Best European documentary series
Get ready to binge. We've found a collection of must-watch documentary shows from Europe, now streaming on Netflix, HBO, Hulu, Prime Video, and other top services!
Planet Earth 2006
David Attenborough celebrates the amazing variety of the natural world in this epic documentary series, filmed over four years across 64 different countries.
91Formula 1: Drive to Survive 2019
Drivers, managers and team owners live life in the fast lane - both on and off the track - during one cutthroat season of Formula 1 racing.
79Planet Earth II 2016
David Attenborough presents a documentary series exploring how animals meet the challenges of surviving in the most iconic habitats on earth.
91Don't F**k with Cats: Hunting an Internet Killer 2019
A twisted criminal's gruesome videos drive a group of amateur online sleuths to launch a risky manhunt that pulls them into a dark underworld.
75An Idiot Abroad 2010
An Idiot Abroad is a British travel documentary television series broadcast on Sky1 and Science, as well as spin-off books published by Canongate Books, created by Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant and starring Karl Pilkington. The ongoing theme of both the television series and the books is that Pilkington has no interest in global travel, so Merchant and Gervais make him travel while they stay in the United Kingdom and monitor his progress.
81Our Planet 2019
Experience our planet's natural beauty and examine how climate change impacts all living creatures in this ambitious documentary of spectacular scope.
87Blue Planet II 2017
There is nowhere more powerful and unforgiving yet more beautiful and compelling than the ocean. Join us and explore the greatest yet least known parts of our planet.
90American Nightmare 2024
After a harrowing home invasion and kidnapping in 2015, a couple is accused of staging the ordeal when the woman reappears in this true-crime docuseries.
76Life 2009
David Attenborough looks at the extraordinary ends to which animals and plants go in order to survive. Featuring epic spectacles, amazing TV firsts and examples of new wildlife behaviour.
89Beckham 2023
With never-before-seen footage, this docuseries follows David Beckham's meteoric rise from humble beginnings to global football stardom.
77The Blue Planet 2001
Sir David Attenborough narrates this critically acclaimed series that dives deep into the marine environment of Planet Earth. Although two-thirds of the world's surface is covered with water, scientists know less about the oceans than they do about the surface of the moon. This limited series travels from various coasts to the poles to examine watery denizens ranging from the gigantic blue whale to microscopic coral polyps.
87Prehistoric Planet 2022
Experience the wonders of our world like never before in this epic series from Jon Favreau and the producers of Planet Earth. Travel back 66 million years to when majestic dinosaurs and extraordinary creatures roamed the lands, seas, and skies.
80The Staircase 2004
Academy Award-winning documentary filmmaker, Jean-Xavier de Lestrade, presents a gripping courtroom thriller, offering a rare and revealing inside look at a high-profile murder trial. In 2001, author Michael Peterson was arraigned for the murder of his wife Kathleen, whose body was discovered lying in a pool of blood on the stairway of their home. Granted unusual access to Peterson's lawyers, home and immediate family, de Lestrade's cameras capture the defense team as it considers its strategic options. The series is an engrossing look at contemporary American justice that features more twists than a legal bestseller.
75Frozen Planet 2011
David Attenborough travels to the end of the earth, taking viewers on an extraordinary journey across the polar regions of our planet.
86MH370: The Plane That Disappeared 2023
In 2014, a plane with 239 people aboard vanishes from all radar. This docuseries delves into one of our greatest modern mysteries: Flight MH370.
64Human Planet 2011
A cinematic experience bringing you the most amazing human stories in the world. Humans and wildlife surviving in the most extreme environments on Earth.
87Life's Too Short 2011
Life's Too Short is a British sitcom mockumentary created and written by Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant from an idea by Warwick Davis, and is as described by Gervais, about "the life of a showbiz dwarf".
71The Disappearance of Madeleine McCann 2019
The documentary takes a detailed look at the disappearance of 3-year-old Madeleine McCann, who vanished while on holiday with her family.
65The Ripper 2020
For five years, from 1975 to 1980, the Yorkshire Ripper murders cast a dark shadow over the lives of women in the North of England. 13 women were dead and the police seemed incapable of catching the killer. No one felt safe – and every man was a suspect.
70Ancient Apocalypse 2022
Journalist Graham Hancock travels the globe hunting for evidence of mysterious, lost civilizations dating back to the last Ice Age.
68Africa 2013
Africa, the world's wildest continent. David Attenborough takes us on an awe-inspiring journey through one of the most diverse places in the world. We visit deserts, savannas, and jungles and meet up with some of Africa's amazing wildlife.
