Best French documentary series

Get ready to binge. We've found a collection of must-watch documentary shows from France, now streaming on Netflix, HBO, Hulu, Prime Video, and other top services!

  • Poster for The Staircase

    The 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.

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  • Poster for Tour de France: Unchained

    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.

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  • Poster for Apocalypse: The Second World War

    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.

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  • Poster for Once Upon a Time... Life

    Once 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.

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  • Poster for November 13: Attack on Paris

    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.

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  • Poster for Who Killed Little Gregory?

    Who Killed Little Gregory? 2019

    When their 4-year-old son is murdered, a young couple fights a twisting and arduous battle trying to identify a frustratingly elusive killer.

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  • Poster for Apocalypse: World War I

    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.

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  • Poster for Orelsan: Never Show This to Anyone

    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.

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  • Poster for Monique Olivier: Accessory to Evil

    Monique Olivier: Accessory to Evil 2023

    From 1987 to 2003, Michel Fourniret cemented his legacy as France’s most infamous murderer. But his wife was an enigma: Was she a pawn or a participant?

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  • Poster for Raël: The Alien Prophet

    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.

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  • Poster for Apocalypse: The Rise of Hitler

    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.

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  • Poster for The Outreau Case: A French Nightmare

    The Outreau Case: A French Nightmare 2024

    A tragic affair of child abuse and judicial disaster, this docuseries revisits the Outreau case, one of the biggest scandals in French history.

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  • Poster for Squeezie: Thanks Internet

    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.

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  • Poster for The Billionaire, the Butler, and the Boyfriend

    The Billionaire, the Butler, and the Boyfriend 2023

    How did a conflict between the world's wealthiest woman and her daughter spiral into national scandal? This riveting docuseries tells the whole story.

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  • Poster for Room 2806: The Accusation

    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.

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  • Poster for DJ Mehdi: Made in France

    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.

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  • Poster for From Rock Star to Killer

    From Rock Star to Killer 2025

    In 2003, rock singer Bertrand Cantat killed his partner, actress Marie Trintignant. This documentary revisits the case that divided a nation.

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  • Poster for Apocalypse: Stalin

    Apocalypse: Stalin 2015

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

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  • Poster for Once Upon a Time... The Discoverers

    Once Upon a Time... The Discoverers 1994

    From flashes of genius to curious experiments, humankind's innovations lead explorers and inventors on a brilliant journey of discovery in this series.

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  • Chroma 2016

    A chronicle of movies on Dailymotion with each episode focusing on a particular movie.

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  • Poster for Cocaine Air: Smugglers at 30,000 Ft.

    Cocaine Air: Smugglers at 30,000 Ft. 2025

    2013: four Frenchmen are arrested in Punta Cana with 700 kg of cocaine — none fit the trafficker profile. This documentary asks: who was behind the bust?

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  • Poster for Once Upon a Time... The Explorers

    Once Upon a Time... The Explorers 1996

    Il était une fois... les Explorateurs is a French animated TV series from 1996. Directed by Albert Barillé.

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  • Poster for Age of Tanks

    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.

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  • Poster for Einsatzgruppen: The Nazi Death Squads

    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.

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  • Poster for Apocalypse: War of Worlds (1945-1991)

    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.

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  • Poster for Great Greek Myths

    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.

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  • Poster for J'irai dormir chez vous

    J'irai dormir chez vous 2005

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  • Poster for Once Upon a Time... The Americas

    Once Upon a Time... The Americas 1992

    "Once upon a time ... the Americas" tells us the story of this vast continent, from the very first inhabitants to the present day, including the Aztecs and the Incas, the conquistadors, the war of independence or the gold Rush. Through our usual sympathetic heroes (Maestro, Pierrot, Petit Gros, le Teigneux, le Nabot, etc.), we travel from time to time, always with the aim of teaching us something.

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  • Poster for Apocalypse: Hitler Takes on the West

    Apocalypse: Hitler Takes on the West 2021

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

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  • Poster for Narco Wars

    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.

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  • Poster for Faites entrer l'accusé

    Faites entrer l'accusé 2000

    A look back at a criminal case that made the court record. Each episode recounts one of the major French criminal cases tried since the 1950s.

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  • Poster for Apocalypse: Hitler Takes on the East

    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.

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  • Poster for It's Not Rocket Science!

    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.

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  • Poster for Breaking the Bank: One Trader, 50 Billion

    Breaking the Bank: One Trader, 50 Billion 2024

    Jérôme Kerviel – the trader who hid €50 billion in trades at a major international bank – and his former superiors reveal all sides of the scandal.

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  • Poster for Japan: Between Earth & Sky

    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.

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  • Poster for Life Force

    Life Force 2010

    Extraordinary show that reveals how forces of nature through sheer power of evolution shaped life in all it's unexpected and glorious forms, and filled our planet with amazing diversity of animals and plants.

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  • Poster for Mapping the World

    Mapping the World 1990

    Then complex world of geopolitics broken down into ten minute, bite-sized chunks. You'll never sound uninformed at the dinner table ever again.

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  • Poster for Rendez-vous in an Unknown Land

    Rendez-vous in an Unknown Land 2004

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  • Poster for Dunkirk

    Dunkirk 2004

    Major factual drama telling the story of history's greatest maritime evacuation, after the World War II Battle of Dunkirk in May and June 1940.

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  • Poster for Apocalypse: D-Day

    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.

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  • Poster for Journey into Maths Country

    Journey into Maths Country 2021

    Math is an exotic and confusing country. We speak a bizarre language, full of homeomorphisms, differential varieties, transfinite numbers. But we also find epic landscapes, dizzying ideas and even, sometimes, useful things!

