Frontline poster

TV series

Frontline

1983TV-MA45 seasons6.6 / 10

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.

Streaming, rental and purchase options

Where to watch in United States

Checked Jul 24, 2026

Frontline is available to stream on DirecTV On Demand in United States. You can also rent or buy it from Google Play, Amazon, and Apple TV. Use the direct links below to open the provider.

Availability and prices can change. Confirm the details on the streaming service before you subscribe, rent or buy.

Synopsis

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.

Season 23 episodes

Choose an episode, then use the watch options above for the show.

← Season 22

Episode 4

The Persuaders

FRONTLINE takes an in-depth look at the multibillion-dollar “persuasion industries” of advertising and public relations and how marketers have developed new ways of integrating their messages deeper into the fabric of our lives. Through sophisticated market research methods to better understand consumers and by turning to the little-understood techniques of public relations to make sure their messages come from sources we trust, marketers are crafting messages that resonate with an increasingly cynical public.

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Episode 5

Is Wal-Mart Good for America?

FRONTLINE offers two starkly contrasting images: one of empty storefronts in Circleville, Ohio, where the local TV manufacturing plant has closed down; the other--a sea of high rises in the South China boomtown of Shenzhen. The connection between American job losses and soaring Chinese exports? Wal-Mart. For Wal-Mart, China has become the cheapest, most reliable production platform in the world, the source of up to $25 billion in annual imports that help the company deliver everyday low prices to 100 million customers a week. But while some economists credit Wal-Mart's single-minded focus on low costs with helping contain U.S. inflation, others charge that the company is the main force driving the massive overseas shift to China in the production of American consumer goods, resulting in hundreds of thousands of lost jobs and a lower standard of living here at home. https://www.pbs.org/video/frontline-wal-mart-good-america/

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Episode 6

Secret History of the Credit Card

The surprising history and clever tactics of an industry few Americans fully understand.

Episode credits

Guest stars Ben Stein, Elizabeth Warren

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Episode 7

Al Qaeda's New Front

56m10.0 / 10

Al-Qaeda's New Front is PBS documentary on Islamic terrorist network in Europe and its relationship to Islam and Al-Qaeda.

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Episode 10

The Soldier's Heart

55m

The military teaches soldiers how to fight, how to kill, how to survive. But who teaches them how to live with themselves? Examining an underreported story of the Iraq war: the psychological cost of those who fight it.

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Episode 11

Israel's Next War?

9.0 / 10

A shocking documentary about the growing number of Jewish extremists in Israel.

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Episode 14

The New Asylums

54m

A report on the new reality for the mentally ill in America: Nearly 500,000 are serving time in U.S. jails and prisons. How did we get here, and are we doing anything to help them?

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Episode information updated Jul 25, 2026

More about Frontline

Cast

Jessica SavitchSelf - Host
Will LymanSelf - Narrator (voice)
Judy WoodruffSelf - Host
Reuven FrankHimself
Larry Storch
Roger StoneSelf (archive footage)
Jared KushnerSelf (archive footage)
Newt GingrichSelf

Credits

Created by
David Fanning
Written by
Neil Docherty, Ric Esther Bienstock, Michael Kirk, Mike Wiser, Rick Young

Production details

Status
Returning Series
Series type
Documentary
Episodes
854
Original language
English

Networks & production

  • PBSUnited States
  • GBHUnited States
  • FRONTLINEUnited States

Themes

investigative journalism