Browse documentary series in US
Dive into the world of documentary series in US. From timeless classics to trending hits, explore an exciting collection of titles that define the documentary genre.
Explore critically acclaimed blockbusters, hidden gems, and trending new releases that showcase the diversity and creativity of documentary storytelling. Use our filters to find top-rated titles, recent hits, or beloved classics tailored to your taste.
With Popcorn Time, uncover your next favorite series and enjoy the best of documentary entertainment. Start browsing now and bring documentary into your watchlist today!
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This critically acclaimed television and video series from the National Museum of American History is a sweeping and compelling look at the war's military, political and social history. Each episode features dramatic reenactments of important campaigns; first-hand accounts of eyewitnesses and participants read by distinguished actors; period photographs, paintings and artifacts; intriguing expert challenges to traditional historical thinking; original contemporary illustrations; computer enhanced maps; and music of the time.
Smithsonian's Great Battles of the Civil War (1994 )
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Globe Trekker is an adventure tourism television series produced by Pilot Productions. The British series was inspired by the Lonely Planet travelbooks and began airing in 1994. Globe Trekker is broadcast in over 40 countries across six continents. Each episode features a host, called a traveller, who travels with a camera crew to a country—often, a relatively exotic locale—and experiences the sights, sounds, and culture that the location has to offer. Special episodes feature in-depth city, beach, dive, shopping, history, festival, and food guides. The show often goes far beyond popular tourist destinations in order to give viewers a more authentic look at local culture. Presenters usually participate in different aspects of regional life, such as attending a traditional wedding or visiting a mining community. They address the viewer directly, acting as tourists-turned-tour guides, but are also filmed interacting with locals and discovering interesting locations in unrehearsed sequences. Globe Trekker also sometimes includes brief interviews with backpackers who share tips on independent travel in that particular country.
Globe Trekker (1994 )
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Ancient Mysteries is a television series that was produced by FilmRoos and originally broadcast on A&E between 7 January 1994 and 3 May 1998 with reruns airing until 2000. Reruns were also re-broadcast on The Biography Channel during the 2000s. The series deals with historical mysteries and is mostly hosted by Leonard Nimoy, which recalls the late-1970s TV Series In Search Of.... As of June 2013, some episodes of this series were available on Netflix instant streaming.
Ancient Mysteries (1994 )
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Through one-on-one interviews, this series captures the cold-blooded crimes of Ted Bundy and Henry Lee Lucas, as well as other murderers.
The Serial Killers (1994 )
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This is the ultimate chronicle of the largest amphibious invasion in history. The momentous decisions and tragic losses, pitched battles and desperate strategies come alive with extensive footage from both Allied and Axis government vaults and revealing interviews with soldiers, commanders and civilians. Trace the development of D-Day from the initial plans and strategies to the final breakthrough that sent Allied troops roaring to Paris. Follow the strategies of Eisenhower, Montgomery, Marshall and Bradley and the counter-attacks and defenses of their German opponents. See how the heroism and valor of individual men was vital to salvaging success from plans that went awry in the first few minutes. And get an incredible, front-line view of the pitched battles that sent so many men to their grave.
D-Day: The Total Story (1994 )
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This series takes you to the heart of a war that was fought far from the bombs of any battlefront. A game of chess and war amongst code breakers to learn the battle plans of enemy commanders in the field. Revealed here are the remarkable exploits of American and British code breakers and their immense contribution to victory in Europe and the Pacific during WWII.
Decrypting the Codes (1993 )
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To Serve and Protect is a Canadian documentary television series. It is somewhat similar to the American series COPS. The show documents the day-to-day events of police officers in Canadian cities such as Edmonton, Winnipeg, Vancouver as well as several other Royal Canadian Mounted Police detachments in British Columbia. In addition there are some episodes featuring trips to Las Vegas, Hong Kong, and Memphis, Tennessee. The program began in 1993 on KVOS, an American station that primarily targets the Vancouver market.
To Serve and Protect (1993 )
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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.
Modern Marvels (1993 )
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Hosted by Bill Kurtis, American Justice looks at groundbreaking criminal cases, presenting viewers with an inside look at the case through the eyes of those directly involved, ranging from law enforcement officers to the victims.
American Justice (1992 )
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Mini-series investigating three significant Canadian battles in World War II.
The Valour and the Horror (1992 )
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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.
Dateline (1992 )
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Formerly the palace of Czars, the Hermitage in St. Petersburg is now one of the world's largest museums, drawing three and a half million visitors per year. This superbly mastered DVD series is a guided tour of the works in the galleries as well as a compelling lesson in art history. The 540 minute series examines some of the sculptures, paintings, tapestries, and glassware pieces found within the four pavillions, as well as the impressive European-style architecture of the museum itself. Researched and authenticated by the Hermitage Museum and lavishly photographed, the series covers such styles as Classical, Neo-Classical, Baroque, Gothic, Impressionism, Post-Impressionism, and Cubism. As well, it showcases works by such masters as Rodin, Goya, Da Vinci, Van Gogh, Matisse and Picasso. Be captivated by the history and culture of this breath taking collection of visual art masterpieces.
Hermitage Masterpieces (1992 )
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Reyes de España (1991 )
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NASA Apollo astronaut Neil Armstrong adds to his long list of space flight & aviation accomplishments as he takes the controls of a variety of flying machines. Each episode blends historic footage, interviews, and flying. Armstrong takes you on an exhilarating adventure through time.
