Popular Documentary TV Series on PBS

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.
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
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.
American Experience

1988

American Experience

1988
6.6
TV's most-watched history series brings to life the compelling stories from our past that inform our understanding of the world today.
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 Masters

1986

American Masters

1986
7.5
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
6.6
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.
Nazi Megastructures

2013

Nazi Megastructures

2013
7.6
In 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.
The American Revolution

2025

The American Revolution

2025
5.2
The American Revolution was at once a war for independence, a war of conquest, a civil war, and a world war, fought by neighbors on American farms and between global powers an ocean or more away. It impacted millions from Vermont’s Green Mountains to the swamps of South Carolina, from Indian Country to the Iberian Peninsula. In defeating the British Empire and giving birth to a new nation, the American Revolution turned the world upside-down. Thirteen colonies on the Atlantic Coast united in rebellion, won their independence, and established a republic that still endures. The American Revolution will present the story of the men and women of the Revolutionary generation, their humanity in victory and defeat, and the crisis that they lived through.
Independent Lens

1999

Independent Lens

1999
6.5
This 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.
The Dictator's Playbook

2018

The Dictator's Playbook

2018
7.6
Learn how six dictators, from Mussolini to Saddam Hussein, shaped the 20th century. How did they seize and lose power? What forces were against them? Learn the answers in these six immersive hours, each a revealing portrait of brutality and power.
MotorWeek

1981

MotorWeek

1981
4.4
This award-winning weekly automotive magazine provides unbiased, consumer-oriented car news with feature stories on related topics.
Rick Steves' Europe

2000

Rick Steves' Europe

2000
8.6
Rick Steves, America's leading authority on European travel, returns to transport viewers to the continent's bustling cities, quaint villages and picturesque countryside.
Texas Parks and Wildlife

0000

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.
Christopher Kimball's Milk Street Television

2017

Christopher Kimball's Milk Street Television

2017
7.8
Let’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.
Oregon Field Guide

0000

Oregon Field Guide

0000
10
Oregon Field Guide is a weekly television program produced by Oregon Public Broadcasting focusing on recreation, the outdoors, and environmental issues in the state of Oregon. Part of the Oregon zeitgeist, it is produced and hosted by Steve Amen. Named for the field guides used to identify plants, animals, and natural phenomenon, the wide-ranging series covers Oregon natural history, outdoor recreation, conservation, agriculture, rural life, and other local subjects. Produced with deep narratives rather than short segments, 13 half-hour and one full-hour episodes are shown per year.
Secrets of the Dead

2000

Secrets of the Dead

2000
6.3
Part 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.
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.
David Holt's State of Music

2016

David Holt's State of Music

2016
9
David 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.
Colorado Experience

2013

Colorado Experience

2013
Rocky Mountain PBS flagship history series exploring the people, places, and events that have shaped Colorado's rich heritage.

Popular Documentary TV Series on PBS

2022

2022

1974

1974

1971

1971

1988

1988

1982

1982

1986

1986

2012

2012

2013

2013

2025

2025

1999

1999

2018

2018

1981

1981

2000

2000

0000

0000

2017

2017

0000

0000

2000

2000

2012

2012

2016

2016

2013

2013