Popular Documentary TV Shows on Free Services

The Boys from Brazil: Rise of the Bolsonaros

2022

The Boys from Brazil: Rise of the Bolsonaros

2022
7
The remarkable rise of one of the world’s most controversial leaders, Jair Bolsonaro, from obscurity to the presidency of Brazil.
Mayday

2003

Mayday

2003
8.2
Major real-life air disasters are depicted in this series. Each episode features a detailed dramatized reconstruction of the incident based on cockpit voice recorders and air traffic control transcripts, as well as eyewitnesses recounts and interviews with aviation experts.
NOVA

1974

NOVA

1974
7
PBS' premier science series helps viewers of all ages explore the science behind the headlines. Along the way, NOVA demystifies science and technology, and highlights the people involved in scientific pursuits.
Breaking the Magician's Code: Magic's Biggest Secrets Finally Revealed

2008

Breaking the Magician's Code: Magic's Biggest Secrets Finally Revealed

2008
7.6
The Masked Magician returns to television to defy his fellow conjurers and disclose the tricks that have captivated audiences for centuries. Nowhere else has a magician dared to expose the secrets behind the world's most mystifying illusions.
Great Performances

1971

Great Performances

1971
5.8
The best in the performing arts from across America and around the world including a diverse programming portfolio of classical music, opera, popular song, musical theater, dance, drama, and performance documentaries.
MythBusters

2003

MythBusters

2003
7.8
MythBusters is a science entertainment television program created and produced by Australia's Beyond Television Productions for the Discovery Channel. The show's hosts, special effects experts Adam Savage and Jamie Hyneman, use elements of the scientific method to test the validity of rumors, myths, movie scenes, adages, Internet videos, and news stories.
The Real War of Thrones

2017

The Real War of Thrones

2017
7.1
In the turbulent formative centuries of early Europe, power-hungry family dynasties fought for domination of the continent.
Ancient Aliens

2010

Ancient Aliens

2010
7
Did intelligent beings from outer space visit Earth thousands of years ago? From the age of the dinosaurs to ancient Egypt, from early cave drawings to continued mass sightings in the US, each episode gives historic depth to the questions, speculations, provocative controversies, first-hand accounts and grounded theories surrounding this age old debate.
Impossible Engineering

2015

Impossible Engineering

2015
7
Behind every seemingly impossible marvel of modern engineering is a cast of historic trailblazers who designed new building techniques, took risks on untested materials and revolutionised their field. Each episode details how giant structures, record-beating buildings, war ships and spacecraft are built and work. As the show revels in these modern day creations, it also leaps back in time to recount the stories of the exceptional engineers whose technological advances made it all possible.
Food Factory

2012

Food Factory

2012
7.7
Each episode offers a behind-the-scenes view of production lines in food factories across Canada to find out how some of the most-popular food items are really made. Through the ingredients, techniques and required processes, this documentary series reveals how raw ingredients are turned into everyday eats.
Nature

1982

Nature

1982
7.8
Consistently stunning documentaries transport viewers to far-flung locations ranging from the torrid African plains to the chilly splendours of icy Antarctica. The show's primary focus is on animals and ecosystems around the world. A comic book based on the show, meant to be used an as educational tool for kids, was briefly distributed to museums and schools at no cost in the mid-2000s.
American Experience

1988

American Experience

1988
6.9
TV's most-watched history series brings to life the compelling stories from our past that inform our understanding of the world today.
The Center Seat: 55 Years of Star Trek

2021

The Center Seat: 55 Years of Star Trek

2021
6.9
In honor of the sci-fi franchise’s 55th anniversary this year and produced by The Nacelle Company, the project will feature interviews with cast, crew and experts as it explores pivotal moments in the franchise’s history, from its inception at Lucille Ball’s production company Desilu to recent film and television adaptations.
Snapped

2004

Snapped

2004
7.9
The fascinating cases of every day, seemingly average moms, wives and girlfriends accused of murder. Did they really do it? And if so, why?
Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives

2007

Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives

2007
6.8
Host Guy Fieri takes a cross-country road trip to visit some of America's classic "greasy spoon" restaurants — diners, drive-ins and dives — that have been doing it right for decades.
Ice Pilots NWT

2009

Ice Pilots NWT

2009
7
Ice Pilots NWT is a reality television series broadcast on History Canada that portrays Buffalo Airways, an airline based in Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, Canada. Buffalo mainly flies WWII-era propeller planes year-round in the Canadian North. It premiered on November 18, 2009. The show was renewed for a second season with filming completed on August 2nd, 2010. The season premiere was aired on History Television January 12th, 2011. Season 3 was greenlit on August 18th, 2010 and began airing on October 12, 2011. In the UK, season 2 was shown on Quest commencing May 2011. The episodes in season 4 have been shown on the Discovery Channel in the UK. Season 1 of Ice Pilots began airing on the National Geographic Channel in the US on April 22, 2011. Both Season 1 and 2 have aired in Australia on National Geographic Channel and National Geographic Channel HD and currently air on the digital channel 7 Mate.
The Curse of Oak Island

2014

The Curse of Oak Island

2014
7.3
Follow brothers Marty and Rick Lagina through their effort to find the speculated - and as of yet undiscovered - buried treasure believed to have been concealed through extraordinary means on Oak Island.
20/20

1978

20/20

1978
6.1
20/20 is an American television newsmagazine that has been broadcast on ABC since June 6, 1978. Created by ABC News executive Roone Arledge, the show was designed similarly to CBS's 60 Minutes but focuses more on human interest stories than international and political subjects. The program's name derives from the "20/20" measurement of visual acuity. The hour-long program has been a staple on Friday evenings for much of the time since it moved to that timeslot from Thursdays in September 1987, though special editions of the program occasionally air on other nights.
Wheeler Dealers

2003

Wheeler Dealers

2003
7.1
Experienced car dealer Mike Brewer is joined by multi-talented mechanics in a monumental motoring mission: to find and restore iconic cars to later sell for a profit at their LA-based shop. In the series, Mike has the challenging job of finding vehicles that have money-making potential. He then hands them over to a mechanic, who tackles everything from bare metal re-sprays to gearbox swaps to bring them back to their former glory.
Beyond Belief: Fact or Fiction

1997

Beyond Belief: Fact or Fiction

1997
7.2
Can you tell the difference between fact and fiction? Several stories of strange, mysterious and incredible occurrences are chronicled during each episode. It is up to the viewer to decide which stories actually happened and which were completely fabricated by the show’s writers. The answer is revealed by Jonathan Frakes at the conclusion of each episode.