86Long Way Round 2004
In 2004 Ewan McGregor and Charley Boorman embarked on an epic challenge to bike 20,000-miles across 12 countries and 19 time zones in just 115 days. Watch as two friends ride around the world together and, against all the odds, realize their dream.
82The World at War 1973
A documentary series that gives a historical account of the events of World War II, from its roots in the 1920s to the aftermath and the lives it profoundly influenced.
89Top Gear (US) 2010
Hosts Tanner Foust, Adam Ferrara and Rutledge Wood embark on adventures as they test cars in extreme stunts, intense challenges and first-person reviews using their unique perspectives.
64Depp V Heard 2023
The story of the tumultuous defamation trial between superstar Johnny Depp and his former wife Amber Heard.
60Greatest Events of World War II In Colour 2019
Using highly advanced colourisation techniques, critical moments from World War II, from Stalingrad to The Battle of Britain, are shown in a whole new light.
79Seven Worlds, One Planet 2019
Millions of years ago, incredible forces ripped apart the Earth’s crust creating seven extraordinary continents. This documentary series reveals how each distinct continent has shaped the unique animal life found there.
87Alien Worlds 2020
Applying the laws of life on Earth to the rest of the galaxy, this series blends science fact and fiction to imagine alien life on other planets.
68Jimmy Savile: A British Horror Story 2022
Jimmy Savile was one of the United Kingdom’s most beloved TV personalities. Shortly after his death in 2011, an investigation prompted more than 450 horrific allegations of sexual assault and abuse, with victims as young as 5.
67The Last Czars 2019
When social upheaval sweeps Russia in the early 20th century, Czar Nicholas II resists change, sparking a revolution and ending a dynasty.
72History 101 2020
Infographics and archival footage deliver bite-size history lessons on scientific breakthroughs, social movements and world-changing discoveries.
71Grand Designs 1999
British television series which features unusual and often elaborate architectural homebuilding projects.
80World War II: From the Frontlines 2023
Through vividly enhanced archival footage and voices from all sides of the conflict, this docuseries brings WWII to life like never before.
81Sunderland 'Til I Die 2018
This docuseries follows English soccer club Sunderland through the 2017-18 season as they try to bounce back after relegation from the Premier League.
73Planet Earth III 2023
Journeying to the far reaches of our planet, this eight part series follows some of the world's most amazing species, telling extraordinary stories that are dramatic, thrilling, funny and sometimes heart-breaking, but always full of hope.
88James May: Our Man In… 2020
James May embarks on a remarkable journey across Japan, from its icy north to its balmy south. He’ll see the sights, meet the locals, and eat the noodles in a bid to truly understand the Land of the Rising Sun.
75Night on Earth 2020
This nature series’ new technology lifts night’s veil to reveal the hidden lives of the world’s creatures, from lions on the hunt to bats on the wing.
76Long Way Up 2020
The epic motorcycle adventure continues in this third chapter of the Long Way series, as Ewan McGregor and Charley Boorman journey to glorious landscapes across South and Central America—on the backs of prototype electric Harley-Davidsons.
78Dynasties 2018
Follow the true stories of five of the world's most celebrated, yet endangered animals; penguins, chimpanzees, lions, painted wolves and tigers. Each in a heroic struggle against rivals and against the forces of nature, these families fight for their own survival and for the future of their dynasties.
84I Am a Killer 2018
Death row inmates convicted of capital murder give a firsthand account of their crimes in this documentary series.
67All or Nothing: Manchester City 2018
Legendary coach Pep Guardiola leads his Manchester City team through the 2017-18 football season.
75Tour de France: Unchained 2023
Through tears and triumph, this series follows several cycling teams as they compete in the 2022 installment of the world's most grueling bike race.
76Inside the World's Toughest Prisons 2016
Crime journalist Raphael Rowe goes behind the bars of some of the world’s most notorious and toughest prisons. Immersing himself in maximum security facilities around the world to live as a prisoner, he encounters the inmates locked up for their crimes and meets the men and women on the right side of law tasked with keeping the criminals behind bars.
71Ashley Madison: Sex, Lies & Scandal 2024
When a dating site for people seeking adulterous affairs is hacked, millions of users' intimate data is exposed, wrecking marriages and destroying lives.
65Long Way Down 2007
Three years after Long Way Round, Ewan McGregor and Charley Boorman set off on a 15,000-mile journey from the northernmost tip of Scotland to the southernmost tip of South Africa, mixing their love of motorcycles with the lure of far-flung roads.
81Apocalypse: The Second World War 2009
A six-part French documentary about the Second World War composed exclusively of actual footage of the war as filmed by war correspondents, soldiers, resistance fighters and private citizens. The series is shown in color, with the black and white footage being fully colorized, save for some original color footage. The only exception to the treatment are most Holocaust scenes, which are presented in the original black and white.
