Watch Documentary & Biography TV Shows Online

The purpose of a TV documentary, as is probably obvious from the genre's name, is to document something. Documentaries are non-fiction programs that examine a subject closely, and the intent of the program may be broadly educational, or it may attempt to make a cultural or political point. Although the earliest TV programming was focused on entertainment, documentaries quickly became a significant part of TV programming overall, and now some of the most popular TV networks concentrate almost exclusively on non-fiction programs.

Documentary TV programming comes in a number of forms. Stand-alone documentary films explore one subject in depth in a single film or in a short series of episodes, while documentary series often look at a different subject in each episode, with no direct connection between the subjects from episode to episode. News-magazine-style shows may group multiple segments within each episode; the segments typically focus on unrelated subjects. Other types of documentary series-crime and paranormal series are currently popular-explore a different specific subject in each episode, but all of the subjects conform to the overall theme of the series.

Biography is a sub-genre of documentary programming that tells the story of a particular individual. Historical figures, political leaders, entertainers, sports figures and other celebrities are, of course, the most popular subjects of TV biographies, and biographical documentaries are consistently popular with TV viewers. In recent years, the series "Biography" was one of the most successful productions on the A&E cable network-so much so that the network spun the series off into its own channel, The Biography Channel, which debuted in 1999.

Much of the programming that fits into the reality TV genre could also fit fairly comfortably into the documentary genre. Reality series that follow characters as they engage in specific occupations or live in unusual contexts educate viewers about those occupations and lifestyles at the same time that they entertain-although the main goal of these series is entertainment, and factual accuracy may suffer as a consequence.

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    Documentary & Biography
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Ghost Adventures
The Secret of Skinwalker Ranch
My 600-lb Life
48 Hours Mystery
How It's Made
Evil Lives Here
Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders: Making the Team
American Experience
Mystery at Blind Frog Ranch
Prehistoric Planet
River Monsters
Stanley Tucci: Searching for Italy
Nellyville
Portrait Artist of The Year
Dirty Jobs
Long Way Round
American Masters
Outcry
Planet Earth
Mayday
Ghost Hunters
Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations
Strange Sex
Intervention
Untold Stories of the E.R.
No One Saw a Thing
Storm Chasers
Nature
I Shouldn't Be Alive
Long Way Down
Beyond Skinwalker Ranch
Cook's Country
Rust Valley Restorers
American Monster
Forensic Files
Good Eats
The Unxplained
See No Evil
Gold Rush: White Water
The Civil War: A Film By Ken Burns
Grant
Disappeared
Court Cam
Ken Burns: The Dust Bowl
Muhammad Ali
Dateline
WWII in the Pacific
Landscape Artist of the Year
The War of The Roses
The Grand Tour
Gypsy Rose: Life After Lock Up
Bering Sea Gold
The First World War
Body Cam
The Ghost Inside My Child
Louis Theroux
Eyes on the Prize
Shark Week
Undercover Billionaire
Gangsters: America's Most Evil
Polyamory: Married and Dating
Accused: Guilty or Innocent?
The Vikings
Unexpected
These Woods Are Haunted
Beachfront Bargain Hunt: Renovation
Paranormal 911
Ancient Aliens
Thomas Jefferson
Modern Marvels
Fake or Fortune?
Curvy Brides Boutique
The Food That Built America
Carrier
K-Pop Idols
Ghost Brothers
Expedition X
The New Edition Story
My Big Fat American Gypsy Wedding
The Lost Kitchen
Country Music
City Confidential
Unsolved Mysteries
Surviving R. Kelly
Love It or List It UK
Black Love
Ride with Norman Reedus
The Roosevelts: An Intimate History
Mark Twain
Lost Tapes
Kindred Spirits
Roadworthy Rescues
Dark Side of the Ring
American Gangster
The FBI Files
The Curious Case of Natalia Grace
From The Earth To The Moon
The Power of Myth with Joseph Campbell - Season 1
The Serpent Queen
The Devils Ride