Top 50 Documentary, History Movies and TV Shows
1. The Last Dance (2020)
TV-MA | 491 min | Documentary, Biography, History
Charting the rise of the 1990's Chicago Bulls, led by Michael Jordan, one of the most notable dynasties in sports history.
Stars: Phil Jackson, Michael Jordan, David Aldridge, Scottie Pippen
Votes: 77,166
2. SanPa: Sins of the Savior (2020)
Documentary, Crime, History
Amidst a heroin crisis, Vincenzo Muccioli cared for the addicted, earning him fierce public devotion -- even as charges of violence began to mount.
Stars: Vincenzo Andreucci, Antonio Boschini, Fabio Cantelli, Walter Delogu
Votes: 605
3. Ghost Adventures (2008– )
TV-PG | 45 min | Documentary, History, Reality-TV
Zak Bagans, Aaron Goodwin, Billy Tolley, and Jay Wasley investigate the scariest, most notorious, haunted places in the world.
Stars: Zak Bagans, Aaron Goodwin, Billy Tolley, Jay Wasley
Votes: 8,057
4. Rise of Empires: Ottoman (2020)
44 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, Tommaso Basili, Selim Bayraktar, Birkan Sokullu
Votes: 17,641
5. Roman Empire (2016– )
TV-MA | 48 min | Documentary, Biography, Drama
Chronicles some of the most famous leaders of the Roman Civilization.
Stars: Aaron Irvin, Corey Brennan, Jerry Toner, Steve West
Votes: 5,682
6. Ancient Aliens (2009– )
TV-PG | 42 min | Documentary, History, Sci-Fi
Science and mythology - and how they are the same thing.
Stars: Robert Clotworthy, Giorgio A. Tsoukalos, David Childress, William Henry
Votes: 9,486
7. The Vietnam War (2017)
TV-MA | 990 min | Documentary, History, War
A comprehensive history of the United States' involvement in the bitterly divisive armed conflict in Southeast Asia.
Stars: Peter Coyote, Huy Duc, James Willbanks, Duong Van Mai Elliott
Votes: 20,099
8. The World at War (1973–1974)
TV-PG | 52 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, Anthony Eden, Averell Harriman, Albert Speer
Votes: 22,023
9. Three Identical Strangers (2018)
PG-13 | 96 min | Documentary, Biography, Drama
In 1980 New York, three young men who were all adopted meet each other and find out they're triplets who were separated at birth. But their quest to find out why turns into a bizarre and sinister mystery.
Director: Tim Wardle | Stars: Robert Shafran, Michael Domnitz, Howard Schneider, Ellen Cervone
Votes: 27,659 | Gross: $12.32M
10. They Shall Not Grow Old (II) (2018)
R | 99 min | Documentary, History, War
A documentary about World War I with never-before-seen footage to commemorate the centennial of the end of the war.
Director: Peter Jackson | Stars: Thomas Adlam, William Argent, John Ashby, Attwood
Votes: 29,133 | Gross: $17.96M
11. Grant (2020)
TV-PG | Documentary, Biography, History
The documentary-series examines Grant's life story using his perspective and experiences to explore a turbulent time in history: the Civil War and Reconstruction.
Stars: Justin Salinger, Francis Chouler, Gabriel Harry Meltz, Carel Nel
Votes: 1,312
12. 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: 6,065
13. Jimmy Carter: Rock & Roll President (2020)
95 min | Documentary, History, Music
Jimmy Carter's election to the presidency of the United States in 1977 was helped by the links that this fan of pop music had with stars.
Director: Mary Wharton | Stars: Madeleine Albright, Tom Beard, Bono, Garth Brooks
Votes: 194
14. Six Degrees with Mike Rowe (2021– )
Documentary, History, Reality-TV
Mike Rowe shows how many things in the world are connected. By using historical facts, Mike takes two seemingly unrelated things and shows an indirect connection.
Stars: Mike Rowe, Derek Logan, Charles Klausmeyer, Ian Aber
Votes: 27
15. 30 for 30 (2009– )
TV-G | 60 min | Documentary, Biography, History
A collection of documentary films focused on sports.