84Attenborough's Life in Colour 2021
Exploring the vital role colour plays in the daily lives of many species.
78The Moaning of Life 2013
Now Karl’s turned 40 and has officially hit middle age, it’s time for him to re-assess his life. He’s not married, he doesn’t have kids, he’s got a job where he’s known as an ‘idiot’, and he’s known for being miserable. He’s classic ‘mid-life crisis’ material. As Karl attempts to put his life in order, he’ll be dispatched around the world on a crash course to find out how other cultures deal with life’s big questions. The ups and downs of Karl’s experiences will be contrasted against the beautiful geography of the countries he visits, captured on HD with stunning aerial photography.
79Once Upon a Time... Life 1987
Attention please! Are you ready for an adventurous tour through the human body? With a lot of humour, our physical appearance is being introduced from head to toe along cells and organs in an educational way. The heart, blood, nerves and kidneys, each single one is a miracle which renders life possible.
78Harald Baldr 2016
Northman with a penchant for history, politics and travel. I seek to spread individual freedom worldwide.
73The Puppet Master: Hunting the Ultimate Conman 2022
This harrowing docuseries explores, a cruel conman masquerading as a British spy manipulates and steals from his victims, leaving ruined families in his wake.
66Wonders of the Universe 2011
Professor Brian Cox reveals how the fundamental scientific principles and laws explain not only the story of the universe but also answer mankind's greatest questions.
86Brawn: The Impossible Formula 1 Story 2023
Keanu Reeves tells one of the greatest sagas in Formula 1 history. Through the insights of Ross Brawn and revered racing icons like Jenson Button and Rubens Barrichello, all is revealed in this gripping four-part series. From the formation of Brawn GP see their remarkable journey through strategic manoeuvres and financial trials during an exceptionally competitive era in the annals of the sport.
78All or Nothing: Tottenham Hotspur 2020
A fly-on-the-wall inside look at the goings-on of Tottenham Hotspur during the 2019-20 football season.
73Vatican Girl: The Disappearance of Emanuela Orlandi 2022
Rome, 1983. After leaving a music lesson, 15-year-old Emanuela Orlandi vanishes — embroiling the Vatican in a decades-long mystery.
72Devil in the Family: The Fall of Ruby Franke 2025
When popular vlogger Ruby Franke is arrested for child abuse in August 2023, it quickly becomes one of the biggest trending stories in America. For years, the Frankes' YouTube channel had documented a wholesome, happy family life, with nearly 3 million subscribers tuning in at its peak. But as the cracks began to show, the family turned to counselor Jodi Hildebrandt for guidance – and rapidly found themselves trapped in a nightmare.
70The World's Most Extraordinary Homes 2017
Award-winning architect Piers Taylor and actress and property enthusiast Caroline Quentin explore extraordinary homes built in mountain, forest, coast and underground locations around the world.
70Tiny World 2020
This docuseries showcases nature's lesser-known tiny heroes. Spotlighting small creatures and the extraordinary things they do to survive, each episode is filled with surprising stories and spectacular cinematography.
82A Perfect Planet 2021
A unique fusion of blue chip natural history and earth science that explains how our living planet operates. This five-part series shows how the forces of nature drive, shape and support Earth’s great diversity of wildlife.
85Bad Surgeon: Love Under the Knife 2023
Dr. Paolo Macchiarini is world famous for his revolutionary stem cell-infused windpipe transplants. There's just one problem: His patients keep dying.
72November 13: Attack on Paris 2018
Survivors and first responders share personal stories of anguish, kindness and bravery that unfolded amid the Paris terror attacks of Nov. 13, 2015.
78Sophie: A Murder in West Cork 2021
A shocking murder in rural Ireland sets off an increasingly convoluted quest for justice that spans decades and cuts across national borders.
65All or Nothing: Arsenal 2022
Follow the iconic football club during an unforgettable season. As fans return to stadiums, the 2021-22 football season puts pressure on Arsenal's manager Mikel Arteta and his young team to get back to their former glories and back into Europe. Offering unprecedented access and capturing the highs and lows of life on and off the pitch, this is football at its finest: raw, dramatic and full of passion.
77Alexander: The Making of a God 2024
Expert interviews and gripping reenactments combine to reveal the extraordinary life of Alexander the Great and his burning desire to conquer the world.
68The Alcàsser Murders 2019
New interviews and an up-to-date analysis of evidence shed light on the 1992 murders of three girls in Spain and their profound impact on the nation.
70Walking with Dinosaurs 1999
Combining fact and informed speculation with cutting-edge computer graphics and animatronics effects, the series set out to create the most accurate portrayal of prehistoric animals ever seen on the screen.
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