Top 2022 TV Documentaries, a list by Tonka

8.4

/12319/

80

/1120/

83

/471/

4.3

/10413/

91

/38/

96

85

/11/

age 8+

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.

86

8.5

/35837/

82

/1954/

80

/237/

96

/103/

89

87

/45/

age 13+

With a construction crew, a legion of actors, and seemingly unlimited resources, Nathan Fielder allows ordinary people to prepare for life’s biggest moments by “rehearsing” them in carefully crafted simulations of his own design. When a single misstep could shatter your entire world, why leave life to chance?

87

84

8.7

/4149/

80

/334/

77

/53/

4.2

/6540/

100

/14/

94

age 14+

When George Lucas set out to make Star Wars, little did he know he would end up revolutionizing an industry. This is the story of a team of creative geniuses who put the magic in the movies we love.

83

8.3

/24695/

77

/1379/

77

/154/

95

/68/

89

77

/33/

age 14+

Documentary series tracking the dreams and worries of Wrexham, a working-class town in North Wales, UK, as two Hollywood stars (Rob McElhenney and Ryan Reynolds) take ownership of the town’s historic yet struggling football club.

90

82

9.1

/3086/

87

/242/

87

/62/

4.4

/1438/

100

/7/

89

This documentary series about plants is the first immersive portrayal of an unseen, inter-connected world, full of remarkable new behaviour, emotional stories and surprising heroes in the plant world. Planet Earth from the perspective of plants.

86

81

8.3

/4417/

78

/208/

80

/41/

4.0

/8121/

100

/21/

92

85

/7/

3.5

A look at the life and work of legendary comedian George Carlin.

80

79

8.4

/5924/

77

/545/

78

/38/

83

/5/

age 14+

In this romantic docuseries, people on the autism spectrum look for love and navigate the changing world of dating and relationships.

79

78

7.4

/6904/

70

/402/

70

/77/

3.5

/3632/

100

/6/

81

From power struggles to global politics, an exploration of FIFA reveals the organization's checkered history — and what it takes to host a World Cup.

77

7.4

/24541/

74

/1066/

73

/157/

3.5

/40164/

88

/24/

83

76

/7/

3.0

age 17+

Woodstock 1969 promised peace and music, but its '99 revival delivered days of rage, riots and real harm. Why did it go so horribly wrong?

77

7.3

/18320/

73

/842/

74

/122/

3.7

/26267/

91

/11/

86

80

/7/

2.5

age 16+

In interviews and rare home video footage, ex-FLDS members share the truth about their isolated community — and the events that pushed them to leave.

77

7.1

/12639/

70

/765/

69

/81/

3.4

/7358/

100

/5/

76

age 15+

Violent con artists. Stone-cold killers. These terrifying true stories unveil some of the worst cohabitation experiences one could ever imagine.

85

76

9.0

/2596/

81

/238/

84

/42/

4.2

/1334/

75

/8/

92

93

/4/

age 6+

Ten years on from the original Frozen Planet, this documentary series takes audiences back to the wildernesses of the Arctic and Antarctica and tells the complete story of the entire frozen quarter of our planet that’s locked in ice and blanketed in snow.

82

76

7.9

/3775/

76

/245/

78

/48/

3.9

/1885/

100

/9/

75

age 16+

Author Michael Pollan leads the way in this docuseries exploring the history and uses of psychedelics, including LSD, psilocybin, MDMA and mescaline.

82

76

8.1

/3237/

74

/286/

76

/42/

3.9

/1083/

100

/7/

81

age 6+

Narrated by former President Barack Obama, this stunning docuseries shines the spotlight on some of the planet's most spectacular national parks.

78

74

8.0

/5441/

74

/265/

81

/56/

3.7

/1360/

88

/8/

67

/6/

Chris is on a mission to live better for longer. With the help of top scientists, he takes on six epic challenges to test mind and body to the max.

74

7.3

/11453/

72

/667/

77

/271/

3.5

/10314/

age 15+

Serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer confesses to his gruesome crimes in unguarded interviews, offering an unsettling view into a disturbed mind.

