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Documentary

The Best Seasons of Independent Lens

Every season of Independent Lens ever, ranked from best to worst by thousands of votes from fans of the show. The best seasons of Independent Lens!

Binge this in Unknown•Peaking at 9.3/10

This acclaimed Emmy Award-winning anthology series features documentaries and a limited number of fiction films united by the creative freedom, artistic achievement and unflinching visions of their independent producers and featuring unforgettable stories about a

Airs on

#1

Season 7

29 Episodes

First Aired: Oct 2005

8.3/ 10

Average Rating

Best episodeE15 · Almost Home 9.2

#2

Season 8

27 Episodes

First Aired: Oct 2006

8.1/ 10

Average Rating

Best episodeE14 · Billy Strayhorn: Lush Life 9.3

#3

Season 16

19 Episodes

First Aired: Oct 2014

7.7/ 10

Average Rating

Best episodeE1 · Bully 8.8

Other Seasons

#4

Season 5

27 Episodes

First Aired: Oct 2003

7.7/ 10

Average Rating

Best episodeE16 · Jimmy Scott: If You Only Knew 8.2

#5

Season 23

15 Episodes

First Aired: Oct 2021

7.6/ 10

Average Rating

Best episodeE1 · Cured 8.0

#6

Season 17

21 Episodes

First Aired: Nov 2015

7.5/ 10

Average Rating

Best episodeE2 · India's Daughter 8.9

#7

Season 10

25 Episodes

First Aired: Oct 2008

7.5/ 10

Average Rating

Best episodeE1 · Chicago 10 8.1

#8

Season 18

20 Episodes

First Aired: Oct 2016

7.5/ 10

Average Rating

Best episodeE5 · What Was Ours 8.1

#9

Season 21

19 Episodes

First Aired: Oct 2019

7.4/ 10

Average Rating

Best episodeE16 · Rewind 8.3

#10

Season 22

14 Episodes

First Aired: Oct 2020

7.4/ 10

Average Rating

Best episodeE7 · 9to5: The Story of a Movement 8.3

#11

Season 27

15 Episodes

First Aired: Oct 2025

7.4/ 10

Average Rating

Best episodeE5 · The Librarians 8.6

#12

Season 24

16 Episodes

First Aired: Sep 2022

7.3/ 10

Average Rating

Best episodeE9 · Love in the Time of Fentanyl 8.8

#13

Season 11

26 Episodes

First Aired: Sep 2009

7.3/ 10

Average Rating

Best episodeE12 · Herskovits at the Heart of Blackness 7.9

#14

Season 15

21 Episodes

First Aired: Oct 2013

7.3/ 10

Average Rating

Best episodeE6 · Jiro Dreams of Sushi 8.8

#15

Season 26

19 Episodes

First Aired: Sep 2024

7.3/ 10

Average Rating

Best episodeE16 · Free For All: The Public Library 8.7

#16

Season 20

19 Episodes

First Aired: Oct 2018

7.3/ 10

Average Rating

Best episodeE11 · Hale County This Morning, This Evening 8.4

#17

Season 25

17 Episodes

First Aired: Sep 2023

7.2/ 10

Average Rating

Best episodeE7 · Beyond Utopia 8.6

#18

Season 14

20 Episodes

First Aired: Oct 2012

7.1/ 10

Average Rating

Best episodeE6 · Park Avenue: Money, Power & the American Dream 8.3

#19

Season 12

25 Episodes

First Aired: Oct 2010

7.1/ 10

Average Rating

Best episodeE3 · Reel Injun: On the Trail of the Hollywood Indian 8.4

#20

Season 19

20 Episodes

First Aired: Nov 2017

7.0/ 10

Average Rating

Best episodeE18 · No Man's Land 7.8

#21

Season 13

27 Episodes

First Aired: Oct 2011

6.9/ 10

Average Rating

Best episodeE26 · We Were Here 8.5

#22

Season 9

26 Episodes

First Aired: Oct 2007

6.8/ 10

Average Rating

Best episodeE24 · Writ Writer 7.6

#23

Season 6

26 Episodes

First Aired: Oct 2004

6.6/ 10

Average Rating

Best episodeE10 · A Touch of Greatness 8.5

#24

Season 1

8 Episodes

First Aired: Aug 1999

5.2/ 10

Average Rating

Best episodeE1 · Wannabe: Life and Death in a Small Town Gang 7.4

#25

Season 2

10 Episodes

First Aired: Oct 2000

N/A/ 10

Average Rating

#26

Season 3

10 Episodes

First Aired: Sep 2001

N/A/ 10

Average Rating

#27

Season 4

14 Episodes

First Aired: Feb 2003

N/A/ 10

Average Rating

#28

Season 28

2 Episodes

First Aired: Sep 2026

N/A/ 10

Average Rating