Tower of London, Carrickfergus, and Stirling.
Stars: Dan Jones, Christophe Lombardi, Jay Dee, Ronald Hutton
Votes: 1,234
23. Secrets of Henry VIII's Palace: Hampton Court (2013 TV Movie)
60 min | Documentary
The history of this grand 500-year-old palace is inextricably tied to the lavish lifestyle of King Henry VIII and the doomed fates of his six wives.
Director: Sam Taplin | Star: Samuel West
Votes: 332
24. Britain's Bloodiest Dynasty: The Plantagenets (2014– )
Documentary, Biography, History
Docudrama series with author Dan Jones. It follows the period from control freak king Henry II to the tyrant king Richard II.
Stars: Dan Jones, Dragos Onisei, Adina Eady, Cezar Grumazescu
Votes: 410
25. Britain's Bloody Crown (2016– )
Not Rated | Drama, History
Using a combination of documentary and drama, historian Dan Jones tells the story of the War of the Roses - the 30 year civil war between the House of York and House of Lancaster that saw the crown change hands seven times.
Stars: Dan Jones, James Oliver Wheatley, Steffan Boje, Tom Durant Pritchard
Votes: 366
26. Six Wives with Lucy Worsley (2016)
TV-PG | 60 min | Documentary, Biography, Drama
Historian Lucy Worsley visits the time of Henry VIII and tells the story of his six successive wives.
Stars: Lucy Worsley, Nicholas Agnew, Claire Cooper, Scott Arthur
Votes: 732
27. The Six Queens of Henry VIII (2016– )
Not Rated | 60 min | History
A series about Henry VIII and his wives, chronicling the ups and downs in his marriages and how they shaped his reign as King and ultimately the face of Britain.
Stars: Suzannah Lipscomb, Dan Jones, Charlie Clements, Toby Osmond
Votes: 257
28. Decoded (2010–2012)
60 min | Documentary, History, Mystery
Novelist Brad Meltzer and a team of investigators delve into historical mysteries.
Stars: Brad Meltzer, Buddy Levy, Christine McKinley, Scott Rolle
Votes: 798
29. American Ripper (2017)
TV-14 | 43 min | Documentary, History, Mystery
H.H. Holmes was America's first serial killer believed to have killed nearly 200 people in the late 19th century.
Stars: Jeff Mudgett, Amaryllis Fox, Conor Hall, Mark Granville Merritt
Votes: 748
30. Nazi Mega Weapons (2013– )
60 min | Documentary, History, War
An examination of Nazi Germany's various military engineering projects during World War II.
Stars: James Holland, Tony Pollard, Richard Lintern, Julian Forsyth
Votes: 615
31. The Truth Behind: Atlantis (2011 TV Movie)
45 min | Documentary
Uncover fascinating new information about the "lost" underwater city of Atlantis, a legend that has long mystified scholars and explorers.
Director: Steve Baker | Stars: Harry Chase, Elsie Brown, Robert Carmichael, David Wilcock
Votes: 31
32. Panama Canal: Prized Possession (2015)
55 min | Documentary, History
The Panama Canal, built by the United States on Panamanian territory, turned at once into a symbol of American power and Panama's national identity.
Votes: 21
33. Lorena (2019)
TV-MA | 254 min | Documentary, Crime
From Executive Producer Jordan Peele, this four-part docuseries re-investigates the events of 1993, where Lorena Bobbitt sliced off her husband's penis after years of abuse.
Stars: Lorena Bobbitt, John Wayne Bobbitt, Kim Gandy, Paul Ebert
Votes: 2,459
34. Unearthed (I) (2016– )
Documentary, History, Mystery
Exploration of great archaeological discoveries, fascinating ancient civilizations, forgotten architectural marvels and tantalizing historical mysteries.
Stars: Steven Kearney, Richard Cotton, Demetri Goritsas, Aidan Dodson
Votes: 324
35. The Last Czars (2019)
TV-MA | 45 min | Documentary, Drama, History
A Chronicled look at the fall of the Romanov dynasty in Russia.
