The best episodes of Frontline
Ranked by viewer rating, highs first. Vote on a placement to back it or contest it.
- 01
Netanyahu, America & the Road to War in Gaza (2024)
As the war in Gaza continues with devastating consequences, watch our update of the December 19, 2023 version of this 90-minute documentary that offers a sweeping examination of the critical moments leading up to this crisis over the course of the past three decades. The escalating tension continues between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the U.S. and the Palestinians after months of war in Gaza.
- 02
China, the U.S. & the Rise of Xi Jinping
FRONTLINE examines the rise of Xi Jinping, his vision for China and the global implications. Correspondent Martin Smith traces the defining moments for President Xi, how he's exercising power and his impact on China, and relations with the U.S. and the world.
- 03
FRONTLINE investigates China's rule over Tibet. With footage from inside the region, the documentary examines how the Communist regime controls Tibet's Buddhist population and the battle over the succession of its spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama.
- 04
FRONTLINE investigates the Assad regime's arrest, torture, and execution of detainees during the Syrian war. Former prisoners, guards, soldiers, and intelligence officials shed new light on atrocities carried out during Bashar al-Assad's reign.
- 05
Trump's Power & The Rule of Law
FRONTLINE goes inside the high-stakes showdown between President Donald Trump and the courts over presidential power. Trump allies, opponents and experts talk about how he is testing the extent of his power; the legal pushback; and the impact on the rule of law.
- 06
Remaking the Middle East: Israel vs. Iran
FRONTLINE examines how Israel ended up fighting wars in Gaza and Iran — and the role of the United States. From filmmakers James Jacoby and Anya Bourg, the documentary traces Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's long campaign to defeat Iran, the conflict with the Palestinians, and Netanyahu's difficult relations with the U.S. over peace and Iran's nuclear ambitions.
- 07
The Rise of Germany's New Right
- 08
- 09
Contaminated: The Carpet Industry's Toxic Legacy
How did PFAS chemicals once used in popular stain-resistant carpets end up in the water and environment in parts of Georgia, Alabama and South Carolina? FRONTLINE, The Associated Press, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, The Post and Courier and AL.com investigate what happened with these forever chemicals and the ongoing health impacts.The joint investigation draws on thousands of pages of documents and court depositions and interviews with former regulators and industry insiders, as well as doctors, scientists and people who have the kinds of illnesses that researchers have linked to PFAS contamination.
- 10
Remaking the Middle East: The U.S., Israel and Iran
FRONTLINE traces the road to war with Iran, the U.S. and Israeli roles, and the stakes for the region. From filmmakers James Jacoby and Anya Bourg, the documentary examines Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's long campaign to defeat Iran, his relations with the U.S. over peace and the regime's nuclear ambitions.This updated version of the documentary previously aired on July 29, 2025.
- 11
Veteran FRONTLINE filmmaker and chronicler of U.S. politics Michael Kirk and his team examine the powerful and polarizing Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi. Pelosi's Power traces Pelosi's life and legacy, how she has gained and wielded power across three decades and faced grave challenges to her leadership and American democracy from Trump and his allies.
- 12
Behind President Joe Biden's fateful decision are decades of challenges and controversies, triumphs and tragedies. FRONTLINE tells the inside story of Biden's rise to the presidency, and the personal and political forces that shaped him and led to his dramatic decision to step aside.
- 13
Hurricane Helene's Deadly Warning
How Hurricane Helene became an ominous warning about America's lack of preparedness. FRONTLINE and NPR draw on a decade of reporting on disasters and their aftermath to examine how and why the U.S. is more vulnerable than ever to climate change-related storms.
- 14
FRONTLINE and NPR investigate the humanitarian and economic crisis in Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria, examining how the federal response, Wall Street and years of neglect have left the island struggling to survive.
- 15
Inside the no-holds-barred war for control of the Supreme Court. From Brett Kavanaugh to Robert Bork, an investigation of how a 30-year-old grievance transformed the court and turned confirmations into bitter, partisan conflicts.
- 16
Why have some American families struggled to keep their homes during the COVID pandemic, despite a federal ban on evictions? With Retro Report, the documentary Facing Eviction offers an intimate look at the United States' affordable housing crisis through the eyes of tenants, landlords, judges and law enforcement.
- 17
Global Spyware Scandal: Exposing Pegasus, Part 2: Fallout
FRONTLINE and Forbidden Films, the documentary arm of Forbidden Stories, investigate the powerful spyware Pegasus, sold to governments around the world by the Israeli company NSO Group. This two-part series, part of the Pegasus Project, examines how the hacking tool was used on journalists, activists, the wife and fiancée of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, and others.