Stars: Dick Vitale, Brent Musburger, William C. Rhoden, Mike Tyson
Votes: 4,267
16. Conversations with a Killer: The Ted Bundy Tapes (2019)
TV-MA | 236 min | Documentary, Biography, Crime
A look inside the mind of serial killer Ted Bundy, featuring interviews with him on death row.
Stars: Stephen Michaud, Bob Keppel, Kathleen McChesney, Ward Lucas
Votes: 22,791
17. Air Emergency (2003– )
TV-14 | 46 min | Documentary, Crime, Drama
Dramatized reconstruction of real-life air disasters, along with interviews with aviation experts and eyewitnesses.
Stars: Jonathan Aris, Stephen Bogaert, Gregory Feith, John Cox
Votes: 3,868
18. The Act of Killing (2012)
Not Rated | 117 min | Documentary, Biography, Crime
A documentary which challenges former Indonesian death-squad leaders to reenact their mass-killings in whichever cinematic genres they wish, including classic Hollywood crime scenarios and lavish musical numbers.
Directors: Joshua Oppenheimer, Anonymous, Christine Cynn | Stars: Anwar Congo, Herman Koto, Syamsul Arifin, Ibrahim Sinik
Votes: 35,139 | Gross: $0.49M
19. The Great Hack (2019)
TV-MA | 114 min | Documentary, Biography, History
The Cambridge Analytica scandal is examined through the roles of several affected persons.
Directors: Karim Amer, Jehane Noujaim | Stars: Brittany Kaiser, David Carroll, Paul-Olivier Dehaye, Ravi Naik
Votes: 20,349
20. Citizenfour (2014)
R | 114 min | Documentary, Biography, History
A documentarian and a reporter travel to Hong Kong for the first of many meetings with Edward Snowden.
Director: Laura Poitras | Stars: Edward Snowden, Glenn Greenwald, William Binney, Jacob Appelbaum
Votes: 52,388 | Gross: $2.80M
21. Apollo 11 (I) (2019)
G | 93 min | Documentary, History
A look at the Apollo 11 mission to land on the moon led by commander Neil Armstrong and pilots Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins.
Director: Todd Douglas Miller | Stars: Neil Armstrong, Michael Collins, Buzz Aldrin, Deke Slayton
Votes: 21,631 | Gross: $9.04M
22. 13th (2016)
TV-MA | 100 min | Documentary, Crime, History
An in-depth look at the prison system in the United States and how it reveals the nation's history of racial inequality.
Director: Ava DuVernay | Stars: Melina Abdullah, Michelle Alexander, Cory Booker, Dolores Canales
Votes: 31,506
23. Greatest Events of WWII in Colour (2019)
50 min | Documentary, History, War
A series of colorized archive footage of important events during World War II.
Stars: Derek Jacobi, Geoffrey Wawro, James Holland, Saul David
Votes: 5,100
24. McMillions (2020)
TV-14 | 344 min | Documentary, Crime, History
A detailed account of the McDonald's Monopoly game scam during the 1990s as told by the participants in the case, including the prizewinners and the FBI agents involved.
Stars: Chris Graham, Doug Mathews, Amy Murray, Janet Pellicciotti
Votes: 5,564
25. Apocalypse: La 2ème guerre mondiale (2009)
TV-MA | 312 min | Documentary, History, War
Apocalypse: The Second World War(2009) is a six-part French documentary about the Second World War. The documentary is composed exclusively of actual footage of the war as filmed by war ... See full summary »
Stars: Mathieu Kassovitz, Martin Sheen, Rudolf Hess
Votes: 9,879
26. Secrets of the Saqqara Tomb (2020)
TV-PG | 113 min | Documentary, History
After unearthing a tomb that had been untouched for 4,400 years, Egyptian archaeologists attempt to decipher the history of the astonishing find.
