Best Episodes
Since it began in 1983, Frontline has been airing public-affairs documentaries that explore a wide scope of the complex human experience. Frontline's goal is to extend the impact of the documentary beyond its initial broadcast by serving as a catalyst for change.
Written by Sophie and last updated on feb 06, 2023.
PS: The following content contains spoilers!
PPS: I will admit that parts of this page was written with the help of AI - it makes my work so much easier to not start from a blank page!
The inside story of President Trump’s gamble to confront China over trade. Reporting from the U.S. and China, FRONTLINE and NPR investigate what led the world’s two largest economies to the brink, and the billions at stake.
The episode was rated 7.10 from 10 votes.
Sex Trafficking in America tells the unimaginable stories of young women coerced into prostitution – and follows one police unit that’s committed to rooting out sexual exploitation.
The episode was rated 7.15 from 13 votes.
A FRONTLINE documentary, drawing from a two-year investigation, uncovers the extent of a deadly Legionnaires’ disease outbreak during the Flint water crisis — and how officials failed to stop it
The episode was rated 7.30 from 10 votes.
Go inside the war crimes trial of Ratko Mladić, one of the most infamous figures of the Balkan wars in the 1990s. Offering exclusive access to the prosecution and defense teams, the film chronicles the trial of a man accused of genocide and war crimes. It also gives firsthand accounts from survivors of atrocities Mladić is accused of masterminding.
The episode was rated 7.30 from 10 votes.
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.
The episode was rated 7.31 from 16 votes.
Examining the rise of severe black lung disease among coal miners, and the failure to respond. An investigation with NPR reveals the biggest disease clusters ever documented, and how industry and government failed to protect miners. Also in this two-hour report: A report from Yemen. Correspondent Safa Al Ahmad reports from inside Yemen, investigating the escalation of the U.S. fight against Al Qaeda and its impact on civilians. She travels to the front lines, visiting the sites of Special Forces raids and a deadly drone strike to shed light on how the U.S. counter-terrorism strategy is playing out on the ground.
The episode was rated 7.31 from 16 votes.
One year after the murder of columnist Jamal Khashoggi, a two-hour FRONTLINE documentary investigates the rise and rule of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman of Saudi Arabia (MBS). Correspondent Martin Smith, who has covered the Middle East for FRONTLINE for 20 years, examines the crown prince’s vision for the future, his handling of dissent, his relationship with the United States — and his ties to Khashoggi’s killing.
The episode was rated 7.57 from 14 votes.
A report on a pediatrician accused of sexually abusing Native American boys for years. An investigation with The Wall Street Journal into the decades-long failure to stop a government doctor who moved from reservation to reservation despite warnings.
The episode was rated 7.62 from 13 votes.
FRONTLINE investigates how President Trump turned immigration into a powerful political weapon that fueled division and violence. The documentary goes inside the efforts of three political insurgents to tap into populist anger, transform the Republican Party and crack down on immigration.
The episode was rated 7.75 from 12 votes.
An investigation explores both sides of the abortion debate through the stories of women struggling with unplanned pregnancies.
The episode was rated 7.82 from 11 votes.
Thousands of New Yorkers with severe mental illnesses won the chance to live independently in supported housing, following a 2014 federal court order. FRONTLINE and ProPublica investigate what’s happened to people moved from adult homes into apartments and find more than two dozen cases in which the system failed, sometimes with deadly consequences.
The episode was rated 7.92 from 12 votes.
For two years, special counsel Robert Mueller’s probe into Russian meddling in the 2016 election has dominated headlines. Drawing from interviews with U.S. officials, Trump advisers, legal experts and journalists, FRONTLINE offers an inside look into the investigation that President Donald Trump has continually deemed a “witch hunt.”
The episode was rated 8.29 from 24 votes.
