Growing up, I used to watch Animal Planet all the time. I had my favorite shows, but my favorites were the BBC nature programs. When I got my own Netflix account, I discovered that all of my old nature documentaries were on Netflix, plus a few new ones.
Here are my favorite nature documentaries that are available on Netflix, plus a few that are on my “need to watch list”.
- Planet Earth
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This nature documentary from the BBC looks at Earth as a whole, and how everything on Earth is connected.
Name: Planet Earth
Produced By: BBC Earth
Narrator: David Attenborough
Number of Seasons: One
Number of Episodes: 11 episodes- From Pole to Pole, Mountains, Fresh Water, Caves, Deserts, Ice Worlds, Great Plains, Jungles, The Shallow Seas, Seasonal Forests, and Ocean Deep
Episode Length: Each episode is between 47-49 minutes long
Main Focus/Theme: Earth as a whole
Seen It?: I have watched Planet Earth several times. It is one of my go-to nature documentaries. My favorite episodes are Mountains, Great Plains, and Seasonal Forests.
- Planet Earth II
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Planet Earth II is a continuation of the Planet Earth series. The soundtrack is by Hans Zimmer, Jasha Klebe, and Jacob Shea, and I am obsessed with the music.
Name: Planet Earth II
Produced By: BBC Earth
Narrator: David Attenborough
Number of Seasons: One
Number of Episodes: 6- Islands, Mountains, Jungles, Deserts, Grasslands, and Cities
Episode Length: Each episode is around 50 minutes long
Main Focus/Theme: Diversity of life on Earth
Seen It?: I have seen it, and I love Planet Earth II. The focus is similar to Planet Earth, but the series does look at how climate change is affecting each area, which Planet Earth didn’t do. My favorite episodes are Mountains and Grasslands.
- Blue Planet
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Blue Planet, another BBC Earth series, looks at life in our oceans, seas, and along coasts.
Name: The Blue Planet: A Natural History of the Oceans
Produced By: BBC Earth
Narrator: David Attenborough
Number of Seasons: One
Number of Episodes: 8- Ocean World, The Deep, Open Ocean, Frozen Seas, Seasonal Seas, Coral Seas, Tidal Seas, and Coasts
Episode Length: Each episode is 48 minutes long
Main Focus/Theme: Life in the ocean
Seen It?: I have not seen it yet, it is on my list of documentaries to watch when I want to try something new.
- Blue Planet II
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Blue Planet II is a sequal to Blue Planet. It doesn’t focus on as much as Blue Planet, instead it focuses on the variety of life in the oceans.
Name: Blue Planet II
Produced By: BBC Earth
Narrator: David Attenborough
Number of Seasons: One
Number of Episodes: 7- One Ocean, The Deep, Coral Reefs, Big Blue, Green Seas, Coasts, and Our Blue Planet
Episode Length: Each episode is between 50-53 minutes
Main Focus/Theme: Life in the oceans
Seen It?: Not yet, I need to watch Blue Planet first. I have been listening to the main theme, which sounds amazing! The soundtrack is by Hans Zimmer, David Fleming, and Jacob Shea. The trailer for Blue Planet II features the main theme.
- Frozen Planet
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Frozen Planet looks at life in the Arctic and Antarctica. Each episode focuses on a season, fall, winter, spring, summer, and what each season looks like on each end of the planet.
Name: Frozen Planet
Produced By: BBC Earth
Narrator: David Attenborough
Number of Seasons: One
Number of Episodes: 6- To the Ends of the Earth, Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter, and The Last Frontier
Episode Length: Each episode is around 48 minutes long
Main Focus/Theme: Life in the Arctic and in Antarctica
Seen It?: I had seen a couple episodes on TV, back when I had Animal Planet. I just watched the entire series a few days ago, and thoroughly enjoyed it.
- Our Planet
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Our Planet is the newest nature doc on Netflix, who partnered with the World Wildlife Fund to produce the series. Our Planet takes a different approach than the other series. They focus on showing how climate change and habitat loss is directly affecting the planet and life here on Earth. Netflix actually had to put out a viewer discretion warning for one scene because it was traumatizing to some people. The scene shows a walrus falling off a cliff, and even though we don’t actually see the walrus hit the ground, we do see it after it has fallen.
Name: Our Planet
Produced By: Netflix, partnered with World Wildlife Fund
Narrator: David Attenborough
Number of Seasons: One
Number of Episodes: 8- One Planet, Frozen Worlds, Jungles, Costal Seas, From Deserts to Grasslands, The High Seas, Fresh Water, and Forests
Episode Length: Episodes are between 48-53 minutes long
Main Focus/Theme: The diversity of life on our planet and how it is being threatened.
Seen It?: I have seen Our Planet about ten times since it came out. It was made really well, and the soundtrack is spectacular. I learn something new each episode. My favorite episodes are From Deserts to Grasslands, Fresh Water, and Forests.
- Life
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This documentary looks at how plants and animals have developed their unique survival techniques in order to live here on Earth.
Name: Life
Produced By: BBC Earth
Narrator: David Attenborough
Number of Seasons: One
Number of Episodes: 10- Challenges of Life, Reptiles and Amphibians, Mammals, Fish, Birds, Insects, Hunters and Hunted, Creatures of the Deep, Plants, and Primates
Episode Length: Episodes are around 49 minutes long
Main Focus/Theme: How plants and animals survive here on Earth
Seen It?: I have not seen it yet. I plan on watching it sometime when I don’t feel like rewatching Our Planet for the hundreth time.
Now that you know about all the amazing nature documentaries Netflix has availble, consider watching one next time you’re in the mood for amazing scenery.