From an unprecedented U.S. presidential campaign season, to the ongoing Israel-Hamas war in Gaza, to the continued rise of extremism around the globe, 2024 has been another turbulent year in the U.S. and the world.

FRONTLINE has kept pace, releasing documentary after documentary putting rapidly evolving events into context, shining light on little-known stories, and holding those in power accountable both at home and abroad.

As the year draws to a close, we’ve collected the 10 new-in-2024 FRONTLINE documentaries that, as of press time, earned the most streams this year on all PBS platforms (browser video players and the PBS App) and our YouTube channel combined.

All 10 of this year’s most-streamed documentaries are available to watch on demand below, as well as on the PBS App, our YouTube channel and the PBS Documentaries Prime Video Channel.

Plus: Scroll down for some additional bonus viewing — the most-streamed archival documentary released on our YouTube channel this year.

10. Germany’s Enemy Within

Amid accusations that the far-right Alternative für Deutschland party (AfD) has provoked violence, which it denies, FRONTLINE investigated the rise of far-right extremism in modern-day Germany. (credits)

More to explore: Listen to a FRONTLINE Dispatch podcast episode about the ascent of the far right in German politics, and a wave of violence in the country targeting Jews, Muslims and migrants.

9. Breakdown in Maine

FRONTLINE, the Portland Press Herald and Maine Public investigated the October 2023 massacre in Lewiston and breakdowns with police, the military and mental health care in the lead-up to what became the deadliest mass shooting in Maine history. (credits)

More to explore: Listen to an in-progress limited series podcast from Maine Public and read the Portland Press Herald’s in-depth stories about how the Lewiston shooting may have been preventable. This reporting is supported by FRONTLINE’s Local Journalism Initiative.

8. Israel’s Second Front

Amid the war in Gaza and concerns of a widening conflict in the Middle East, a report from the West Bank about growing tensions on the ground. (credits)

More to explore: Read a conversation about the challenges of reporting from the occupied West Bank as the Israel-Hamas war raged in Gaza.

7. Two American Families: 1991-2024

Filmed over more than 30 years, this two-hour documentary raised unsettling questions about the changing nature of the American economy and the impact on people struggling to make a living. (credits)

More to explore: Take a by-the-numbers look at some of the economic forces impacting America’s working families.

6. China, the U.S. & the Rise of Xi Jinping

FRONTLINE examined the rise of Xi Jinping, his vision for China and the global implications. (credits)

More to explore: Learn how President-elect Donald Trump’s trade war with China played out during his first term, and read about what Trump has promised on China in a second term.

5. A Dangerous Assignment

The story of a corruption scandal spanning from Venezuela to the U.S., and what has happened to a journalist who helped uncover it. With the Venezuelan news outlet Armando.info. (credits)

More to explore: Listen to a FRONTLINE Dispatch podcast episode about the consequences of reporting on corruption in President Nicolás Maduro’s Venezuela.

4. Boeing’s Fatal Flaw (2024 update)

As new questions arose about Boeing’s troubled 737 Max jet following January’s Alaska Airlines incident, FRONTLINE and The New York Times updated an award-winning investigation into the design, oversight and production of a plane that was involved in two crashes that killed 346 people. (credits)

More to explore: Listen to a FRONTLINE Dispatch podcast episode from 2021 about how Boeing’s flawed 737 Max made it into the air.

3. Biden’s Decision

The inside story of Joe Biden’s rise to the presidency, and the personal and political forces that shaped him and led to his dramatic decision to step aside. (credits)

More to explore: Browse 24 interviews from the making of the film via the FRONTLINE Transparency Project.

2. The Choice 2024: Harris vs. Trump

FRONTLINE investigated the lives and characters of Kamala Harris and Donald Trump as they sought the presidency. What emerged was the story of two fighters: One seeking vindication and promising a return to greatness, and the other seeking to move beyond the past and promising a greater future. (credits)

More to explore: Look through 48 interviews with sources via the FRONTLINE Transparency Project.

1. Democracy on Trial

This 2.5-hour documentary special traced the roots and implications of the federal criminal case against Donald Trump related to his role in efforts to overturn the 2020 election results. (Heeding the Department of Justice’s guidance that the Constitution protects sitting presidents from prosecution, the special counsel dropped the case against the president-elect in late November.) (credits)

More to explore: Examine 22 interviews from the making of the documentary via the FRONTLINE Transparency Project.

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Bonus Viewing: Our Most-Streamed Archival Release on YouTube This Year

FRONTLINE frequently releases archival documentaries on our YouTube channel. Become one of our more than 3 million subscribers on YouTube and receive notifications when our videos are released.

Supplements and Safety

In 2016, FRONTLINE, The New York Times and the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation examined the hidden dangers of vitamins and supplements, a multibillion-dollar industry with limited FDA oversight. (credits)

Stream hundreds more FRONTLINE documentaries at pbs.org/frontline, in the PBS App, on YouTube and in the PBS Documentaries Prime Video Channel. Explore past years’ most-streamed films of 2023, 2022, 2021, 2020, 2019, 2018 and 2017. And watch your way through our all-time most-streamed documentaries on YouTube.

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