Director: James Tovell | Stars: Ahmed Zikrey Abdellhak, Ghareeb Ali Mohammed Abushousha, Nabil Eldaleel, Sabry Mohyeldin Farag
Votes: 4,185
27. The Civil War (1990)
TV-14 | 680 min | Documentary, History, War
A comprehensive survey of the American Civil War.
Stars: David McCullough, Sam Waterston, Julie Harris, Jason Robards
Votes: 13,581
28. Crack: Cocaine, Corruption & Conspiracy (2021)
TV-MA | 89 min | Documentary, Crime, History
In the early 1980s, the crack epidemic tore through America’s inner cities like a tsunami, ravaging all in its wake.
Director: Stanley Nelson | Star: Mitch Credle
Votes: 243
29. World War II in Colour (2009)
TV-MA | 663 min | Documentary, History, War
Recounts the events of world War II in color.
Stars: Robert Powell, Swaylee Loughnane, Mamoru Shigemitsu, Erich von Manstein
Votes: 5,395
30. O.J.: Made in America (2016)
TV-MA | 467 min | Documentary, Biography, Crime
A chronicle of the rise and fall of O.J. Simpson, whose high-profile murder trial exposed the extent of American racial tensions, revealing a fractured and divided nation.
Director: Ezra Edelman | Stars: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Mike Albanese, Muhammad Ali, Marcus Allen
Votes: 17,459
31. Time Team (1994–2014)
Not Rated | 55 min | Documentary, History
A group of archaeologists have 3 days to discover historical artifacts in different sites around Britain.
Stars: Tony Robinson, Phil Harding, John Gater, Stewart Ainsworth
Votes: 1,197
32. Challenger: The Final Flight (2020)
TV-14 | 179 min | Documentary, History
Four-part docuseries on the 1986 Challenger space shuttle disaster, unpacking an indelible moment for a generation of Americans.
Stars: June Scobee Rodgers, William Harwood, Frederick D. Gregory, John Zarrella
Votes: 4,575
33. The Universe (2007–2015)
45 min | Documentary, History
This educational show explores many scientific questions and topics about the universe (Big Bang, the Sun, the planets, black holes, other galaxies, astrobiology etc.) through latest CGI, data and interviews with scientists.
Stars: Erik Thompson, Alex Filippenko, Laura Danly, Clifford V. Johnson
Votes: 5,200
34. Häxan (1922)
Not Rated | 91 min | Documentary, Fantasy, History
Fictionalized documentary showing the evolution of witchcraft, from its pagan roots to its confusion with hysteria in Eastern Europe.
Director: Benjamin Christensen | Stars: Benjamin Christensen, Elisabeth Christensen, Maren Pedersen, Clara Pontoppidan
Votes: 12,372
35. Hitler's Circle of Evil (2018)
52 min | Documentary, Biography, History
This is the story of the rise and fall of the Third Reich told like the drama it really was: through the personal relationships of the movers and shakers of the Nazi Party.
Stars: Jonathon Michaels, Alisdair Simpson, Guy Walters, Michael Lynch
Votes: 3,003
36. High Score (2020)
TV-14 | 252 min | Documentary, History
Traces the history of classic video games, featuring insights from the innovators who brought these worlds and characters to life.
Stars: Charles Martinet, Rebecca Ann Heineman, Nolan Bushnell, Tom Kalinske
Votes: 5,786
37. The Salt of the Earth (2014)
PG-13 | 110 min | Documentary, Biography, History
The life and work of photographer Sebastião Salgado, who has spent forty years documenting deprived societies in hidden corners of the world.
Directors: Juliano Ribeiro Salgado, Wim Wenders | Stars: Sebastião Salgado, Wim Wenders, Lélia Wanick Salgado, Juliano Ribeiro Salgado
Votes: 19,843 | Gross: $1.34M
38. The Reagans (2020)
TV-14 | Documentary, History
A four-part documentary series that explores the many surprisingly unexamined aspects of the Reagan White House, and how Nancy Reagan's paper-doll image was at odds with the power she ultimately wielded throughout her husband's presidency.
