Yes, there are great documentaries to stream on Netflix, Hulu and Amazon Prime! I’ll point a few of them out for you.
Hulu
There are all kinds of documentaries available on Hulu, so we’ll start with science, one of my favorites. The Dark Side of the Sun is available, a 2017 movie about the grave possibilities of violent sun storms for Earth and probes that will be sent to the sun. It even mentions NASA’s Solar Probe Plus. It has stunning photography and special effects, was produced by the Discovery Channel and gets a 7.8/10 on IMDb. It’s a great show and is only one hour long, so you will have time for more. Also on Hulu is Sonic Sea, another Discovery Channel special from 2016, about the devastating effect of noise pollution from industry and military activity. It has stunning visuals as well and it won two News Emmys as well. And Hulu has Killing the Colorado, a documentary about the Colorado River and the over-development and misuse that are threatening it. It is produced by Academy-Award winners Rob Epstein, Jeffrey Friedman, Barbara Kopple, Alan and Susan Raymond. And the director, is Jesse Moss, a winner at Sundance. Hulu also has Freakonomics, the 2010 version of the smash hit book of the same name. It’s directed by Chad Troutwine and he gets the help of Morgan Spurlock, and of course Freakonomics authors Steven Levitt and Stephen Dubner. If youu loved the book, why not see the movie. And, finally, on Hulu, is Racing Extinction, a 2015 production about mass extinction and mans role in it. It is quite a timely issue and it’s directed by Oscar-winner Louie Psihoyos. It was even nominated for an Academy Award and has guest stars like Jane Goodall and Elon Musk. Well worth anyone’s time and it gets an 8.3/10 on IMDb.
Netflix
There are plenty of good documentaries on Netflix too, including my favorite One of Us, a 2017 documentary treatment on the harsh realities of Hasidic Jews quitting their religion. It is directed by Heidi Ewing and Rachel Grady, and movingly depicts the harsh ostracism and harassment these people face. It gets a 3.5/4 on RogerEbert.com and a 7.1/10 on IMDb. Also on Netflix is The Ascent Of Woman, a short series from the BBC2. It is written and directed by Amanda Foreman, and resembles The Ascent Of Man and Civilization(TV shows), both of which concentrate on men in history. It also gets an 8.1/10 on IMDb. Netflix also offers Cosmos, the remake, with Neil DeGrasse Tyson, from 2014. Although I prefer the original, with Carl Sagan(and can’t find it online for free), this is a really good show, and Tyson is engaging and informative. And if you like that, why not watch Tyson, The Inexplicable Universe with Neil Degrasse Tyson. This is actually the class from The Great Courses group that charges $24.95 for the course on DVD, but you can get it on Netflix free! It’s physics and history and cosmology, in a six episode series. I can’t wait to view it! If you are more inclined to history, Netflix offers Empire of the Tsars, with Lucy Worlsey, a favorite of mine from the BBC and a historian in her own right. It is a four episode series done for the BBC and has spectacular photography in Russia, but a wealth of information, too. And, finally, Netflix has The Blue Planet, the famous BBC series from 2001 narrated by David Attenborough. It has gorgeous photography, but also amazing facts and insights you could not get anywhere else. And it gets a 9/10 on IMDb. Truly amazing show.
Amazon Prime
There are wonderful docs on Amazon Prime of course, and they seem to have one of the best reservoirs of history programs online. They have a great many Xive shows, a free platform for factual shows, that I plan on checking out soon. One of my favorite history programs on Amazon Prime is Meet the Romans, a 3 episodes series by Mary Beard, famous Roman Historian and great author as well. She travels all over Italy and, using archaeological as well as historical evidence, gives a compelling glimpse of Ancient Roman life. Amazon also offers Rome: Empire Without Limit, with Mary Beard, from 2016, which I haven’t seen yet, but it gets a 7.4/10 on IMDb and it is going on my watchlist. And Amazon offers Stories from the Stone Age, a 2003 series on ancient mankind from Australia. It gets an 8.6/10 on IMDb and is fascinating. And, if you don’t want history, Amazon has Secrets of the Universe, a 2015 series from director Thomas Lucas and Xive TV. It covers physics, and astronomy, moons, black holes and planets and is extraordinary. And you don’t need a PHD or any college education to understand it.Amazon also has One Night in the Cosmos, a 2010 series directed by Jean-Luc Barreau and Pierre Barreau, which is visually stunning, with NASA footage and special effects that are amazing. And, finally, Amazon gives you Passing, a 2016 documentary about three transgender people who went from female to male and how it effected their lives. It gets a 7.8/10 on IMDb, and is quite illuminating.
So open yourself up to new horizons and new worlds online, and sit back and binge on something educational!
Grownups Guide to Streaming 