Popular Documentary TV Shows on PBS
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Hulu
HBO Max
YouTube
fuboTV
Peacock
Peacock Premium
Amazon Video
The Roku Channel
AMC+
AMC on Demand
Kocowa
Hoopla
The CW
Vudu
Starz
Showtime
PBS
Pantaflix
FXNow
Tubi TV
Kanopy
Comedy Central
Crunchyroll
Microsoft Store
Redbox
Sun Nxt
ABC
DIRECTV
Crackle
Fandor
Plex
MotorWeek
1981
MotorWeek
1981
star 3This award-winning weekly automotive magazine provides unbiased, consumer-oriented car news with feature stories on related topics.Texas Parks and Wildlife
0000
A weekly outdoors/nature series focusing on the incredible diversity of wildlife, scenic locations and fascinating characters that make Texas unique.Frontline
1983
Frontline
1983
star 7.4Since it began in 1983, Frontline has been airing public-affairs documentaries that explore a wide scope of the complex human experience. Frontline's goal is to extend the impact of the documentary beyond its initial broadcast by serving as a catalyst for change.NOVA
1974
NOVA
1974
star 6.9PBS' 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.Nature
1982
Nature
1982
star 8.1Consistently 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.Great Performances
1971
Great Performances
1971
star 5.4The 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.American Experience
1988
American Experience
1988
star 7.5TV's most-watched history series brings to life the compelling stories from our past that inform our understanding of the world today.Finding Your Roots
2012
Finding Your Roots
2012
star 6.2Noted Harvard scholar Henry Louis Gates, Jr. has been helping people discover long-lost relatives hidden for generations within the branches of their family trees. Professor Gates utilizes a team of genealogists to reconstruct the paper trail left behind by our ancestors and the world’s leading geneticists to decode our DNA and help us travel thousands of years into the past to discover the origins of our earliest forebears.PBS Space Time
2015
PBS Space Time
2015
star 10Space Time explores the outer reaches of space, the craziness of astrophysics, the possibilities of sci-fi, and anything else you can think of beyond Planet Earth with our astrophysicist host: Matthew O’Dowd.American Masters
1986
American Masters
1986
star 7American Masters is a PBS television series which produces biographies on enduring writers, musicians, visual and performing artists, dramatists, filmmakers, and others who have left an indelible impression on the cultural landscape of the United States.Secrets of the Dead
2000
Secrets of the Dead
2000
star 6.3Part detective story, part true-life drama, long-running series explores some of the most iconic moments in history to debunk myths and shed new light on past events. Using the latest investigative techniques, forensic science and historical examination, it shatters accepted wisdom, challenges prevailing ideas, overturns existing hypotheses, spotlights forgotten mysteries, and ultimately rewrites history.Rick Steves' Europe
2000
Rick Steves' Europe
2000
star 8.6Rick Steves, America's leading authority on European travel, returns to transport viewers to the continent's bustling cities, quaint villages and picturesque countryside.Christopher Kimball's Milk Street Television
2017
star 7Let’s stop doing things in the kitchen that made sense in the 19th century but not in the 21st. Milk Street travels the world to bring you the very best ideas and techniques with no lists of hard-to-find ingredients, strange cookware, or all-day methods to slow you down.Independent Lens
1999
Independent Lens
1999
star 6.8This acclaimed Emmy Award-winning anthology series features documentaries and a limited number of fiction films united by the creative freedom, artistic achievement and unflinching visions of their independent producers and featuring unforgettable stories about a unique individual, community or moment in history.Wisconsin Foodie
2010
Wisconsin Foodie
2010
A weekly Emmy-nominated television program dedicated to educating, entertaining and connecting the community to the engaging stories and people behind their food by profiling local food treasures and highlighting the passionate and hardworking individuals responsible for the burgeoning “Good Food Movement.”Rise of the Nazis
2019
Rise of the Nazis
2019
star 7.4How did 20th Century Europe's most liberal democracy fall into the hands of fascists? From Hitler's political scheming that turned Germany's parliament into a House of Cards, his War on Truth leading to book burning, and his scapegoating of minorities, this series explores in extraordinary detail the events leading up to the outbreak of World War II.Eons
2017
Eons
2017
Join hosts Hank Green, Kallie Moore, and Blake de Pastino as they take you on a journey through the history of life on Earth. From the dawn of life in the Archaean Eon through the Mesozoic Era — the so-called “Age of Dinosaurs” -- right up to the end of the most recent Ice Age. The evolutionary history of mammals including humans and other modern species is explored with these amazing paleontology experts.Changing Seas
2009
Changing Seas
2009
Produced by South Florida PBS in Miami, Florida, Changing Seas gives viewers a fish-eye view of life in the deep blue. Join scientists as they study earth’s last frontier and discover the mysteries of our liquid planet.Nazi Megastructures
2013
Nazi Megastructures
2013
star 7.6In a quest for world domination, the Nazis built some of the biggest and deadliest pieces of military hardware and malevolent technology in history. This is the stories of the engineers who designed them and how these structures sparked a technological revolution that changed warfare forever.David Holt's State of Music
2016
star 9David Holt plays tunes and talks with modern masters of traditional music in Appalachia, showcasing not just the music but also the countryside that gave it life. Shot entirely on location, the program puts its featured performers in the context of the countryside that nurtured their musical traditions.