First Flights with Neil Armstrong (1991 )
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Tracks Ahead is a television series about railroading, produced by Milwaukee Public Television for public television stations starting in 1990. The series examines all aspects of railroading, both in the United States and in the rest of the world. Content covers a wide range of railroad-related materials. This includes scenic rail journeys, short-line railroads, layouts, artists, photographers, and other railroad related material. The first season was hosted by Charles E. "Chuck" Zehner and the second season by Ward Kimball. Both were repackaged and re-released with Spencer Christian as the host. All subsequent series have featured Christian.
Tracks Ahead (1990 )
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Documents both the influences of alternative belief systems on the Nazi ideology and Hitler's personal philosophy, and the history and development of the ideas and symbols that would be used along with eugenicist racial politics to perpetrate the murder and oppression of millions during World War II.
The Occult History of the Third Reich (1990 )
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Scientific American Frontiers was an American television program primarily focused on informing the public about new technologies and discoveries in science and medicine. It was a companion program to the Scientific American magazine. The show was produced for PBS in the U.S. by The Chedd-Angier Production Company, Watertown, Massachusetts, and typically aired once every two to four weeks. To this day, the shows can be viewed on-line at their website, and continue to air regularly on the national digital channel World. The show first aired in 1990 with MIT professor Woodie Flowers who served as the original host from 1990 to the spring of 1993. Actor Alan Alda became the permanent host starting in the fall season of 1993 and continued until the show ended in 2005. Alda's tenure has been notable for his humble and often humorous approach: in one memorable segment, he became car sick while driving an experimental, virtual reality vehicle. In 2005, Alda published his first round of memoirs, Never Have Your Dog Stuffed: and Other Things I've Learned, published by Random House; in the book, he recalls his intestines becoming strangulated while on location in Chile for the show, an incident that nearly cost him his life since he was in a remote region and it was difficult to get to a doctor. Finally he found one, who turned out to be a M*A*S*H fan. Further, the treatment was familiar to Alda; the historical development of techniques for vascular anastomosis during the Korean war had featured in the show's scripts.
Scientific American Frontiers (1990 )
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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.
48 Hours (1988 )
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The Power of Myth is a television series originally broadcast on PBS in 1988 as Joseph Campbell and the Power of Myth. The documentary comprises six one-hour conversations between mythologist Joseph Campbell and journalist Bill Moyers.
The Power of Myth (1988 )
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TV's most-watched history series brings to life the compelling stories from our past that inform our understanding of the world today.
American Experience (1988 )
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Since its 1988 premiere, this critically acclaimed documentary series has presented hundreds of films that put a human face on contemporary social issues by relating a compelling story in an intimate fashion. "POV" has won virtually every major film and broadcasting award available, including 38 Emmys, 22 Peabody Awards and three Oscars.
POV (1988 )
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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.
American Masters (1986 )
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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.
Nature (1982 )
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This award-winning weekly automotive magazine provides unbiased, consumer-oriented car news with feature stories on related topics.
MotorWeek (1981 )
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Nightline, or ABC News Nightline, is a late-night news program that is broadcast by ABC in the United States, and has a franchised formula to other networks and stations elsewhere in the world. Created by Roone Arledge, the program featured Ted Koppel as its main anchor from March 1980 until his retirement from the program in November 2005. Nightline airs weeknights at 12:37 a.m. Eastern Time, after Jimmy Kimmel Live!. It previously ran for 31 minutes, but in 2011, the program was reduced to 25 minutes. When the program moved to 12:37 a.m. ET, the program was expanded to 30 minutes. In 2002, Nightline was ranked 23rd on TV Guide's 50 Greatest TV Shows of All Time.
Nightline (1980 )
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Antiques Roadshow is a British television show in which antiques appraisers travel to various regions of the United Kingdom to appraise antiques brought in by local people. It has been running since 1979. There are also international versions of the programme.
Antiques Roadshow (1979 )
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Time Was... is a documentary television series that premiered on Home Box Office on November 11, 1979. It was hosted by Dick Cavett with each program looking at one decade from the past starting from the 1920s up to the 1970s. The historical program looked at the lifestyles and society during the various periods of time. The series was followed up with two other HBO documentary series hosted by Cavett, Remember When and Yesteryear.
Time Was (1979 )
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TV's original home-improvement show, following one whole-house renovation over several episodes.
This Old House (1979 )
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20/20 is an American television newsmagazine that has been broadcast on ABC since June 6, 1978. Created by ABC News executive Roone Arledge, the show was designed similarly to CBS's 60 Minutes but focuses more on human interest stories than international and political subjects. The program's name derives from the "20/20" measurement of visual acuity. The hour-long program has been a staple on Friday evenings for much of the time since it moved to that timeslot from Thursdays in September 1987, though special editions of the program occasionally air on other nights.
20/20 (1978 )
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Wildlife on One was, for nearly thirty years, the BBC's flagship natural history programme. First broadcast in 1977, each edition ran for half an hour. The narrator was David Attenborough. When repeated on BBC2, the programmes were retitled Wildlife on Two. The series came to an end in 2005.
Wildlife on One (1977 )
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Now the longest-running music series in American television history, ACL showcases popular music legends and innovators from every genre.
Austin City Limits (1975 )
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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.
NOVA (1974 )
