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Genres

Drama Comedy Animation Action Crime Adventure Romance Reality-TV More genres →

Decades

2020s 2010s 2000s 1990s 1980s 1970s 1960s 1950s 1940s 1930s 1920s 1900s

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Genres

Drama Comedy Animation Action Crime Adventure Romance Reality-TV More genres →

Decades

2020s 2010s 2000s 1990s 1980s 1970s 1960s 1950s 1940s 1930s 1920s 1900s

Tags Search My ratings Sign in

Best Documentary TV Series

Top 500 most popular Documentary series, ranked by votes

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Genres

Genres as assigned by IMDb. Selecting several means a show must match all of them.

Action 87 Adult 7 Adventure 336 Animation 100 Biography 810 Comedy 494 Crime 1402 Documentary 17995 Drama 400 Family 323 Fantasy 20 Game-Show 57 History 1894 Horror 98 Music 516 Musical 17 Mystery 198 News 217 Reality-TV 822 Romance 24 Sci-Fi 60 Short 108 Sport 578 Talk-Show 173 Thriller 21 War 419 Western 14

Decades

By first-air year. Several selections widen the range; a specific year narrows within its decade.

2020s 6241 2010s 6789 2000s 3216 1990s 1037 1980s 361 1970s 168 1960s 123 1950s 45 1940s 5 1930s 2 1920s 0 1900s 0

Specific year

2026 333 2025 783 2024 946 2023 998 2022 1128 2021 1075 2020 978 2019 897 2018 849 2017 809 2016 752 2015 715 2014 612 2013 612 2012 574 2011 536 2010 433 2009 389 2008 388 2007 385 2006 369 2005 361 2004 360 2003 305 2002 250 2001 228 2000 181 1999 177 1998 157 1997 117 1996 116 1995 102 1994 83 1993 88 1992 76 1991 74 1990 47 1989 49 1988 55 1987 37 1986 32 1985 34 1984 32 1983 42 1982 39 1981 17 1980 24 1979 16 1978 29 1977 16 1976 23 1975 15 1974 14 1973 15 1972 18 1971 16 1970 6 1969 16 1968 14 1967 13 1966 10 1965 12 1964 17 1963 12 1962 4 1961 13 1960 12 1959 8 1958 4 1957 4 1956 5 1955 8 1954 7 1953 4 1952 2 1951 2 1950 1 1949 1 1948 1 1947 1 1941 1 1940 1 1939 1 1937 1

Tags

Rating patterns, computed from IMDb episode-rating trajectories. Deliberately strict: only shows with an unmistakable pattern carry one, so expect small numbers.

Rating patterns

Fumbled the Finale 0 Stuck the Landing 0 Grew the Beard 0 Rock Solid 0 Past Its Prime 0 Roller Coaster 0

Taste tags, judged by our AI taste model. They cover the 5,000 most-rated shows.

Tone & mood

Bleak 25 Gritty 14 Dark tone 66 Feel-good 14 Cozy 6 Wholesome 6 Melancholic 2 Tense 21 Unsettling 24 Whimsical 0 Campy 3 Cynical 15 Hopeful 4 Sentimental 1 Nostalgic 18 Bittersweet 4 Chaotic energy 8 Deadpan cool 5

Pacing & structure

Slow burn 2 Fast-paced 2 Episodic 72 Serialized 1 Procedural 6 Mystery box 9 Anthology 13 Cliffhanger-driven 0 Sprawling saga 0 Tight limited run 61 Puzzle plot 0 Vignette style 3

Humor style

Dry humor 11 Absurdist 4 Satirical 5 Cringe comedy 2 Slapstick 4 Witty banter 2 Dark comedy 2 Warm humor 5 Raunchy 4 Parody 0 Ironic & meta 2

Themes & subject matter

Criminal underworld 5 Detective mystery 7 True crime 113 Heists & cons 4 Legal 7 Medical 1 Political intrigue 14 Espionage 1 War & military 22 Family saga 1 Coming of age 0 Workplace 2 School & campus 1 Love story 1 Friendship 2 Found family 1 Survival 8 Post-apocalyptic 0 Dystopia 0 Supernatural 1 Space & sci-fi 2 Near-future tech 0 Time travel 0 High fantasy 0 Urban fantasy 0 Monster horror 0 Psychological horror 0 Addiction & vice 5 Mental health 6 Faith & religion 16 Sports 32 Music scene 12 Food & cooking 11 Nature & science 55 Real history 56 Royalty & aristocracy 6 Small town 1 Big city life 2 Rural & frontier 4 Suburban underbelly 0 Class divide 3 Immigrant experience 0 Queer stories 1 Female perspective 8 Social commentary 40 Philosophical 10 Existential dread 1 Revenge 0 Redemption 3 Secrets & lies 31

