Popular Documentary TV Series on Free Services

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.
Great Performances

1971

Great Performances

1971
6.1
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.
Horizon

1964

Horizon

1964
7.5
Horizon tells amazing science stories, unravels mysteries and reveals worlds you've never seen before.
Nature

1982

Nature

1982
7.9
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.
Frontline

1983

Frontline

1983
6.5
Since 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.
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.
American Experience

1988

American Experience

1988
6.5
TV's most-watched history series brings to life the compelling stories from our past that inform our understanding of the world today.
Snapped

2004

Snapped

2004
7.8
The fascinating cases of every day, seemingly average moms, wives and girlfriends accused of murder. Did they really do it? And if so, why?
Ancient Aliens

2010

Ancient Aliens

2010
7.1
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.
Dateline

1992

Dateline

1992
6.5
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.
Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives

2007

Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives

2007
6.9
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.
Austin City Limits

1975

Austin City Limits

1975
6.3
Now the longest-running music series in American television history, ACL showcases popular music legends and innovators from every genre.
Expedition Unknown

2015

Expedition Unknown

2015
8
The adventures of Josh Gates as he investigates unsolved iconic stories across the globe.
This Old House

1979

This Old House

1979
5.7
TV's original home-improvement show, following one whole-house renovation over several episodes.
American Masters

1986

American Masters

1986
7
American 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.
Finding Your Roots

2012

Finding Your Roots

2012
6.5
Noted 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.
Forensic Files

1996

Forensic Files

1996
7.9
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.
How It's Made

2001

How It's Made

2001
7.6
Have you ever wondered how the products you use every day are made? How It's Made leads you through the process of how everyday products, such as apple juice, skateboards, engines, contact lenses, and many more objects are manufactured.
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.
The Curse of Oak Island

2014

The Curse of Oak Island

2014
7.2
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.