The 10 Best Doomsday Documentaries
A doomsday documentary can be just what some people need to jumpstart their prepping motivation. Plenty of doomsday documentaries have aired over the years, highlighting the risks posed to our society and how it all may come down around us.
Most preppers do not prepare for apocalyptic scenarios but instead push for basic practical preparedness. A small group of those (doomsday preppers) choose to push their prepping to account for doomsday events and multi-generational survival. Regardless of your preparedness priorities, it is important to know the possibilities, which is where doomsday documentaries can come in handy.
Hands-on training is always best, but if you find yourself with some free time in front of the TV, computer, or phone- we’ve scoured for the top doomsday documentaries worth watching and have them all listed below.
Contents (Jump to a Section)
What are Doomsday Documentaries?
Many documentarians decide to examine doomsday and apocalyptic situations. As preppers, survivable catastrophes are preferred- but nothing is ever guaranteed. Checking out the many ways our world could meet its demise is not only useful for preparedness but it can also be presented entertainingly.
How We Ranked the Documentaries
To rank the doomsday documentaries, we took a look at their public reception but also weighed that with how relevant the subject material is. Some of the better-received documentaries didn’t mainly focus on apocalypse situations, but instead on Earth science. While those are less relevant, they are still great documentaries worthy of inclusion- but not hogging all the space at the top of our list.
10. How the Earth Was Made
Originally airing on USA in 2009, this docuseries describes how our planet was created. It may not sound like apocalyptic material, but it does describe how the same intensely powerful forces that shaped our planet could rip it apart (San Andreas Fault, Yellowstone National Park). The docuseries focuses on specific locations like these over the 27-episode run across two seasons.
Both seasons are available to you for free if you have Amazon Prime, so you can always check it out to see if it is for you before you binge all of the documentary episodes.
9. Life After People
This interesting doomsday documentary spans two seasons with 20 total episodes, all looking at the various effects of humans going extinct. Landmarks decay, skyscrapers fall, and animals- and possibly viruses- become the top of the food chain.
If you have Amazon Prime, you get this one for free already. Otherwise, you can sign up for a trial of History Vault to watch it within 7 days.
8. End Day
This docu-drama from BBC in 2005 shares a set of five doomsday scenarios in just 50 minutes:
- Volcanic eruption/mega-tsunami
- Meteor impact
- Global pandemic
- Supervolcano
- Particle accelerator accident
It’s a bit of an apocalyptic ‘Groundhog Day’, and worth a watch even if the acting won’t win any awards.
7. Countdown to Apocalypse
As a six-episode documentary, this series took advantage of the coming Mayan calendar prophecy of December 21, 2012, and aired leading up to it. It examines not just the Mayan-predicted apocalypse, but goes into Nostradamus, the Four Horsemen, and more as it looks at the historical ‘prophets of doom’.
The last episode examines preppers and both realistic and fantastical doomsday scenarios. You can buy the entire documentary for $10 online or access it with a free trial to the History Vault: Countdown To Apocalypse.
6. After Armageddon
After Armageddon first aired in 2010 on History Channel and is another popular docudrama about post-pandemic survivors. This is a ‘special interest’ piece that is hard to find, despite its relatively good reception on IMDB and other ratings groups.
Besides the video source below, you’d need to order a DVD to view the documentary.
5. Apocalypse Earth
This 2020 documentary series focuses on the ways natural disasters could be catastrophic. It’s very relevant because we already see natural disasters occurring with higher frequency, and this series looks at how bad they truly could get. Don’t confuse it with the earlier SciFi move AE: Apocalypse Earth.
The disasters they cover include:
- Volcanoes
- Tornadoes
- Earthquakes
- Hurricanes
- Deep Freeze
- Tsunamis
Unfortunately, Apocalypse Earth is no longer available to stream anywhere online. Still, it’s a great series that we could see again from History if they choose to republish clips or syndicate the rights to streaming services.
4. American Blackout
You’ll often hear this 2013 docu-drama suggested in prepping circles, but will rarely find it available to watch or on sale. It shows fictional first-hand accounts of a cyber attack on the power grid- a growing concern.
At about 90 minutes long, it’s worth watching and sharing before it disappears into the internet void yet again. Don’t confuse it with the later documentary with the same name about election rights. While the National Geographic version exists on DVD, we weren’t able to find any copies online.
3. Doomsday: 10 Ways the World Will End
This popular docuseries from the History Channel aired in 2016, and it highlights ten world-ending events throughout its episodes:
- Asteroid impact
- Black hole
- Rogue planet impact
- Solar storm
- Nuclear war
- Gamma-ray burst
- Mega-volcano eruption
- Earth orbit alteration
- Alien invasion
- Deep sea disaster
The series doesn’t cover every possibility, but it does a great job covering the subjects it focuses on. You can buy the season for $17 or watch it for free with a 7-day trial to History Vault: Doomsday: 10 Ways the World Will End.
2. Last Days on Earth
A 20/20 science special that first aired on ABC in 2006, it has been a standard documentary on the History Channel for years. It even grabbed a few Emmy nominations for graphic and art design.
One neat thing about the scenarios in the documentary is that they were intended to be organized from least likely to most likely:
- Gamma-ray burst or black hole
- A.I. takeover
- Supervolcano
- Asteroid impact
- Nuclear warfare
- Pandemic
- Climate change
Out of that list, I’d say A.I. takeover is a different prospect than they perceived in 2006…
1. How to Survive the End of the World
Topical and well-reviewed, How to Survive the End of the World is a National Geographic documentary series that explores niche apocalyptic situations that could plausibly be survivable by (some) humans.
The 2013 documentary is split into 6 episodes covering:
- Infectious disease/pandemic
- Black hole
- Loss of orbit (deep freeze)
- Nanotechnology
- Rapid sea level rise
You can buy the whole series on Amazon for less than $5.
Honorable Mention Documentaries
There are plenty of doomsday documentaries that didn’t make our top 10 list, but don’t rule them out. Some of them were dragged down by their relevancy score but earned great reviews from viewers. Others were poorly received but tackled tough-to-swallow topics about potential apocalyptic situations.
Here are the honorable mentions that didn’t quite make the top 10:
- The Universe – Free with History Vault Trial – This 13-episode documentary series from 2007 has several episodes dedicated to the deep space threats to our planet.
- Year Million – $10 at Amazon – Emmy-nominated docu-drama from National Geographic that explores what human life will be like 1 million years from now.
- The Nostradamus Effect – Free with History Vault Trial – Not all of the episodes from this well-known documentary are available on History, so you may need to piece together some of the missing episodes from YouTube.
- Ancient Apocalypse – Watch on Netflix – Two seasons now with the latest 2024 episodes focusing on prehistoric society in the Americas.
- Seat at the Table – Watch on YouTube – Prolific YouTuber Jack Harries changed his entire content strategy to focus on climate change and impending disasters.
- Apocalypse: Should We Start to Panic – Watch on YouTube – A DW Documentary that also focuses on climate disasters.
The Final Word
Doomsday documentaries are a great way to learn about something fast, but they can also spread misinformation or just distracting information. A risk analysis trumps a man-made prophecy almost every time, so research and proper planning are the way to go about prepping.
Don’t get too absorbed or depressed about possible doomsday scenarios. Keep in mind that they are low probability. Learning about them can equip you with the knowledge that could help if one were to happen or for lower-impact scenarios.
Here are some other articles our subscribers have enjoyed:
- 22 Prepper TV Shows | Survival Worth Streaming
- 20 Off-Grid TV Shows Worth Watching
- Home Survival Kit List | 53 Essentials
Keep exploring, stay prepared, and be safe.
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