20 Best Biography TV Shows to Stream Right Now
Stream standout biographical and true-story series, from Mrs. America to Black Bird, with 20 expertly chosen titles across drama, history, action, and adventure.
If you’re hunting for the best biography TV shows to stream, this list brings together character-driven drama, history, and true-story tension in one place. You’ll find award-worthy picks like Mrs. America, Temple Grandin, and The Offer, plus gripping series such as Black Bird and The Crowded Room that turn real events into bingeable television. There’s also room for bigger, more cinematic storytelling in Spartacus, The Great, and Death by Lightning, each offering a different take on power, ambition, and legacy. With 20 titles on the page, you can move from prestige dramas to faster-paced historical adventures without running out of strong options. Whether you want inspiration, true-crime edge, or a sharp look at famous lives, this roundup has a smart place to start.
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01
The Lowdown
biography · drama · history
A determined bookstore owner in Tulsa moonlights as an investigative journalist, digging into local corruption. When his reporting uncovers sinister connections, he must protect both his family and the truth.
Directed by Sterlin Harjo, Macon Blair, Danis GouletCast Ethan Hawke, Keith David, Jeanne Tripplehorn, Ryan Kiera Armstrong, Kyle MacLachlanHuluMore details on IMDb → -
02
The Dropout
Won 1 Emmy Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie (2022) · 6 nominations
biography · drama
The story of Elizabeth Holmes, the enigmatic Stanford dropout who founded medical testing start-up Theranos. Lauded as a Steve Jobs for the next tech generation and once worth billions of dollars, the myth crumbled when it was revealed that none of the tech actually worked, putting thousands of people's health in grave danger.
Directed by Michael Showalter, Francesca Gregorini, Erica WatsonCast Amanda Seyfried, Naveen Andrews, Michel Gill, William H. Macy, Elizabeth MarvelHuluMore details on IMDb → -
03
Spartacus
action · adventure · biography · drama · romance
The life of Spartacus, the gladiator who led a rebellion against the Romans.
Directed by Jesse Warn, Michael Hurst, Rick Jacobson, Mark Beesley, T.J. ScottCast Manu Bennett, Daniel Feuerriegel, Peter Mensah, Lucy Lawless, Nick E. TarabayStarzMore details on IMDb → -
04
We Own This City
biography · crime · drama
The story of the rise and fall of the Baltimore Police Department's Gun Trace Task Force — and the corruption and moral collapse that befell an American city in which the policies of drug prohibition and mass arrest were championed at the expense of actual police work.
Directed by Reinaldo Marcus GreenCast Jon Bernthal, Wunmi Mosaku, Jamie Hector, Josh Charles, McKinley Belcher IIIMaxMore details on IMDb → -
05
Alias Grace
1 Emmy nomination
biography · crime · drama · thriller
Based on the true story of Grace Marks, a housemaid and immigrant from Ireland who was imprisoned in 1843, perhaps wrongly, for the murder of her employer Thomas Kinnear. Grace claims to have no memory of the murder yet the facts are irrefutable. A decade after, Dr. Simon Jordan tries to help Grace recall her past.
Directed by Mary HarronCast Sarah Gadon, Edward Holcroft, Rebecca Liddiard, Zachary Levi, Kerr LoganNetflixMore details on IMDb →
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06
The Offer
biography · crime · drama
Oscar-winning producer Al Ruddy’s never before revealed experiences of making the iconic 1972 film The Godfather that Francis Ford Coppola directed and adapted with Mario Puzo.
Directed by Adam Arkin, Colin Bucksey, Dexter Fletcher, Gwyneth Horder-PaytonCast Miles Teller, Matthew Goode, Dan Fogler, Burn Gorman, Colin HanksParamount PlusMore details on IMDb → -
07
The Crowded Room
biography · crime · drama · mystery · thriller
In 1979 Manhattan, a young man is arrested for a shocking crime — and an unlikely investigator must solve the mystery behind it.
Directed by Brady Corbet, Mona Fastvold, Kornél Mundruczó, Alan TaylorCast Tom Holland, Amanda Seyfried, Sasha Lane, Will Chase, Lior RazApple TV PlusMore details on IMDb → -
08
Veneno
biography · drama
Adored for her charisma and her free, explicit and fun way of expressing herself, La Veneno gained popularity thanks to her television appearances in the 90s. However, her life and especially her death remain an enigma.
Directed by Javier Ambrossi, Javier Calvo, Mikel Rueda, Alex RodrigoCast Lola Rodríguez, Isabel Torres, Paca la Piraña, Daniela Santiago, Desirée RodríguezMaxMore details on IMDb → -
09
Love Story
Won 1 Emmy Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie (2026) · 7 nominations
biography · drama · romance
An anthology of sweeping true love stories that captured the world’s attention.
Directed by Jesse Peretz, Crystle Roberson Dorsey, Gillian Robespierre, Anthony Hemingway, Max WinklerCast Sarah Pidgeon, Paul Anthony Kelly, Grace Gummer, Ben Shenkman, Alessandro NivolaHuluMore details on IMDb → -
10
The Great
Won 2 Emmys Outstanding Directing for a Comedy Series (2020) · 7 nominations
biography · comedy · drama · history
A genre-bending, anti-historical ride through 18th century Russia following the rise of Catherine the Nothing to Catherine the Great and her explosive relationship with husband Peter, the emperor of Russia.
Directed by Colin Bucksey, Matthew Moore, Ben Chessell, Bertie Ellwood, Geeta Vasant PatelCast Elle Fanning, Phoebe Fox, Gwilym Lee, Adam Godley, Douglas HodgeHuluMore details on IMDb → -
11
Black Bird
Won 2 Emmys Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie (2023) · 4 nominations
biography · crime · drama · mystery · thriller
As Jimmy Keene begins a 10-year prison sentence, he gets an incredible offer: If he can elicit a confession from suspected killer Larry Hall, Jimmy will be freed. Completing this mission becomes the challenge of a lifetime.