Stars: Robert Jack, Susanna Herbert, Ben Cartwright, Oliver Dimsdale
Votes: 9,666
36. Andrew Marr's History of the World (2012)
Documentary, History
Andrew Marr's History of the World is a 2012 BBC documentary television series presented by Andrew Marr that covers 70,000 years of world history from the beginning of human civilisation, ... See full summary »
Stars: Andrew Marr, Pierre Marais, Joe Vaz, Aubrey Shelton
Votes: 1,402
37. History of the World in 2 Hours (2011 TV Movie)
TV-PG | 120 min | Documentary, History
A rapid-fire history of our world, from the beginning of time as we know it to present day. This two-hour CGI-driven special delves into the key turning points: the formation of earth, ... See full summary »
Director: Douglas Cohen | Stars: Corey Burton, Alex Filippenko, Peter Ward, Clifford V. Johnson
Votes: 1,043
38. Ancient Mysteries (1994–1998)
45 min | Documentary, History, Mystery
Ancient Mysteries is a documentary television series that deals with historical mysteries.
Stars: Leonard Nimoy, Kathleen Turner, Carole Fontaine, Bob Brier
Votes: 192
39. Empires: The Greeks - Crucible of Civilization (2000)
150 min | Documentary, History
A documentary, narrated by actor Liam Neeson, that chronicles the rise and fall of the civilization of ancient Greece.
Stars: Liam Neeson, Nigel Spivey, Victor Davis Hanson, Josiah Ober
Votes: 390
40. The Life of Muhammad (2011– )
TV-PG | 180 min | Documentary, History
A landmark documentary series examining the life of the Prophet Muhammad and the origins of Islamic faith.
Stars: Rageh Omaar, Tariq Ali, Karen Armstrong, Tariq Ramadan
Votes: 385
41. Egypt (2005)
Not Rated | 60 min | Documentary, Drama, History
Dramatization of the great discoveries of ancient Egypt, from the exploration of tombs in the early 1800s, to the unraveling of the Rosetta Stone to translate the ancient language on the tombs, to the discovery of Tutankhamun's tomb.
Stars: Andrew Sachs, Neji Nejah, Elliot Cowan, Stuart Graham
Votes: 835
42. The War You Don't See (2010)
97 min | Documentary, War
Thought-provoking documentary on war propaganda: how governments manipulate the facts and how most media let them get away with it.
Directors: Alan Lowery, John Pilger | Stars: John Pilger, Stuart Ewen, Melvin Goodman, Dan Rather
Votes: 1,524
43. 9/11 (2002 TV Movie)
TV-PG | 112 min | Documentary
A real life documentary following the events of September 11 from an insider's view, through the lens of James Hanlon and two French filmmakers who were in Manhattan that one day.
Directors: James Hanlon, Gédéon Naudet, Jules Naudet | Stars: Tony Benatatos, Yusuf Baran Bilgic, Jamal Braithwaite, Steve Buscemi
Votes: 8,640
44. Israel: Birth of a Nation (1996 TV Movie)
Unrated | 100 min | Documentary, History, War
Sir Martin Gilbert, author of over sixty books and the host of A&E's JERUSALEM, hosts this gripping account of Israel's difficult first years. Filled with rare footage, photographs, and ... See full summary »
Director: Herb Krosney | Stars: Martin Gilbert, David Ben-Gurion
Votes: 119
45. The Civil War (1990)
TV-14 | 76 min | Documentary, History, War
A comprehensive survey of the American Civil War.
Stars: David McCullough, Sam Waterston, Julie Harris, Jason Robards
Votes: 18,452
46. The World at War (1973–1974)
TV-PG | 50 min | Documentary, History, War
A groundbreaking 26-part documentary series narrated by the actor Laurence Olivier about the deadliest conflict in history, World War II.
Stars: Laurence Olivier, Averell Harriman, Anthony Eden, Albert Speer
Votes: 29,124
47. Secrets of the Castle (2014)
60 min | Documentary, History
Historian Ruth Goodman and archaeologists Peter Ginn and Tom Pinfold learn about living in the medieval world and help rebuild a castle.
Stars: Ruth Goodman, Peter Ginn, Tom Pinfold, Paul McGann
Votes: 387
48. Horrible Histories (2009–2024)
28 min | Comedy, Family, History
A group of British comedians show the sides of history they don't teach you in school. From the 'Savage Stone Age' to the 'Troublesome 20th Century', you see the full side to history.
