Popular Documentary TV Shows on The Roku Channel

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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
The Mind of a Chef

2012

The Mind of a Chef

2012
8.5
Go inside the minds of some of the world's top chefs. Narrated by Executive Producer Anthony Bourdain, The Mind of a Chef is that rare and beautiful thing: an intelligent show about cooking.
Xploration Outer Space

2014

Xploration Outer Space

2014
7
Host Emily Calandrelli, Harvard scholar and former Nasa employee, takes viewers on incredible journeys through space. She visits various NASA facilities as we search for answers about our universe. Xploration Outer Space is part of the Xploration Station two hour syndicated block airing on Fox stations throughout the country.
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.
This Old House

1979

This Old House

1979
5.6
TV's original home-improvement show, following one whole-house renovation over several episodes.
Crimes That Shook Britain

2008

Crimes That Shook Britain

2008
7.8
Uncover the truth behind the crimes that shocked the nation.
Modern Marvels

1993

Modern Marvels

1993
8.1
HISTORY’s longest-running series moves to H2. Modern Marvels celebrates the ingenuity, invention and imagination found in the world around us. From commonplace items like ink and coffee to architectural masterpieces and engineering disasters, the hit series goes beyond the basics to provide insight and history into things we wonder about and that impact our lives. This series tells fascinating stories of the doers, the dreamers and sometime-schemers that create everyday items, technological breakthroughs and manmade wonders. The hit series goes deep to explore the leading edge of human inspiration and ambition.
Dateline

1992

Dateline

1992
6.4
Dateline NBC, or simply Dateline, is a weekly American television newsmagazine series. It was previously the network's flagship newsmagazine, but now focuses mainly on true crime stories with only occasional editions that focus on other topics.
Forensic Files

1996

Forensic Files

1996
7.8
Real crimes, disease outbreaks and accidents around the world are solved by experts using scientific laboratory analysis which helps them find previously undetectable evidence. Brilliant scientific work helps convict the guilty and free the innocent.
MeatEater

2012

MeatEater

2012
8.1
Hunter, author, cook and conservationist Steven Rinella treks into the world's most remote, beautiful regions, bringing game meat from field to table.
This Is Your Life

1952

This Is Your Life

1952
6.4
This Is Your Life is an American television documentary series broadcast on NBC, originally hosted by its producer, Ralph Edwards from 1952 to 1961. In the show, the host surprises a guest, and proceeds to take them through their life in front of an audience, including special guest appearances by colleagues, friends and family. Edwards revived the show in 1971-72, while Joseph Campanella hosted a version in 1983. Edwards returned for some specials in the late 1980s, before his death in 2005. The show originated as a radio show on NBC Radio airing from 1948 to 1952.
48 Hours

1988

48 Hours

1988
7.3
This newsmagazine series investigates intriguing crime and justice cases that touch on all aspects of the human experience. Over its long run, the show has helped exonerate wrongly convicted people, driven the reopening — and resolution — of cold cases, and changed numerous lives. CBS News correspondents offer an in-depth look into each story, with the emphasis on solving the mystery at its heart.
The First 48

2004

The First 48

2004
7.9
The First 48 follows detectives from around the country during these first critical hours as they race against time to find the suspect. Gritty and fast-paced, it takes viewers behind the scenes of real-life investigations with unprecedented access to crime scenes, autopsies, forensic processing, and interrogations.
Fear Thy Neighbor

2014

Fear Thy Neighbor

2014
8
These are the terrifying tales of the unwanted neighbors who turn home sweet home into home sweet hell. A look inside the lives of horrific neighborly disputes and what happens when a simple issue turns into the worst night of a family's life. Do you really know who lives next door? This true-crime series tells the chilling tales of those with the misfortune to unwittingly take up residence within a stone’s throw of a psycho or killer.
Choccywoccydoodah

2011

Choccywoccydoodah

2011
The delicious documentary gives exclusive access to the world class shop in Brighton which produces over 7,500 cakes per year, charges up to £9,000 a piece and boasts Madonna, Davina McCall, Hugh Grant, Bob Geldoff, Kylie Minogue, Katie Price and the Scissor Sisters amongst its clientele. Choccywoccydoodah was even responsible for all the chocolate in Tim Burton’s movies including Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and Alice in Wonderland.
Salvage Hunters

2011

Salvage Hunters

2011
6.6
Meet modern-day treasure hunter Drew Pritchard. With demanding customers, high turnover, and one of the biggest decorative salvage yards in the UK, Drew is constantly on the road, crisscrossing the country in search of derelict gems and forgotten remnants. Drew loves the thrill of the hunt and while he gets his hands dirty in the country's architectural backwaters, his crack team of restorers is back at the shop giving old and rare finds a new lease on life.