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The best documentaries on Criterion Channel right now

Right now the best documentaries and docuseries on Criterion Channel in the United States are Night and Fog (1956), The Thin Blue Line (1988) and Fishing with John (1991). This is the top 21 streaming there today, ranked by how well rated each one is, how many people have rated it, and what people are watching now.

Updated November 12, 2026 · streaming in the United States

Pick three for meAllFilmsSeries

  1. 1. Night and Fog1956

    Film · 32mDocumentary, History★ 8.3

    Filmmaker Alain Resnais documents the atrocities behind the walls of Hitler's concentration camps.

    Stream onHBO MaxCriterion Channel

  2. 2. The Thin Blue Line1988

    Film · 1h 43mCrime, Documentary★ 7.7

    One night in November 1976, after his car breaks down on a road outside Dallas, Randall Dale Adams accepts a ride from teenager David Harris.

    Stream onPhiloAMC+Criterion ChannelSundance Now+1

  3. 3. Fishing with John1991

    Series · 1 seasonComedy, Documentary★ 7.6

    Musician John Lurie knows nothing about fishing, but that doesn't stop him from embarking on fishing in exotic locations with friends.

    Stream onCriterion Channel

  4. 4. A Brief History of Time1991

    Film · 1h 20mDocumentary★ 7.2

    Partly adapted from cosmologist Stephen Hawking's popular book about his theories of the universe, this in-depth documentary also presents Hawking's daily life as he deals with the ALS that renders him virtually immobile and unable to…

    Stream onHBO MaxCriterion Channel

  5. 5. Hearts and Minds1974

    Film · 1h 52mDocumentary, War★ 7.6

    Many times during his presidency, Lyndon B. Johnson said that ultimate victory in the Vietnam War depended upon the U.S. military winning the "hearts and minds" of the Vietnamese people.

    Stream onHBO MaxCriterion ChannelMometu (free)

  6. Which of these would you actually like?

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  7. 6. Monterey Pop1968

    Film · 1h 20mMusic, Documentary★ 7.4

    Featuring performances by popular artists of the 1960s, this concert film highlights the music of the 1967 California festival.

    Stream onHBO MaxCriterion ChannelShout! Factory TV (free)YouTube Free (free)+2

  8. 7. Helvetica2007

    Film · 1h 20mDocumentary★ 7.2

    Helvetica is a feature-length independent film about typography, graphic design and global visual culture. It looks at the proliferation of one typeface (which will celebrate its 50th birthday in 2007) as part of a larger conversation…

    Stream onCriterion ChannelKanopy (free)

  9. 8. Urbanized2011

    Film · 1h 25mDocumentary★ 7.3

    A documentary about the design of cities, which looks at the issues and strategies behind urban design and features some of the world's foremost architects, planners, policymakers, builders, and thinkers.

    Stream onCriterion ChannelKanopy (free)

  10. 9. Objectified2009

    Film · 1h 15mDocumentary★ 7.1

    A feature-length documentary about our complex relationship with manufactured objects and, by extension, the people who design them.

    Stream onCriterion ChannelKanopy (free)

  11. 10. Italianamerican1974

    Film · 49mDocumentary★ 6.8

    Filmmaker Martin Scorsese interviews his mother and father about their life in New York and family history back in Sicily.

    Stream onHBO MaxCriterion Channel

  12. 11. Gates of Heaven1978

    Film · 1h 23mDocumentary★ 6.8

    A showcase of workers in the animal burial industry while dealing with heavier existential questions regarding mortality and the afterlife.

    Stream onPhiloAMC+Criterion ChannelSundance Now+1

  13. 12. Microcosmos1996

    Film · 1h 20mDocumentary★ 7.6

    A documentary of insect life in meadows and ponds, using incredible close-ups, slow motion, and time-lapse photography. It includes bees collecting nectar, ladybugs eating mites, snails mating, spiders wrapping their catch, a scarab beetle…

    Stream onCriterion Channel

  14. 13. F for Fake1973

    Film · 1h 29mDocumentary★ 7.4

    Documents the lives of infamous fakers Elmyr de Hory and Clifford Irving. De Hory, who later committed suicide to avoid more prison time, made his name by selling forged works of art by painters like Picasso and Matisse.

    Stream onHBO MaxCriterion Channel

  15. 14. Sans Soleil1983

    Film · 1h 40mDocumentary★ 7.5

    A woman narrates the thoughts of a world traveler, meditations on time and memory expressed in words and images from places as far-flung as Japan, Guinea-Bissau, Iceland, and San Francisco.

    Stream onKanopyCriterion Channel

  16. 15. Olympia Part One: Festival of the Nations1938

    Film · 2h 7mDocumentary★ 6.9

    Starting with a long and lyrical overture, evoking the origins of the Olympic Games in ancient Greece, Riefenstahl covers twenty-one athletic events in the first half of this two-part love letter to the human body and spirit, culminating…

    Stream onCriterion ChannelFlixFlingFlixHouse (free)Mometu (free)

  17. 16. Blood of the Beasts1949

    Film · 23mDocumentary★ 7.5

    An early example of ultra-realism, this movie contrasts the quiet, bucolic life in the outskirts of Paris with the harsh, gory conditions inside the nearby slaughterhouses.

    Stream onCriterion Channel

  18. 17. Talking Heads1980

    Film · 15mDocumentary★ 7.7

    People of different age, profession and social status answer two simple questions: who they are and what they want from life.

    Stream onCriterion Channel

  19. 18. News from Home1976

    Film · 1h 30mDocumentary★ 7.1

    Impersonal and beautiful images of Akerman's life in New York are combined with letters from her loving but manipulative mother, read by Akerman herself.

    Stream onHBO MaxCriterion Channel

  20. 19. Tokyo-Ga1985

    Film · 1h 32mDocumentary★ 7.1

    German director Wim Wenders tries to explore the Tokyo that was depicted in the films of Yasujiro Ozu and finds a very different city.

    Stream onCriterion Channel

  21. 20. À propos de Nice1930

    Film · 24mDocumentary★ 6.9

    What starts off as a conventional travelogue turns into a satirical portrait of the town of Nice on the French Côte d'Azur, especially its wealthy inhabitants.

    Stream onCriterion ChannelFawesome (free)

  22. 21. Taris1931

    Film · 9mDocumentary★ 6.3

    Short documentary directed by Jean Vigo about the French swimmer Jean Taris. The film is notable for the many innovative techniques that Vigo uses, including close ups and freeze frames of the swimmer's body.

    Stream onCriterion Channel

Questions

What are the best documentaries and docuseries on Criterion Channel right now?
In the United States, as of November 12, 2026: Night and Fog (1956), rated 8.3 out of 10 on TMDB, then The Thin Blue Line and Fishing with John.
How is this list made?
Watchwalla asks TMDB for everything of this kind that streams in your country today, ranks it by rating (pulled toward the middle until enough people have rated a title), with a nudge for what's new and what people are watching now, and refreshes the list every day. Streaming availability comes from JustWatch, through TMDB.
Can it pick something for me?
Yes. The picker at watchwalla.com/tonight asks who's watching, how much time you have and what you're in the mood for, and gives three picks streaming where you are. Sign in and every title also gets a match score for your own taste.

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