Stars: Jim Howick, Simon Farnaby, Mathew Baynton, Martha Howe-Douglas
Votes: 6,001
49. The Dark Ages: An Age of Light (2012– )
Documentary, History
Christianity slowly emerged from being a persecuted minority to the state religion of the Roman Empire. This episode is a history of the ways believers grappled with a way to depict Jesus. ... See full summary »
Stars: Waldemar Januszczak, Shaun Greenhalgh
Votes: 277
50. Medieval Lives (2004– )
240 min | Documentary, History
Terry Jones hosts this series that looks at the real facts about the Middle Ages and its roots.
Stars: Terry Jones, Peter Barber, Faye Getz, Robert Stone
Votes: 593
51. Journey Into the Dark Ages (2012– )
Documentary
Stars: Ken Follett, Albrecht Classen, Fiona Maddocks, Philippa Rath
Votes: 32
52. Declassified: Untold Stories of American Spies (2016–2019)
42 min | Documentary, Thriller
Explore the true stories of America's covert operations told firsthand by the agents who lived them, while getting unprecedented access to the riveting and secret world of espionage.
Stars: Seth Zielicke, David Ibrahim, Dan Watson, Stephen Lopez
Votes: 248
53. What on Earth? (2015– )
TV-PG | 44 min | Documentary
Scientist explore some of Earth's phenomenons.
Stars: Steven Kearney, Mike Pavelec, Randy Cerveny, Alan Lester
Votes: 668
54. Days That Shaped America (2018– )
Documentary, History
Historic events that forever transformed the United States.
Stars: William B. Evans, Jim Bagian, John McLemore, Alex Spano
Votes: 49
55. Washington (2020)
253 min | Documentary, Biography, Drama
The life story of George Washington, the first President of the United States.
Stars: Jeff Daniels, Joanne Freeman, Alan Taylor, Joseph Ellis
Votes: 1,075
56. The Men Who Built America: Frontiersmen (2018)
TV-PG | 83 min | Documentary, History
A look at the lives of iconic pioneers such as Daniel Boone, Lewis and Clark, Tecumseh, Davy Crocket and Andrew Jackson as they traveled across America.
Stars: Campbell Scott, Mykel Hawke, Andrew Robertt, Robert I. Mesa
Votes: 949
57. The World Wars (2014)
TV-14 | 270 min | Documentary, History, War
A look at both World Wars and what the biggest names in history did during each war and the time in between.
Stars: Maximilian Klas, Ian Beyts, Jacopo Rampini, Jonathan Hartman
Votes: 2,420
58. Founding Fathers (2000)
TV-G | 60 min | Documentary, History
Witness the birth of the American republic.
Stars: Burt Reynolds, James Woods, Edward Herrmann, Brian Dennehy
Votes: 148
59. Five Came Back (2017)
TV-14 | 60 min | Documentary, Biography, History
The wartime contributions of five prominent Hollywood film directors during World War II are profiled.
Stars: Francis Ford Coppola, Steven Spielberg, Meryl Streep, Guillermo del Toro
Votes: 5,275
60. Churchill's Secret Agents: The New Recruits (2018)
60 min | Documentary, History, Reality-TV
Immersive history series focusing on one of World War II's most covert organisations, Britain's Special Operations Executive. A group of modern-day volunteers undertake the SOE agent training programme.
Stars: Douglas Henshall, Adrian Weale, William Beresford Davies, Nicky Moffat
Votes: 647
61. Founding Brothers (2002 TV Movie)
200 min | Documentary
Director: Melissa Jo Peltier | Stars: Peter Coyote, Brian Dennehy, Bill Doran, Joseph Ellis
Votes: 109
62. Liberty! The American Revolution (1997– )
360 min | History, War
Six-hour documentary on the American Revolution, from the passage of the Stamp Act (1765) through the ratification of the United States Constitution and Bill of Rights (1789). In addition ... See full summary »
Stars: Stephen Lang, Donna Murphy, Edward Herrmann, Victor Garber
Votes: 420
63. Secrets of the Founding Fathers (2009 TV Movie)
120 min | Documentary, Biography, History
Experts and authors discuss George Washington's connection to the ancient and powerful Freemasons. Experts discuss Benjamin Franklin's possible membership in several secret societies. Such ... See full summary »
Director: Rob Lihani | Stars: Bill Barker, Steve Bullock, Vesta DeBorah, Richard T. Fox Jr.
