Best French documentary series

Orelsan: Never Show This to Anyone (2021)

In the early 2000s, Aurelien Cotentin is a young middle-class man from Caen with an uncertain future. When he gets into rap music with his friends, he's really starting from the bottom. Yet, through hardships, controversies and constantly being filmed by his admiring little brother, Aurelien becomes Orelsan, one of the most popular French artists of his generation, changing the rap genre forever.

Tour 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.

Apocalypse: 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.

DJ Mehdi: Made in France (2024)

Self-taught composer, turntable prodigy, and visionary producer, DJ Mehdi was the only French artist to bridge the gap between two seemingly opposing worlds: rap and electro. Thirteen years after his sudden passing, this documentary series, directed by his childhood friend Thibaut de Longeville, sheds light on the role of this free spirit in the rise of these two musical scenes in France during the 1990s and 2000s.

Ancient Megastructures (2011)

Ancient Megastructures Collection Discover the secrets of revolutionary structures in Ancient Megastructures. Certain landmarks have captured the imagination and awe of modern-day architects and engineers around the world as they work to solve the mystery of how their ancient forebears were able to construct such beautiful, timeless and revolutionary structures with none of the machines and materials available to modern engineers. From the dreams that inspired them, to the blood and sweat that built them, discover the full story behind eight magnificent structures that forever changed the landscape of architecture: Petra, Alhambra, St.Paul’s Cathedral, Hagia Sophia, Machu Picchu, The Colosseum, Angkor Wat and The Great Pyramid

November 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.

Ancient Superstructures (2020)

"Ancient Superstructures“ reveals the secrets behind the world’s most famous monuments. Some of the ancient marvels which are among the most studied and scrutinized monuments in the world still remain shrouded in mystery. What if the answers were right in front of us… but invisible to the human eye? This ground-breaking series takes a unique approach in delving into engineering mysteries behind the world’s most famous ancient structures, by observing them from different perspectives of scale. From satellite imagery and aerial views right down to macro and microscopic levels, each perspective reveals data that helps shed new light on historical and construction enigmas that have baffled historians for years.

Apocalypse: World War I (2014)

Colorized historical footage in ascending order of World War 1. Not only the relatively known Flanders and France battles, but also the generally unknown Italian-Austrian, German-Polish-Russian, Japanese-German, Ottoman Empire- Allied and African German Colonies, and other unknown or forgotten fronts and battles.

Raël: The Alien Prophet (2024)

Featuring interviews with his followers, critics and Raël himself, this docuseries traces how a UFO-inspired religion spiraled into a controversial cult.

Apocalypse: The Rise of Hitler (2011)

Adolf Hitler (1889-1945) was a mediocre who rose to power because of the blindness and ignorance of the Germans, who believed he was nothing more than an eccentric dreamer. But when the crisis of 1929 devastated the economy, the population, fearful of chaos and communism, voted for him. And no one defended democracy. As the dictatorship extended its relentless shadow, the leader claimed peace, but was preparing the Apocalypse.

Squeezie: Thanks Internet (2024)

At 27 years old, Lucas Hauchard—better known as Squeezie—is a video creator, with over 18 million subscribers on YouTube. From the early days of his start in his childhood bedroom to the Grand Prix Explorer, he has become the icon of a generation. His friend and director Théodore has filmed all of his adventures, giving us an exclusif portrait of a young geek who rose to the top.

Room 2806: The Accusation (2020)

This docuseries follows the 2011 sexual assault case involving French politician Dominique Strauss-Kahn at the height of his career.

Apocalypse: Stalin (2015)

The rise of Stalin, from his early beginning as a bankrobber to the cold-blooded leader of the Soviet Union.

Einsatzgruppen: The Nazi Death Squads (2009)

This documentary series examines the Einsatzgruppen, Nazis responsible for the mass murder of Jews, Romani and Soviet prisoners in Eastern Europe.

Top Gear France (2015)

Top Gear France is a French TV show about motor vehicles, based on the English original TV show Top Gear. It is broadcast on TNT RMC Découverte and is hosted by French actor Philippe Lellouche, professional racing driver Bruce Jouanny and EDM musician and journalist Yann Larret-Menezo (aka Le Tone).

Apocalypse: War of Worlds (1945-1991) (2019)

The story of this fantastic period of history between 1945 and 1991, which was defined by the confrontation of two worlds and two systems. The capitalist West, dominated by the ever-powerful United States, is pitted against the Communist East, the Soviet Empire.

Age of Tanks (2017)

The history of military tanks unfolds in a documentary series that traces their role in history and geopolitics from World War I to the 21st century.

Apocalypse: Hitler Takes on the West (2021)

May 10th, 1940, Hitler takes on the West. Will he precipitate Europe into the Apocalypse?

Apocalypse: Hitler Takes on the East (2021)

In June 1941, Hitler took his greatest gamble - launching an attack against the Soviet Union. Despite being the largest German operation of WWII, Operation Barbarossa was one of his biggest failures.

Silicon Fucking Valley (2024)

Great Greek Myths (2016)

Based on original animation and selected iconographies throughout art history, this series of twenty episodes tells the Greek myths. An all-picture creation, which features the fascinating destinies of gods, heroes, and great figures of mythology.

Apocalypse: D-Day (2024)

6 June 1944. A titanic fleet launched an assault on the beaches of Normandy. Objective: to liberate Europe from Hitler's yoke. Drawing on the lessons learned from the Dieppe raid in August 1942, the mission was a spectacular success.

J'irai dormir chez vous (2005)

Narco Wars (2020)

Narco Wars explores how opportunistic smuggling networks in Latin America turned into powerful and ruthless drug cartels with the power to destabilize and tear apart whole countries. The series combines gripping access to cartel members and the law enforcement agencies opposing them with a deep dive documentary exploration of the geo-political, social and cultural factors that led the cartels' rise.

Gulag, the Story (2020)

A major political, historical, human and economic fact of the 20th century, the Gulag, the extremely punitive Soviet concentration camp system, remains largely unknown.

Le Procès de Klaus Barbie (2025)

Capitalism in America: The Cult of Wealth (2023)

From the Gilded Age to the present day, the history of modern United States of America has been one of wealth and power concentrated into the hands of a few families with enormous fortunes.

It's Not Rocket Science! (1993)

C'est pas sorcier is a French educational television program that originally aired from November 5, 1994 to present.

Apocalypse: The Fall of Hitler (2023)

Summer 1943: Hitler engages in a decisive battle in Kursk to win the war in the East. This is without counting on the pugnacity of the Red Army and the Allied intervention in the West. Month after month, the noose tightens on the Nazi tyrant who refuses to admit defeat and precipitates his country in its fall.

Japan: Between Earth & Sky (2018)

Discover some the most beautiful sites in the Japan, the great spectacle of nature and the subtle balance that prevails between tradition and modernity.