Characters & perspective

Antihero lead 0 Morally gray 3 Villain's POV 0 Ensemble cast 1 Central duo 3 Strong female lead 2 Child's perspective 0 Outsider lead 3 Genius lead 1 Working class 5 Elites & privilege 11 Unreliable narrator 4 Character study 12 Banter chemistry 1

Emotional payoff

Tearjerker 3 Adrenaline 4 Intellectual challenge 8 Comfort rewatch 9 Romantic yearning 0 Cathartic 0 Wonder & awe 49 Mounting dread 1 Warm glow 5 Gut punch 17

Craft & style

Dialogue-driven 5 Visually striking 42 Stylized direction 2 Naturalistic 5 Big-budget spectacle 27 Lo-fi charm 2 Atmospheric 39 Distinctive score 9 Experimental 1 Deep worldbuilding 0 Tight writing 0

Format & audience

Sitcom 0 Adult animation 0 Anime 0 Kids & family 7 Young adult 0 Soap & telenovela 0 Event miniseries 6 Reality competition 4 Lifestyle reality 19 Docuseries 331 Sketch & variety 0 Game & quiz show 0 Talk & panel 3 Period piece 18 Contemporary life 3 Long-runner 15 Built to binge 2

Viewing-culture clusters

British TV 20 Nordic noir 0 K-drama 0 Turkish drama 0 Indian TV 5

Intensity & content character

Graphic violence 4 Disturbing 57 Sexually explicit 1 Family-safe 57 Emotionally heavy 59 Easy watching 45

Sort

500 series (top 500 shown)

Reality Check: Inside America's Next Top Model

4K 3 2026–2026

McCartney 3,2,1

4K 6 2021–2021

Music scene · Nostalgic

Ugly Delicious

4K 12 2018–2020

Food & cooking · Docuseries

Life in the Undergrowth

4K 5 2005–2005

Nature & science · Wonder & awe

How to Change Your Mind

4K 4 2022–2022

Docuseries · Nature & science

Last Chance U: Basketball

4K 16 2021–present

Sports · Docuseries · Gritty

The Goes Wrong Show

4K 12 2019–2021

Slapstick · Chaotic energy

The Test: A New Era for Australia's Team"

4K 15 2020–2024

Sports · Docuseries · Redemption

The Lost Pirate Kingdom

4K 6 2021–present

Real history · Period piece

Sonic Highways

4K 8 2014–2014

Music scene · Docuseries

Cold Case: The Tylenol Murders

4K 3 2025–2025

True crime · Docuseries

The World's Most Extraordinary Homes

4K 12 2017–2018

Docuseries · Visually striking

Grand Designs

4K 256 1999–present

Docuseries · British TV

Murder Mountain

4K 6 2018–2018

True crime · Docuseries

Trial by Media

4K 6 2020–2020

True crime · Docuseries · Legal

Hulk Hogan: Real American

4K 4 2026–2026

Docuseries · Sports · Nostalgic

Wheeler Dealers

4K 291 2003–present

Episodic · Easy watching

Travel Man: 48 Hours in...

4K 65 2015–present

British TV · Episodic

Brain Games

4K 67 2011–2020

Family-safe · Nature & science

Real Detective

4K 17 2016–2018

True crime · Detective mystery

Sex, Explained

4K 5 2020–2020

Docuseries · Episodic

Perfect Wife: The Mysterious Disappearance of Sherri Papini

4K 3 2024–2024

True crime · Docuseries

Bad Boy Billionaires: India

4K 4 2020–2026

True crime · Docuseries

The Imagineering Story

4K 6 2019–2019

Docuseries · Family-safe

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Action Adult Adventure Animation Biography Comedy Crime Documentary Drama Family Fantasy Game-Show History Horror Music Musical Mystery News Reality-TV Romance Sci-Fi Short Sport Talk-Show Thriller War Western

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