Votes: 51
64. The First American (2016)
Not Rated | 95 min | Documentary, Biography, History
George Washington is central to understanding America's founding. He was the crucial figure in winning the American Revolution, in creating the Constitution, and in establishing the ... See full summary »
Director: Kevin Knoblock | Stars: Newt Gingrich, Callista Gingrich, Robert Lyons, Beverley Simmons
Votes: 203
65. The American West (2016)
TV-14 | 43 min | Drama, History, Western
A large-scale review of the American frontier stories.
Stars: Mark Lee Gardner, Bert Thomas Morris, David H. Stevens, Will Strongheart
Votes: 1,721
66. Rise of Empires: Ottoman (2020–2022)
TV-MA | 45 min | Documentary, Drama, History
Ottoman Sultan Mehmed II wages an epic campaign to take the Byzantine capital of Constantinople and shapes the course of history for centuries.
Stars: Cem Yigit Uzümoglu, Tuba Büyüküstün, Alp Ilkman, Ushan Çakir
Votes: 32,757
67. Enslaved (2020)
TV-MA | 60 min | Documentary, History
A look at 400 years of human trafficking from Africa to the New World, from the perspective of three different storylines.
Stars: Samuel L. Jackson, Kinga Philipps, Simcha Jacobovici, Ty Hurley
Votes: 664
68. The Soul of America (2020 TV Movie)
TV-PG | 77 min | Documentary
Present-day, fraught political reality by exploring historical challenges of the past.
Director: K.D. Davison | Stars: George Takei, Ronald Reagan, Jon Stewart, John Grisham
Votes: 544
69. The Lost Pirate Kingdom (2021– )
TV-MA | 43 min | Documentary, Adventure, Drama
The real-life pirates of the Caribbean violently plunder, stealing and form a surprisingly egalitarian republic in this documentary series.
Stars: Derek Jacobi, James Oliver Wheatley, Sam Callis, Tom Padley
Votes: 3,450
70. What Went Wrong: Countdown to Catastrophe (2019– )
47 min | Documentary
A two season series with 12 episodes that tell the in-depth story of high-profile catastrophic events while explaining the engineering failures that reveal what went wrong.
Stars: Bernard Chabbert, John Young, David Learmount, Simon Hardy
Votes: 58
71. The Ultimate Guide to the Presidents (2013)
Documentary, History
A detailed, and unbiased, look at the 43 men who have been the presidents of the United States of America.
Stars: Bruce McGill, H.W. Brands, Richard Norton Smith, Donald Ritchie
Votes: 212
72. Turning Point: 9/11 and the War on Terror (2021)
TV-14 | 52 min | Documentary, History, War
This unflinching series documents the 9/11 terrorist attacks, from Al Qaeda's roots in the 1980s to America's forceful response, both at home and abroad.
Stars: Mark Fallon, James LaPorta, Michel Paradis
Votes: 11,272
73. The Presidents (2005)
45 min | Documentary, Biography, History
A historical compendium of the 42 men who have served as the chief executive of the United States taking us from George Washington to George W. Bush. Each segment discusses the highlights and often lowlights of the men who have served.
Stars: Edward Herrmann, Walter Cronkite, H.W. Brands, Douglas Brinkley
Votes: 317
74. Theodore Roosevelt (2022)
TV-14 | 106 min | Documentary, Biography, History
Two-part series on U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt looking at his work as a progressive reformer as well as his contradictions such as being a passionate conservationist who also hunted animals.
Stars: Shane John Kruger, Rufus Jones, Marco Mintaka, Greg Kriek
Votes: 472
75. Vikings: The Rise and Fall (2022– )
History
Throughout history, Vikings waged war from the seas, notoriously ruthless and with their own set of rules.
Stars: Ólafur Darri Ólafsson, Anders Winroth, Alban Depper, Rachel Lee
Votes: 192
76. Queen Cleopatra (2023)
TV-14 | 45 min | Documentary, Drama
Netflix docudrama about Queen Cleopatra of Egypt of the Ptolemaic lineage from Macedonia, Greece, that ruled for 21 years, between the years 51 BC and 30 BC, ending with her suicide.
Stars: Jada Pinkett Smith, Adele James, Craig Russell, John Partridge
Votes: 84,025
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