Stars: Maya Wiley, Jonathan Alter, Ron Reagan, Robert Scheer
Votes: 563
39. Washington (2020)
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: 663
40. Exit Through the Gift Shop (2010)
R | 87 min | Documentary, Comedy, Crime
Following the style of some of the world's most prolific street artists, an amateur filmmaker makes a foray into the art world.
Director: Banksy | Stars: Banksy, Mr. Brainwash, Space Invader, Debora Guetta
Votes: 62,279 | Gross: $3.29M
41. Finding Your Roots with Henry Louis Gates, Jr. (2012– )
TV-PG | 53 min | Documentary, Biography, History
Harvard educator Henry Louis Gates Jr. hosts this enlightening PBS series that examines "the DNA of American culture" through an extensive discovery of the ancestors of today's celebrities.... See full summary »
Stars: Henry Louis Gates Jr., CeCe Moore, Ty Burrell, Cory Booker
Votes: 711
42. Dark Side of the Ring (2019– )
TV-14 | 60 min | Documentary, Drama, History
From backstage controversies to mysterious deaths and unsolved homicides, this series explores the darkest stories from the golden age of professional wrestling, and tries to find truth at the intersection of fantasy and reality.
Stars: Chris Jericho, James E. Cornette, Steve Kasan, Dutch Mantell
Votes: 1,484
43. I Shouldn't Be Alive (2005– )
TV-PG | 60 min | Documentary, Biography, Drama
Re-enactments of real-life tales of human survival against the savage elements, dangerous climates and physical hazards.
Stars: Eric Meyers, Paul McGann, Greg Rasmussen, Mykel Hawke Pierce
Votes: 1,892
44. Triumph of the Will (1935)
Not Rated | 110 min | Documentary, History, War
The infamous propaganda film of the 1934 Nazi Party rally in Nuremberg, Germany.
Director: Leni Riefenstahl | Stars: Adolf Hitler, Hermann Göring, Max Amann, Martin Bormann
Votes: 14,857
45. Man on Wire (2008)
PG-13 | 94 min | Documentary, Biography, Crime
A look at tightrope walker Philippe Petit's daring, but illegal, high-wire routine performed between New York City's World Trade Center's twin towers in 1974, what some consider, "the artistic crime of the century".
Director: James Marsh | Stars: Philippe Petit, Jean François Heckel, Jean-Louis Blondeau, Annie Allix
Votes: 52,576 | Gross: $2.96M
46. Rise of the Nazis (2019)
60 min | Documentary, History
Powerful and resonant series that looks at how Hitler and the Nazis seized power in Germany and ushered in the death of democracy.
Stars: Juozas Budraitis, Mindaugas Capas, Richard Evans, Kate Fleetwood
Votes: 454
47. The Food That Built America (2019– )
TV-PG | Documentary, History
Food will tell the unknown stories of innovation and rivalries behind food industry tycoons Milton Hershey, John and Will Kellogg, Henry Heinz, C.W. Post, the McDonald brothers and more.
Stars: Campbell Scott, Kaan Akyol, Robert Anderson, Tim Bensch
Votes: 395
48. Zeitgeist (2007 Video)
Not Rated | 118 min | Documentary, History
Mythology and belief in society today, presenting uncommon perspectives of common cultural issues.
Director: Peter Joseph | Stars: Chogyam Trungpa, Jordan Maxwell, George Carlin, Bill Hicks
Votes: 48,060
49. The Untold History of the United States (2012–2013)
TV-MA | 58 min | Documentary, History, War
Oliver Stone 's re-examination of under-reported events in American history.
Stars: Oliver Stone, Alan Shearman, Jim Ward, André Sogliuzzo
Votes: 8,336
50. Shoah (1985)
Not Rated | 566 min | Documentary, History, War
Claude Lanzmann's epic documentary recounts the story of the Holocaust through interviews with witnesses - perpetrators as well as survivors.
Director: Claude Lanzmann | Stars: Simon Srebnik, Michael Podchlebnik, Motke Zaïdl, Hanna Zaïdl
Votes: 8,464 | Gross: $0.02M