74

7.0

/9496/

72

/538/

69

/62/

3.3

/8026/

100

/7/

58

79

/4/

age 14+

When Lori Vallow's kids vanished, the search for them unearthed a trail of suspicious deaths, a new husband who shared her doomsday views — and murder.

73

7.1

/14908/

72

/867/

73

/203/

3.4

/20894/

86

/7/

82

57

/4/

age 15+

He dined with the powerful. He preyed on the vulnerable. Beneath a smiling exterior was the horrifying darkness of a sadistic serial killer.

73

8.0

/12255/

75

/580/

70

/67/

4.2

/57587/

82

/61/

89

71

/24/

2.0

The lives of an emerging superstar and a filmmaker intertwine in this intense, intimate docuseries charting Kanye West's career, filmed over two decades.

74

73

6.9

/8777/

66

/388/

66

/123/

3.4

/4106/

100

/10/

71

This harrowing docuseries explores, a cruel conman masquerading as a British spy manipulates and steals from his victims, leaving ruined families in his wake.

73

72

6.8

/7344/

70

/412/

71

/52/

3.3

/4526/

100

/13/

67

73

/7/

2.5

age 15+

Anthony Templet shot his father and never denied it. But why he did it is a complex question with profound implications. Explore Anthony's psyche prior to the events of June 3, 2019 and the journey of his mental and emotional aftermath.

75

72

8.2

/6605/

76

/303/

81

/36/

3.8

/3094/

80

/5/

75

60

/4/

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.

72

71

6.6

/5625/

69

/382/

63

/78/

3.3

/3756/

100

/5/

62

An overgrown field and a stretch of highway connect a series of grisly murders spanning several decades as grieving families search for answers.

71

7.0

/13420/

69

/891/

67

/119/

3.3

/11376/

83

/12/

75

62

/5/

age 15+

When a 20-year-old attempts to win a fighter jet in a Pepsi sweepstakes, he sets the stage for a David versus Goliath court battle for the history books.

71

69

7.2

/9713/

69

/378/

74

/45/

From Notre Dame to the NFL, Manti Te'o's future in football showed promise until a secret online relationship sent his life and career spiraling.

69

6.8

/8667/

68

/545/

67

/83/

3.3

/6623/

88

/16/

73

58

/6/

2.5

age 16+

Determined to remove her daughter's photos from a revenge porn website, a persistent mother launches an online crusade to shut down its cruel founder.

83

69

7.2

/2389/

70

/119/

67

/17/

3.7

/938/

100

/6/

88

88

/8/

4.0

Chronicles the bizarre and psychologically complex story of six individuals who were convicted for the 1985 murder of a beloved 68- year-old grandmother, Helen Wilson, in Beatrice, Nebraska.

69

6.7

/10028/

67

/499/

67

/65/

3.2

/11863/

86

/14/

58

74

/5/

age 15+

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.

76

68

7.6

/3476/

75

/287/

78

/59/

3.7

/1453/

Witness the remarkable story of our universe over billions of years and its inextricable link to life on Earth in this sweeping documentary series.

68

6.8

/5987/

69

/471/

68

/63/

3.4

/2865/

age 14+

Insiders recount the events, controversies and lingering effects of the accident at the Three Mile Island nuclear power plant in Pennsylvania.

81

68

7.8

/2869/

73

/151/

68

/20/

99

/69/

79

83

/25/

3.5

age 15+

During his nearly 50 years in show business, Bill Cosby became one of America's most recognizable black celebrities: his career was a model of excellence for millions of Americans, until the painful testimonies of dozens of women uncovered the sinister grimace behind the smile of the so-called America's dad.

68

65

6.7

/7203/

69

/359/

68

/58/

3.3

/6396/

age 15+

Interviews with friends, family and Sally McNeil herself chart a bodybuilding couple’s rocky marriage — and its shocking end in a Valentine's Day murder.

66

65

6.4

/4654/

68

/384/

59

/43/

3.1

/1991/

88

/8/

45

75

/5/

age 13+

A community of amateur traders enacts a daring plan to get rich quick and wreak havoc on the stock market. But can they beat Wall Street at its own game?