- 18
The Astros Edge: Triumph and Scandal in Major League Baseball
FRONTLINE examines the Houston Astros cheating scandal and what it says about baseball today. With reporter Ben Reiter, the documentary traces the making of one of the best teams and worst scandals in modern Major League Baseball history, the limited accountability and how the Astros' approach to baseball changed the sport.
- 19
An investigation into how a young Air National Guardsman allegedly leaked classified documents on the Discord chat platform. With The Washington Post, FRONTLINE examines Jack Teixeira's alleged leak of national security secrets, why he wasn't stopped, and the role of platforms like Discord.To illustrate the extent of the leaked material, FRONTLINE and The Washington Post used images of classified documents in this film that had been previously released in news reports, on social media, and elsewhere on the internet.
- 20
Netanyahu, America and the Road to War in Gaza (2023) / Failure at the Fence
This episode includes two segments: "Netanyahu, America and the Road to War in Gaza" and "Failure at the Fence."Netanyahu, America & the Road to War in Gaza: As the war in Gaza continues with devastating consequences, this 90-minute documentary offers a sweeping examination of the critical moments leading up to this crisis over the past three decades and the pivotal role of a central player: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Starting with the Oslo Peace Accords and continuing through the October 7 Hamas attack and the ongoing war in Gaza, the documentary draws on years of reporting. It is an incisive look at the long history of failed peace efforts and violent conflict in the region — and the increasing tensions between Israel and its ally, the U.S., over the war's catastrophic toll and what comes next.Failure at the Fence: A groundbreaking visual investigation in collaboration with The Washington Post features a detailed examination of how Hamas breached Israel's vaunted security barrier on October 7 and carried out its attack. This special collaboration stems from a Post reconstruction, now deepened with additional on-the-ground reporting and riveting interviews that present a remarkable picture of how, as the Post reporters show, Hamas was planning the attack in plain sight, and Israel was blinded to its own vulnerabilities.
- 21
A Dangerous Assignment: Uncovering Corruption in Maduro's Venezuela
With the Venezuelan news outlet Armando.info, FRONTLINE investigates the shadowy figure at the heart of a corruption scandal spanning from Venezuela to the U.S. This 90-minute documentary tells the inside story of Alex Saab, his capture and then release by the U.S. in a controversial prisoner swap, and what has happened to the journalists who helped uncover the corruption scandal.
- 22
The inside story of the protests dividing college campuses and the debate over free speech, antisemitism, Israel, and the Palestinians:A firestorm has been raging on many American college campuses. Ignited by the devastating October 2023 Hamas attack on Israel and the catastrophic war in Gaza, the outrage deeply divided American campuses and, in some places, devolved into hate-filled rhetoric and arrests. FRONTLINE and Retro Report have followed the escalating turmoil since the war began — talking to people on all sides of the divide, investigating how universities have responded, how powerful interests joined the fray, and how the conflict over the conflict ultimately spiraled out of control.From director James Jacoby and Retro Report producers Scott Michels and Joseph Hogan, Crisis on Campus examines how the debate over one of the world's most intractable and complex conflicts has gripped American college campuses.
- 23
Since the Holocaust, Germany has worked to overcome its Nazi history. But over the past decade, Germany has faced a rising wave of far-right violence and plots against Jews, Muslims, immigrants, and politicians. Amid accusations that the far-right Alternative für Deutschland party (AfD) has provoked violence, which it denies, filmmaker Evan Williams investigates the rise of far-right extremism in modern-day Germany.
- 24
South Korea's Adoption Reckoning
FRONTLINE and The Associated Press examine allegations of fraud and abuse in South Korea's historic foreign adoption boom. The documentary investigates cases of falsified records and identities among the adoptions of 200,000 children to the U.S. and other countries over decades.
- 25
In 2024, FRONTLINE follows the changing views and experiences of Americans from the 2020 election to present day. Returning to voters filmed four years ago, the documentary provides a look at how their hopes and fears have changed amid another polarizing election season.From the pandemic to the polls, 2020 was a time of tumult across a deeply divided America. FRONTLINE presented a post-election special on the lives, fears and hopes of Americans in the chaotic months leading up to the historic 2020 presidential contest. This documentary was filmed around the U.S. for much of the year, following Americans as they dealt with COVID-19 in their communities in the spring, responded to George Floyd's killing that summer, and then experienced the polarizing election and its aftermath in the fall.
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