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  • Poster for Narco Circus

    Narco Circus 2023

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  • Poster for Histoire(s) du cinéma

    Histoire(s) du cinéma 1989

    An 8-part documentary chronicling the history of cinema, examining the history of the concept of cinema and how both relates to the 20th century.

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  • Poster for Apollo: Back to the Moon

    Apollo: Back to the Moon 2019

    irected by François Pomès, this two-part documentary chronicles the epic adventure of the Apollo space program, which included both tragic setbacks and historic successes. The first phase takes place against a backdrop of the Cold War, from the disaster of the Apollo 1 mission to the triumph of the Apollo 8 mission. The last stage culminates with the Apollo 11 space flight which landed American astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin on the Moon. With full-color archival images and 3D reenactments of the mission's key stages, this immersive account details the journey of the men and women who contributed to the celebrated Apollo 11 mission.

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  • Poster for A Musée vous, à musée moi

    A Musée vous, à musée moi 2018

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  • Poster for Once Upon a Time... Planet Earth

    Once Upon a Time... Planet Earth 2008

    Teenagers, the internationally-recognized characters of the series, will be the heroes of adventures in which they will play an active role. They will be a force for change, faced with situations and problems they need to resolve. The series will be based on facts, yet still primarily entertainment. Through their actions, they directly affect their planet and the resources that must be used responsibly and are not inexhaustible. The series will also help younger audiences to understand that pollution, hunger and water shortages are realities with specific causes – rather than inevitable evils to be dreaded, they are battles to be won with solutions to be found.

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  • Poster for Metrokosmos

    Metrokosmos 2024

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  • Poster for Once Upon a Time... The Objects

    Once Upon a Time... The Objects 2024

    Did you know that behind a soccer ball, glasses or a spoon lie treasures of inventiveness and thousands of years of history? Each episode of this new series looks at an object. Through its creation and its developments, through the ages and civilizations, we approach all sciences, from physics to philosophy, including history. Each object of our daily life is the result of a long process and conceals a rich history of knowledge and human adventures. Never again will you look at your stairs, your pants or a computer the same way...

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  • Poster for Europe in Putin's Hands?

    Europe in Putin's Hands? 2024

    328 / 5 000 The Kremlin's strategy consists of infiltrating places of power throughout Europe and securing the services of more or less lucid personalities, more or less aware of what is going on.

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  • Poster for Nus et culottés

    Nus et culottés 2012

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  • Poster for Corleone: A History of la Cosa Nostra

    Corleone: A History of la Cosa Nostra 2019

    How, from 1974 to 1993, Totò Riina (1930-2017), supreme boss of the Corleone family, ruled by blood and terror over the Sicilian Mafia. An implacable account, based on the testimony of his men and those who fought against them.

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  • Poster for Cash Investigation

    Cash Investigation 2012

    Cash Investigation gives new life to investigative investigations by tackling in each new issue different subjects concerning the business world (drug industry, ready to wear, tax havens, neuromarketing, planned obsolescence ...) but also to the managers themselves.

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  • Poster for Auschwitz, survivors tell their stories

    Auschwitz, survivors tell their stories 2025

    They are among the very few survivors. 44 survivors testify. How do you get out of Auschwitz, how do you rebuild yourself? How do you talk about this ultimate experience and also how do you pass it on?

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  • Poster for The Legends of Paris: A Tale of the 19th Century Artistic Scene

    The Legends of Paris: A Tale of the 19th Century Artistic Scene 2024

    During the turbulent 19th century, a number of brilliant French artists developed the Romantic movement in Paris: writers Victor Hugo, Alexandre Dumas, George Sand, Honoré de Balzac and Charles Baudelaire, painter Eugène Delacroix and composer Hector Berlioz, among others, changed the way of looking at art and created enduring works that have inspired the world to this day.

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  • Poster for Top Gear France

    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).

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  • Poster for A History of Antisemitism

    A History of Antisemitism 2022

    A detailed account of the two millennia of intolerance and persecution suffered by the Jews, from antiquity to the present day.

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  • Poster for Gulag, the Story

    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.

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  • Poster for Silicon Fucking Valley

    Silicon Fucking Valley 2024

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  • Poster for Capitalism in America: The Cult of Wealth

    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.

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  • Poster for Ramsès le Grand

    Ramsès le Grand 2024

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  • Poster for Automobile: Ride and Fall

    Automobile: Ride and Fall 2025

    Our cities, transformed a mere century ago to accommodate cars, now want to rid their streets of them. Countries go to war over fuel shortages, and automobiles are at the core of a global ecological crisis. Today, the history of automobile has hit its climax. How did we get here? How did the invention of a single machine reorganize how we work, revolutionize our lifestyles, transform our landscapes, trigger global crises and wreak havoc with the equilibrium of our planet? This documentary series explores the creation and meteoric development of an unprecedented object - the automobile - and its role in mankind’s wild race toward progress.

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  • Poster for Champions

    Champions 2021

    Welcome to the present, past and future of women’s football. This is the docu-series that demonstrates, yet again, that victory and excellence knows no gender.

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  • L'Armée rouge 2021

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  • Poster for Ancient Megastructures

    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

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  • Poster for Butterfly Effect

    Butterfly Effect 2016

    Our History is no more than a series of incredible events. From the birth of a thousand-year-old empire to the death of a flourishing civilization, from the creative genius of a handful of men to a worldwide cultural revolution, the most infinitesimal of our decisions can influence the future of humanity. Every episode guides us to revisit a key event, a crossroads in our History where the world swings one way or the other. With spectacular reconstructions created by 3D modeling specialists, every story is told in sequences, which gives new perspective for today.

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  • Poster for Apocalypse: The Fall of Hitler

    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.

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