Top Rated Documentary TV Series - Page 306

The Most Extreme

2002

The Most Extreme

2002
7.5
The Most Extreme is a documentary television series on the American cable television network, Animal Planet. It first aired on July 7, 2002. Each episode focuses on a specific animal feature, such as strength, speed, behavior, anatomy, or diet, and examines and ranks ten animals that portray extreme or unusual examples of that quality. The rankings serve only to give a broad depiction; a scientifically rigorous procedure is not employed to quantify them. Along with each animal on the countdown, each episode presents a computer-animated segment which compares the animal's ability with something equivalent in humans, followed by an interview segment with people who share some common trait. For example, in "Super Sharks", the animal ranked #1 was the Hammerhead shark, for its extreme senses of vision and smell, along with its ability to sense voltages as small as a half-billionth of a volt. This was then compared with a team of human hackers, including StankDawg, who were war-driving around a neighborhood and looking
Def Poetry

2002

Def Poetry

2002
8.5
Def Poetry, also known as Russell Simmons Presents Def Poetry or Def Poetry Jam, which was co-founded by Bruce George, Danny Simmons and Deborah Pointer, is an HBO television series produced by hip-hop music entrepreneur Russell Simmons. The series presents performances by established spoken word poets, as well as up-and-coming ones. Well-known actors and musicians will often surprise the audience by showing up to recite their own original poems. The show is hosted by Mos Def. Def Poetry is a spin-off of Def Comedy Jam. As he did on Def Comedy, Simmons appears at the end of every episode to thank the audience.
Corwin's Quest

0000

Corwin's Quest

0000
6.2
: Corwin's Quest is an American television program about animals airing on Animal Planet. It is similar to The Crocodile Hunter. It is hosted by actor and conservationist Jeff Corwin from The Jeff Corwin Experience. Music composed by Rich Stubbings
Dominick Dunne's Power, Privilege, and Justice

2002

Dominick Dunne's Power, Privilege, and Justice

2002
7.5
Dominick Dunne's Power, Privilege, and Justice is an American crime TV series that examined real-life cases of crime, passion, and greed involving privileged or famous people. The episodes were shown on truTV and on Star TV in Canada as well as Zone Reality in Europe and Bio. in Australia. The host of the show was Dominick Dunne. The nine-season series started in 2002 and ended in late 2009 with Dunne's death.
Meeting of Minds

1977

Meeting of Minds

1977
9.5
The show featured guests who played significant roles in world history. Guests would interact with each other and host Steve Allen, discussing philosophy, religion, history, science, and many other topics. As nearly as was possible, the actual words of the historical figures were used. The show was fully scripted, yet the scripts were carefully crafted to give the appearance of spontaneous discussion among historic figures. Typically, each episode would be split into two parts, broadcast separately, with most or all of the guests introduced over the course of the first part, and the discussions continuing into the second part. A total of 24 episodes were produced.
Bill Moyers Journal

2007

Bill Moyers Journal

2007
9
Bill Moyers Journal is an American television current affairs program that covered an array of current affairs and human issues, including but not limited to economics, history, literature, religion, philosophy, science, and most frequently politics. Originally, Bill Moyers executive produced, wrote and hosted the Journal. WNET in New York produced it and PBS aired it from 1972 to 1976. In 1979, following a nearly three-year hiatus, many presidential members of PBS announced that Bill Moyers Journal would return for a second series. The second series covered a broader range of issues in depth. This included election coverage and documentary footage from several U.S. states, among them Florida, Texas, Illinois, D.C. and Nevada. In addition, among its pop-culture coverage, the Journal reported on the 25th anniversary of the premiere of the long-running NBC talk program The Tonight Show. Like the first installment, the second one was produced by WNET in New York City, and was aired on PBS. However, the second install
Rachael Ray's Tasty Travels

2005

Rachael Ray's Tasty Travels

2005
6.5
Rachael Ray's Tasty Travels is a television show based on cook Rachael Ray and her travels around the world. However, in this show she is not restricted by a budget and showcases food from more upscale eateries. She tries different types of food from each place she visits, and gives a "Hot List of Values", which includes some of her favorite places visited from $40 a Day. The show airs on the Food Network and is her fourth Food Network program. It first aired on August 26, 2005. She provides voiceovers for most of the show and is shown at only one or two places. Her husband, John Cusimano, usually accompanies her at the one or two restaurants she visits per episode. Forty-one episodes were produced during the series' first two years; Ray stated on a September 7, 2007 appearance on Late Show with David Letterman that she had just completed work on twenty additional episodes, which had begun airing the previous week.
Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous

1984

Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous

1984
6.5
Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous is an American television series that aired in syndication from 1984 to 1995. The show featured the extravagant lifestyles of wealthy entertainers, athletes and business moguls. It was hosted by Robin Leach for the majority of its run. When Leach was joined by Shari Belafonte in 1994, the show was renamed Lifestyles with Robin Leach and Shari Belafonte. Leach ended each episode with a wish for his viewers that became his signature phrase, "champagne wishes and caviar dreams."
Zoo Quest