89

65

8.7

/1940/

84

/96/

83

/14/

4.3

/1599/

100

/14/

85

96

/9/

age 14+

Inspired in part by the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum’s “Americans and the Holocaust” exhibition and supported by its historical resources, this documentary series examines the rise of Hitler and Nazism in Germany in the context of global antisemitism and racism, the eugenics movement in the United States, and race laws in the American south.

74

65

7.2

/4018/

72

/149/

70

/34/

3.9

/5585/

97

/21/

59

74

/12/

age 17+

Actress and activist Evan Rachel Wood takes her experience as a survivor of domestic violence and pursues justice, heals generational wounds, and reclaims her story. Almost a decade after escaping a dangerous relationship, Wood co-authors and successfully lobbies for passage of The Phoenix Act, legislation that extends the statute of limitations for domestic violence cases in California.

79

64

7.7

/2980/

75

/110/

66

/22/

3.9

/5394/

97

/31/

82

78

/7/

age 16+

After he's shot in 1968, Andy Warhol begins documenting his life and feelings. Those diaries, and this series, reveal the secrets behind his persona.

64

5.9

/8788/

64

/539/

61

/52/

2.8

/7899/

88

/25/

34

72

/10/

3.0

After marrying a mysterious man who claimed he could make her dog immortal, a celebrated vegan restaurateur finds her life veering off the rails.

80

63

8.2

/1954/

74

/110/

80

/31/

3.8

/744/

82

/11/

100

63

/5/

age 13+

This docuseries captures the remarkable rise and unprecedented success of one of the most dominant and iconic franchises in professional sports. Featuring exclusive access to the Buss Family and probing, revealing interviews with players, coaches, and front office execs, this series chronicles this extraordinary story from the inside – told only by the people who lived it.

73

62

6.8

/3079/

67

/172/

72

/26/

3.4

/2748/

92

/13/

61

79

/4/

age 15+

1972: 7-year-old Steven Stayner vanishes from Merced, California. For years, his family searches for him, only to find they’ve been looking for the wrong boy. 50 years on, Steven’s children unearth clues to their father’s mysterious past.

91

59

8.6

/1303/

86

/68/

86

/17/

4.3

/3847/

100

/5/

100

What it felt like to live through the collapse of communism and democracy. A series of films by Adam Curtis.

73

59

7.3

/4841/

72

/215/

74

/30/

3.2

/2464/

age 15+

After a terrible earthquake in Nepal, locals and tourists join forces to face destruction in this gripping docuseries.

83

59

8.0

/2010/

75

/96/

69

/19/

4.2

/4997/

91

/16/

4.0

A celebration of Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward’s iconic careers and decades-long partnership. Director Ethan Hawke brings life and color to this definitive history of their love, lives, and philanthropy.

75

59

7.7

/1720/

73

/127/

72

/21/

3.6

/656/

69

/13/

95

64

/7/

3.0

age 11+

Earvin “Magic” Johnson is an icon for the ages—from humble beginnings to the Dream Team to business titan. Featuring interviews with President Obama, Larry Bird, Pat Riley, and more, this docuseries charts the life and career of a legend.

59

55

6.1

/4341/

59

/239/

68

/44/

3.0

/5398/

70

/10/

29

67

/7/

age 15+

A shocking Hollywood scandal rips open the Hammer family's perfect façade. From rape allegations against Armie Hammer to years of deceit at the hands of his great-grandfather, the family's dark secrets finally come to light.

64

55

6.5

/2696/

68

/298/

66

/31/

3.3

/337/

86

/7/

35

age 15+

Conspiracy. Fraud. Violence. Murder. What starts out virtual can get real all too quickly — and when the web is worldwide, so are the consequences.

78

55

8.3

/1529/

72

/93/

77

/15/

3.8

/953/

80

/10/

85

76

/8/

age 10+

Explore the revolutionary life of one of the 18th century’s most consequential and compelling personalities, whose work and words unlocked the mystery of electricity and helped create the United States.

58

54

5.4

/3597/

61

/292/

58

/50/

2.8

/1962/

91

/11/

29

age 13+

In 1971, a skyjacker parachutes off a plane with a bag of stolen cash — and gets away with it. Decades later, his identity remains a compelling mystery.

73

53

7.7

/1519/

66

/68/

78

/22/

3.6

/1354/

68

/25/

95