Documentary AreaSimply the best Documentaries

Everything that lives on land, animal or plant, depends on fresh water. Yet only part of it is within reach: Much of the planet's fresh water, is locked away, almost two-thirds of it lies frozen around the poles. Even away from the poles, much of the land's fresh water freezes each winter. The need for fresh water is as strong as ever. However, the supply is becoming increasingly unpredictable and uncertain for all manner of species. We are not alone in our need for water, but we have the ability to ensure the fresh waters of the world do flow, and we alone can determine how they are shared.

Some animals give their young the best start in life by making truly astonishing journeys. And it's not only where they go that's important but when. Left to fend for themselves until they find their footing, baby sea turtles, elephant seal pups, pumas and crabs bravely trek towards adolescence.

In the sixth episode, you’ll journey through Asia’s vast deserts and steppes, where life thrives against all odds. Meet the elusive Gobi bear, one of the rarest mammals on Earth, scent-marking ancient trees in its territory. In the densely populated Thar Desert, thousands of demoiselle cranes migrate from Siberia to be greeted with offerings of grain by the local Jain community. Discover how wild horses and gazelles endure harsh conditions and outsmart predators. This chapter reveals the remarkable resilience and adaptability of wildlife in one of the planet’s most unforgiving environments.

In the third episode you can see an extraordinary journey through the frigid realms of northern Asia. This captivating documentary unveils the remarkable strategies employed by wildlife to endure and flourish amidst relentless snow and ice. Witness the stealth and agility of Himalayan wolves as they pursue the swift chiru antelope across vast, frozen terrains. Observe the delicate courtship rituals of red-crowned cranes, mastering intricate mating dances in the snow-laden landscapes. Delve into the secluded habitats of the elusive Amur tigers, navigating the dense, frost-covered forests where Russia, China, and North Korea converge—a region also inhabited by the world's largest owls. Each scene offers a profound glimpse into nature's resilience and adaptability in some of the planet's most unforgiving environments.

Across two continents and from one pole to the other, this spectacular wildlife series explores the wonders, mysteries and fragilities of the Americas. Narrated by Tom Hanks, it reveals extraordinary animal behaviour, dramatic struggles for survival and some of the planet’s most varied landscapes, from frozen wilderness and ancient forests to deserts, tropical seas and vast grasslands. Filmed over five years and more than 180 expeditions, the series combines intimate wildlife stories with remarkable natural spectacles, showing both the resilience of life and the delicate balance on which these ecosystems depend.
In the first three episodes, the journey begins along the Atlantic Coast, where wild horses battle, bald eagles pursue ospreys, sharks move among great shoals of fish, raccoons adapt to city life and black bears search ancient forests for food. It then heads south into Mexico, where deserts meet the tropics and pygmy owls, hunting orcas, orchid bees and mysterious creatures in flooded caves reveal a hidden world of astonishing diversity. Finally, the Wild West brings an even harsher test of survival, as coyotes face a snowbound Yellowstone, hundreds of rattlesnakes emerge from their winter refuges, woodpeckers compete to store food, bison clash across the Great Plains and immense gatherings of cranes continue one of nature’s most ancient migrations.