1954

Zoo Quest

1954
8.5
Documentary series starring David Attenborough who follows zoo keepers on a quest to find different animals to be added to the zoo. David Attenborough and a team from London Zoo travel in search of exotic animals. Their aim is to capture them and bring them back to the UK for exhibit in the zoo.
Crusade in Europe

1949

Crusade in Europe

1949
6
The Arrow

1997

The Arrow

1997
7.5
The story of the people building the AVRO Arrow, an advanced jet fighter-interceptor designed to defend Canada's vast territory during the Cold War. Though the jet was an engineering marvel, cost over-runs, U.S. government pressure from the military industrial complex, and the election of the Progressive Conservative Diefenbaker government, stopped the jet just as it was getting off the ground.
Animal Airport

2000

Animal Airport

2000
7
Heathrow Airport in London, one of the world's busiest, isn't full of just people from all around the world who pass through its doors. This series tells tales of the many creatures that end up at the airport's Animal Reception Centre - some legally, many illegally - and the staff who handle arriving and departing shipments of animals in every shape, size, breed and colour. Along with thousands of cats and dogs, the centre has welcomed sloths, giant octopi, bears, elephants, tigers, lions, sharks, alpacas, venomous snakes, vampire bats, and Britain's equestrian team.
Making the Video

1999

Making the Video

1999
4.5
Making the Video is an MTV show, consisting of half-hour episodes, which chronicles the process of filming various music videos. Usually the director outlines the concept of the video and the show often includes light-hearted and humorous moments. It always concludes with a premiere of the finished video. The show premiered on July 11, 1999 and is currently on a hiatus as of 2009. MTV2 has a similar show entitled [Name of Band/Artist] Makes a Video that has featured artists such as 50 Cent, Fall Out Boy, Dashboard Confessional, Evanescence, and Mos Def among others.
Harley Street

2008

Harley Street

2008
7.5
Harley Street is a British television medical drama shown on ITV in 2008. The series was made by Carnival Films and was set in Harley Street, London. Created by Marston Bloom and written by Howard Overman, Jack Williams and Nicole Taylor, the stories were about the lives of Harley Street specialists and the cases that were presented to them.
The War that Made America

2006

The War that Made America

2006
9.5
The War that Made America is a PBS miniseries about the French and Indian War, which was first aired in two parts on January 18 & 25, 2006. The series features extensive reenactments of historical events, with on-screen narration provided by Canadian actor Graham Greene. Much of the story focuses on George Washington, connecting his role in the war with the later American Revolution. Pontiac's Rebellion, which followed the French and Indian War, is also covered in the series. The series was filmed in June, July, and August 2004 in and around the Western Pennsylvania region where many events actually took place during the war.
Homeland Security USA

2009

Homeland Security USA

2009
10
Homeland Security USA portrayed members of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, and other agencies tasked with the security of the US, performing their day-to-day duties. It was the American version of the Australian reality show Border Security. The show premiered on January 6, 2009 on ABC. The show was put on hiatus May 19, 2009. Prior to the show premiering, ABC was met with minor protests from Latin American groups, claiming that the series was anti-immigrant. Once the series premiered, it was shown to be a balanced look at officers within Homeland Security who fought various crimes such as drug trafficking. Remaining episodes aired a few months later on weekend afternoons on ABC.
Jeremy Clarkson's Extreme Machines

1998

Jeremy Clarkson's Extreme Machines

1998
7
Jeremy Clarkson's Extreme Machines was a six-part documentary series, originally broadcast on BBC Two in 1998. The series focused on presenter Jeremy Clarkson, testing out a series of cars, jet planes and powerboats.
Inventions That Changed the World

2004

Inventions That Changed the World

2004
7.5
The stories behind some of the most significant inventions which have helped shape the world we live in today.
Nuclear Secrets

2007

Nuclear Secrets

2007
7.5
A series of spy thrillers exploring the key turning-points in the race for nuclear supremacy. From the development of the A-bomb, via the Cuban missile crisis, to the spread of nuclear weapons to the Middle East and beyond, each story is told through the eyes of the men who risked everything to proliferate their nuclear secrets and those who tried to stop them. Nuclear weapons and the actions of these men have transformed the face of war - and now the world could pay the price.
Lost Worlds

2006

Lost Worlds

2006
8
Lost Worlds is a documentary television series by The History Channel that explores a variety of "lost" locations from ancient to modern times. These "great feats of engineering, technology, and culture" are revealed through the use of archaeological evidence, interviews with relevant experts while examining the sites, and CGI reproductions. These visual re-creations take the form of rendered 3D environments and photo manipulated overlays, allowing the "lost world" to be seen over its present-day state. The pilot episode "Palenque: Metropolis of the Maya" was first aired on April 4, 2005. It was followed by 12 more episodes in 2006, and a further 19 episodes in 2007.