TV & Streaming

Four websites to stream free documentaries

In the past, we’ve covered several places to watch documentaries for free, whether streaming them on websites or dedicated apps for non- ction content. Well, that’s not the end of the list, though. ese sites nd documentaries by going to sources others don’t venture or rede ne what a documentary is.

Quite a few websites collect the best documentaries available for streaming online. But that doesn’t mean they list every single one. As the sites in this list prove, you can still nd more (and perhaps better) documentaries through random Redditors and by nding YouTube videos that wouldn’t be called “documentaries” by conventional standards.

1. Documentary Tube (Web)

Documentary Tube adds new videos worth watching every day.Largely, the collection comes from YouTube, Vimeo, and selfhosted videos on Documentary Tube. You’ll know which of the three it is by the thumbnail showing a little icon for one of these. Each documentary has a short description, a thumbnail, the category it belongs to, how many people have viewed it, and a rating by the audience.

In the right sidebar, you can browse through categories like crime, conspiracy, history, music, war, nature, sports, technology, and lots more.

2. Veely (Web, Android, iOS)

If you enjoyed Zipping through channels like NatGeo and Discovery on TV, Veely is the next best thing you’ll get on the internet. It’s a collection of 7-10 di erent channels that stream documentaries live on the internet, which you can watch in a browser or the mobile app.

Currently, the channels streaming on Veely are Don’t Tell the Bride, Real Crime, Real Drama, Real Life, Real Royalty, Real Stories, Real Wild, Spark, Timeline, and Wonder. Between all these channels, Veely covers all the popular types of documentary genres such as nature, crime, reality series, history, science and technology, and human interest.

3. Free Documentary & Others (YouTube)

is is YouTube’s Biggest Documentary Channel Series. Since 2013, Free Documentary has been adding some of the best full-length documentaries to YouTube for anyone to watch for free. e channel is created by Germany-based Quintus Studios, which regularly makes new deals to acquire non-6ction video content from leading independent producers and distributors worldwide.

It has become so big and popular that Free Documentary now has several o shoot channels on YouTube. e list includes: FD Real for true stories from everyday people FD History for historical human documentaries FD Survive for how to survive in the wild FD Nature for documentaries on wildlife and trees FD Paranormal for videos on ghosts, UFOs, and other unexplained phenomena.

4. r.Documentaries (Web)

Discover documentaries submitted by Redditors, a thriving community that actively shares links to documentaries you can stream online. e rules clearly state that these must all be streamable videos and no FileLocker or torrent links. Most documentaries come from YouTube or Vimeo, so you’re ready to start streaming with a click.

Each post has a clear format that makes it easy to browse. e post title has the documentary’s name, the year it was released, a one-line description by the submitter, and the total run-time of the documentary.

Finally, most posts are tagged with a Zair that de6nes genres like crime, society, history, 6lm/tv, science, nature/animals, tech/internet, war, music, and trailers. You can always lter the subreddit by these genres to quickly nd something to watch.

Among all the places to nd free documentaries to stream online, r/Documentaries is unique because of the power of the community. With almost 20 million members, people have diverse resources to nd new videos to watch.

Three new series streaming now

First Kill, an eight-episode Net ix show, is built around a teenage vampire named Juliette who’s eager to make her rst kill so she can take her place among a powerful vampire family. Net ix’s summary notes that Juliette sets her sights on Calliope, the new girl in town. “But much to Juliette’s surprise, Calliope is a vampire hunter from a family of celebrated slayers. Both nd that the other won’t be so easy to kill and, unfortunately, way too easy to fall for.”

Clear your schedules, Bu y fans.

Next up, the long-awaited Season 6 of Peaky Blinders.

It’s been almost three years since the previous set of Peaky Blinders episodes, Season 5, hit Net ix. In this new season of the wildly popular series — which, by the way, can we all agree has one of the most fantastic opening theme tunes, courtesy of Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds? — Tommy Shelby, who leads a mostly family lled band of gangsters in the Small Heath area of Birmingham, must pick up the pieces from his failed attempt at the end of Season 5 to assassinate the fascist politician Oswald Mosley.

Among other developments this season, Tommy will also set out for America. e Shelbys need to nd new revenue streams once Prohibition ends.

Sadly, missing from Season 6 for the rst time will be actress Helen McCroy, who played Tommy’s stalwart and iconic aunt Polly Gray. McCroy passed away in 2021. Also, Season 6 will mark the end of the series — but not of the Peaky Blinders story, itself. Creator Steven Knight is working on a feature-length movie.

Keep Sweet: Pray and Obey is a limited series about a secretive, polygamous sect of the Fundamental Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. From Net ix’s synopsis: “In 2008, a dramatic raid at the Yearning for Zion Ranch in West Texas generated attention around the world, as law enforcement agents uncovered stunning evidence of sexual, physical and psychological abuse and took 400+ children into custody.”

5

to watch right now on Netflix

e Meyerowitz Stories from 2017 is a bittersweet comedy-drama told through Noah Baumbach’s grounded lens. e titular stories concern dysfunctional adult siblings, played by Adam Sandler and Ben Stiller, trying to live in the shadow of their father. An e ervescent cast, including Dustin Ho man, play these intelligent, albeit miserable, characters as they weave their poignant tales.

is 2016 indie gem might have own under the radar, so if you’re looking for a modern romcom over owing with charm, de nitely give Tramps a watch. Callum Turner and Grace Van Patten star as Danny and Ellie, a sincere good kid and a streetwise girl who attempt to carry out a shady deal for a little cash. Tightly scripted and deftly avoiding hackneyed territory, Tramps will e ortlessly win your heart.

Vampires vs. the Bronx (2020) is a unique comedy-horror in more ways than one. Set in the New York borough of the Bronx, it follows young Miguel Martinez, a bighearted kid helping to raise money for his struggling local bodega. But it’s not just new designer clothing stores threatening to move in: Creepy pale residents with a taste for blood are eating up people and their properties. A commentary on gentri cation with goofy charm, twists and thrills, Vampires vs. the Bronx is a fresh, entertaining spin on the genre.

Also from 2020, His House is a horror ick that, yep, hits close to home. Revealing its supernatural evils through a harrowing human story, it follows Bol and Rial, a refugee couple from Sudan, who struggle to adapt to their new life in an English town. Don’t expect straightforward jump scares -- His House plays into the psychological specters of the past, adding even more corridors of torment. A heartrending, powerful piece.

is smart psychological horror from 2018 is partially drawn from co-writer Isa Mazzei’s experiences as a camgirl (or webcam model). Yet, Cam is no documentary, following Alice Ackerman, a young camgirl who one day discovers an exact replica of herself has taken over her show. is unique thriller ashing red with the threat of technology is an excellent feature to hit play on