Best French documentary series

Apocalypse: The Second World War (2009)

A six-part French documentary about the Second World War composed exclusively of actual footage of the war as filmed by war correspondents, soldiers, resistance fighters and private citizens. The series is shown in color, with the black and white footage being fully colorized, save for some original color footage. The only exception to the treatment are most Holocaust scenes, which are presented in the original black and white.

Apocalypse: World War I (2014)

Colorized historical footage in ascending order of World War 1. Not only the relatively known Flanders and France battles, but also the generally unknown Italian-Austrian, German-Polish-Russian, Japanese-German, Ottoman Empire- Allied and African German Colonies, and other unknown or forgotten fronts and battles.

Apocalypse: The Rise of Hitler (2011)

Adolf Hitler (1889-1945) was a mediocre who rose to power because of the blindness and ignorance of the Germans, who believed he was nothing more than an eccentric dreamer. But when the crisis of 1929 devastated the economy, the population, fearful of chaos and communism, voted for him. And no one defended democracy. As the dictatorship extended its relentless shadow, the leader claimed peace, but was preparing the Apocalypse.

Apocalypse: Stalin (2015)

The rise of Stalin, from his early beginning as a bankrobber to the cold-blooded leader of the Soviet Union.

Einsatzgruppen: The Nazi Death Squads (2009)

This documentary series examines the Einsatzgruppen, Nazis responsible for the mass murder of Jews, Romani and Soviet prisoners in Eastern Europe.

Apocalypse: War of Worlds (1945-1991) (2019)

The story of this fantastic period of history between 1945 and 1991, which was defined by the confrontation of two worlds and two systems. The capitalist West, dominated by the ever-powerful United States, is pitted against the Communist East, the Soviet Empire.

Apocalypse: Hitler Takes on the East (2021)

In June 1941, Hitler took his greatest gamble - launching an attack against the Soviet Union. Despite being the largest German operation of WWII, Operation Barbarossa was one of his biggest failures.

Apocalypse: Hitler Takes on the West (2021)

May 10th, 1940, Hitler takes on the West. Will he precipitate Europe into the Apocalypse?

Gulag, the Story (2020)

A major political, historical, human and economic fact of the 20th century, the Gulag, the extremely punitive Soviet concentration camp system, remains largely unknown.

Capitalism in America: The Cult of Wealth (2023)

From the Gilded Age to the present day, the history of modern United States of America has been one of wealth and power concentrated into the hands of a few families with enormous fortunes.

Apocalypse: The Fall of Hitler (2023)

Summer 1943: Hitler engages in a decisive battle in Kursk to win the war in the East. This is without counting on the pugnacity of the Red Army and the Allied intervention in the West. Month after month, the noose tightens on the Nazi tyrant who refuses to admit defeat and precipitates his country in its fall.

Apocalypse: D-Day (2024)

6 June 1944. A titanic fleet launched an assault on the beaches of Normandy. Objective: to liberate Europe from Hitler's yoke. Drawing on the lessons learned from the Dieppe raid in August 1942, the mission was a spectacular success.

Operation Barbarossa: Into the Heart of Darkness (2024)

In June 1941, Hitler decides to break the German-Soviet pact and set the German army in motion toward Moscow. From summer to winter, and from Kiev to Leningrad, previously unseen archival footage, some recolored, retraces the bloodiest military operation of World War II. Testimonies from soldiers and civilians recount these endless months of battles and sieges.

Ku Klux Klan: An American Story (2020)

Since its birth in 1865, in the wake of the American Civil War, the history of the Ku Klux Klan has been inseparable from that of the United States. The debates over slavery, the populism in the roaring twenties, the struggle for civil rights in the sixties, the rise of the far-right in the early 21st century; the Klan seems to have always embodied the dark side of the nation, with its gray areas and blind spots.

Triads: The Chinese Mafia Conquering the World (2023)

Founded in the 17th century, the triads have built their myth around fighting China's enemies. Who are they? What role do they play in Chinese culture and history? What business are they involved in? What are their strategies?

Das Reich: Hitler's Death Squads (2015)

D-Day, June 6th, 1944. As the Allies storm the beaches of Normandy, Hitler orders the return of the Das Reich, the infamous Panzer elite division known for its mass murders in Ukraine and Belarus, based at that time in southwest of France. Its mission: to push the Allies back into the Atlantic and turn the tide of the conflict in favor of the Nazi Germany.

Notre Histoire de France (2024)

The Real War of Thrones (2017)

In the turbulent formative centuries of early Europe, power-hungry family dynasties fought for domination of the continent.

Le Procès de Klaus Barbie (2025)

Aux frontières de l'Histoire - La France (2024)

The Long War: Iran, Israel, USA (2020)

Today, Israel and the United States are Iran's enemies par excellence. Their reconciliation seems impossible. Is the history of these three countries the chronicle of a war foretold, delayed for decades but inevitable?

Mussolini: The First Fascist (2022)

Mussolini seized power in Italy in 1922, after his March on Rome. He would hold it in his grasp until his death in 1945, establishing a dictatorship that lasted more than 20 years. Long considered a buffoon and a second-rate dictator, Il Duce invented fascism that was imitated by Hitler, who viewed the Italian as his political master. He wanted to transform his country into a warrior nation and promised Italians a return to the grandeur of the Roman Empire. He governed by violence and trickery and was one of the first populist leaders of modern times, leading his country into the catastrophe of the World War II. But who was Mussolini, this former teacher who came from the extreme left to become a newspaper editor and creator of the Fascist Party? Why did he ally himself with Hitler? Were the Italians really behind him? With archives and interviews with the last-surviving witnesses of the era, this portrait takes a look back at one of the most notorious dictators of the 20th century.

L'Armée rouge (2021)

At War for Algeria (2022)

North Africa, 1954. The Algerian war of independence begins, a traumatic and extremely violent catastrophe that for eight long years will shake and finally overthrow the foundations of the colonial regime established by France in 1830.

1945-1953: From World War to Cold War (2017)

At the outset of the Yalta Conference on February 4, 1945, the «Big Three» were all optimistic: victory was in no doubt, and the accord that they had achieved seemed likely to preserve the values they had fought for.However, in just a few months, nothing would remain of this agreement apart from irreconcilable differences. United in war, the Allies would reveal themselves as divided and rivals in peace. How can such a rapid failure of a real effort at entente be explained? With the Yalta Conference in 1945 to 1953, discover a new world order drawn up by three men, looking for a lasting peace... that would lead inevitably to the Cold War.Combining archive footage, photographs, original letters and unique testimonies, these two episodes revisit this crucial period in History. A full immersion into postwar years and an emerging new world order.

Top Gear France (2015)

Top Gear France is a French TV show about motor vehicles, based on the English original TV show Top Gear. It is broadcast on TNT RMC Découverte and is hosted by French actor Philippe Lellouche, professional racing driver Bruce Jouanny and EDM musician and journalist Yann Larret-Menezo (aka Le Tone).

Silicon Fucking Valley (2024)

Cannabis : la série documentaire (2024)

Mylène Farmer, l’Ultime Création (2020)

Satoshi - The Story of Bitcoin (2021)

At the beginning of 2009, in the midst of the financial crisis, "Satoshi Nakamoto" put Bitcoin into circulation. He created the first decentralised and reliable cryptocurrency. In 2011 he disappeared. The Mystery of Satoshi tells the exciting history of Bitcoin and blockchain technology, from the perspective of its mysterious creator.