Directed by Michaël R. Roskam, Joe Chappelle, Jim McKayCast Taron Egerton, Paul Walter Hauser, Sepideh Moafi, Greg Kinnear, Ray LiottaApple TV PlusMore details on IMDb → -
12
The Act
Won 1 Emmy 2 nominations
biography · crime · drama · thriller
A seasonal anthology series that tells startling, stranger-than-fiction true crime stories with the first season following Gypsy Blanchard, a girl trying to escape the toxic relationship she has with her overprotective mother.
Directed by Laure de Clermont-Tonnerre, Steven Piet, Adam Arkin, Christina Choe, Hannah FidellCast Patricia Arquette, Joey King, AnnaSophia Robb, Chloë Sevigny, Calum WorthyHuluMore details on IMDb → -
13
The Dark Wizard
documentary · action · biography
An unflinching portrait of Dean Potter, the world's most influential and controversial climber, base jumper and highline walker, who achieves jaw-dropping feats while battling his inner demons.
Directed by Peter Mortimer, Nick RosenCast Dean Potter, Dean Fidelman, Timmy O'Neill, Jim Hurst, Eric PerlmanMaxMore details on IMDb → -
14
Monster
Won 2 Emmys 3x Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie · 31 nominations
biography · crime · drama · thriller
This series examines the gruesome and horrific true crimes of Jeffrey Dahmer and the systemic failures that enabled one of America’s most notorious serial killers to continue his murderous spree in plain sight for over a decade.
Directed by Max Winkler, Paris Barclay, Jennifer Lynch, Carl Franklin, Ian BrennanCast Charlie Hunnam, Vicky Krieps, Evan Peters, Richard Jenkins, Cooper KochNetflixMore details on IMDb → -
15
Escape at Dannemora
12 Emmy nominations
biography · crime · drama · thriller
The stranger-than-fiction account of a prison break in upstate New York in the summer of 2015, which spawned a massive manhunt for two convicted murderers who were aided in their escape by a married female prison employee with whom they both became sexually entangled.
Directed by Ben StillerCast Benicio Del Toro, Patricia Arquette, Paul Dano, Bonnie Hunt, Eric LangeParamount PlusMore details on IMDb → -
16
The Ron Clark Story
3 Emmy nominations
biography · drama
Passionate and innovative teacher Ron Clark leaves his small hometown to teach in one of Harlem's toughest schools. But to break through to the students, he must use unconventional methods, including his ground-breaking classroom rules, to help them reach their potential. Based on a true story.
Directed by Randa HainesCast Matthew Perry, Judith Buchan, Griffin Cork, Jerry Callaghan, James DuganAmazon Prime VideoFreeveeMore details on IMDb → -
17
Amadeus
Won 1 BAFTA TV Award
biography · drama · history
25-year-old Amadeus arrives in Vienna, unemployed after his father’s death. He allies with singer Constanze Weber, who helps bring him into the orbit of court composer Salieri, igniting a rivalry that defines their legacies.
Directed by Julian Farino, Alice SeabrightCast Paul Bettany, Gabrielle Creevy, Will Sharpe, Jess Alexander, Jonathan ArisStarzMore details on IMDb → -
18
Our Flag Means Death
action · adventure · biography · comedy · history · romance
After trading in the seemingly charmed life of a gentleman for one of a swashbuckling buccaneer, Stede Bonnet becomes captain of the pirate ship Revenge. Struggling to earn the respect of his potentially mutinous crew, Stede’s fortunes change after a fateful run-in with the infamous Captain Blackbeard. Stede and crew attempt to get their ship together and survive life on the high seas.
Directed by Fernando Frias, Andrew DeYoung, Nacho Vigalondo, Bertie Ellwood, Amber TemplemoreCast Rhys Darby, Joel Fry, Samson Kayo, Matthew Maher, Nathan FoadMaxMore details on IMDb → -
19
Toast
biography · comedy · drama · romance
Young Nigel Slater has big culinary aspirations, even though all his mother knows how to make is toast. When his mother dies, relations grow strained between Nigel and his father, especially when he remarries a woman who wins his heart with a lemon meringue pie. Nigel enters culinary school, starts working in a pub, and finds himself competing with his stepmother - both in the kitchen and for his father's attention.
Directed by S.J. ClarksonCast Oscar Kennedy, Victoria Hamilton, Colin Prockter, Ken Stott, Matthew McNultyAmazon Prime VideoFreeveeMore details on IMDb → -
20
Believe Me: The Abduction of Lisa McVey
biography · crime · drama
On the night she plans on taking her own life, 17-year-old 'Lisa McVey' is kidnapped and finds herself fighting to stay alive and is raped. She manages to talk her attacker into releasing her, but when she returns home, no one believes her story except for one detective, who suspects she was abducted by a serial killer. Based on horrifying true events.
Directed by Jim DonovanCast Katie Douglas, Leo Petrus, Jamie Robinson, Kim Horsman, Amanda ArcuriHuluMore details on IMDb →
Wrapping Up
These picks make it easy to find a great series when you want real lives, rich settings, and memorable performances. From political drama and period storytelling to crime, adventure, and bold historical retellings, the page covers a wide range of moods and viewing styles. Bookmark it so you can come back whenever you want a fresh watch instead of scrolling aimlessly. The list is updated regularly, so there’s always something new to check out as more standout limited series and biographical dramas arrive.
Frequently Asked Questions
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