The following article contains discussions of depression, death, chronic illness, and near-death experiences.

In the quest for documentaries like Survivng Death, viewers are likely looking for a series that will explore the mysteries of life, existence, and how exactly people fit into this place known as planet Earth. The existential Netflix docuseries Surviving Death has remained a morbid curiosity among the most rabid viewers of the streaming service. Directed by Ricki Stern, the six-part series joins a long line of nonfiction films and TV shows exploring death, the afterlife, and what possibly lies ahead in the next life, if anything. While the themes can be a bit heavy and anxiety-inducing at times, the series also offers unexpected glimpses of hope and optimism.

Viewers may later want more eye-opening documentaries on similar subjects, and therefore are seeking out documentaries like Surviving Death. There are countless other documentaries on Netflix that delve into morbid topics like death either focusing on one case of someone fading away or zeroing into topics like end-of-life care. Existentialism isn't all morbidity, though, as the subject of life in existentialism is just as important as death. Some documentaries are existential, deal with morbid topics, and challenge the viewer's thinking, while others are on the lighter side of existentialism and explore how the existence of humanity fits into the larger world.

A Trip to Infinity (2022)

Documentaries like Surviving Death have a larger scope that explores how phenomena have an impact on humanity as a whole. A Trip to Infinity is the perfect choice for those looking to see how mathematical concepts like infinity have an effect on humanity and the universe. The Jonathan Halperin and Drew Takahashi feature-length directorial debut sees mathematicians, cosmologists, and philosophers band together in this part-animated part-live-interviews to take on the elusive topic of "the infinite" and its mind-bending implications for humanity. Audiences who enjoyed Surviving Death's mechanisms for tackling complex subjects like the beyond will assuredly find something to enjoy in A Trip to Infinity.

Black Holes: The Edge Of All We Know (2020)

One of the biggest elements of Surviving Death is its probing analysis into the limits of what humanity understands about the universe. In this way, Black Holes: The Edge of All We Know, is one of the best documentaries like Surviving Death that Netflix has to offer, as well as one of the best space documentaries on Netflix. The Edge of All We Know centers its story around the Event Horizon Telescope linking observatories and capturing the very first picture of what appears to be a black hole back in 2019. Like Surviving Death, the documentary seeks to explore one of the most mysterious topics of the known universe.

Ram Dass, Going Home (2017)

The biggest subject that's discussed in Surviving Death is the second word of the title. Therefore, the best documentaries like Surviving Death should, in the very least, touch on this subject. Enter Ram Dass, Going Home, a personal portrait of author, researcher, and spiritual teacher Ram Dass during his final days. Using a mixture of archival footage and face-to-face interviews, Ram Dass reflects on a rich life full of love as he digs deep and discusses his own experiences with love, life, and death through his own spiritual lens. While it doesn't delve into psychic mediumship like Surviving Death, it does explore the docuseries' pinnacle subject: life after death.

Have A Good Trip, Adventures in Psychedelics (2020)

Many have claimed to have enlightening spiritual experiences as they reflect on life and death with the use of psychedelics, making the documentary Have a Good Trip, Adventures in Psychedelics one of the best documentaries like Surviving Death and one of the most eccentric documentaries on Netflix. Have a Good Trip uses a blend of interviews, reenactments, and animations to tell separate stories of celebrities who've had nominal experiences while using psychedelics. The impressive cast includes names like Nick Offerman, Adam Scott, Carrie Fisher, and more as they discuss their own personal tales with psychedelics and how these trips have expanded their consciousness.

The Mind Explained (2019)

The human mind is a daunting and complex subject that Surviving Death tackles through exploration into belief and parapsychology. The Mind Explained is one of the best documentaries like Surviving Death because it zeroes in on these topics and more in bite-sized episodes. Narrated by Emma Stone, the docuseries features five installments during which scientists discuss subjects related to the human mind like anxiety, memory, psychedelics, dreams, and mindfulness. Much like Surviving Death, The Mind Explained looks at the more elusive constructs of the human brain rather than concrete subjects like anatomy and physiology.

Ancient Apocalypse (2022)

Arguably, the ultimate subject of Surviving Death is that of, well, death. Ancient Apocalypse broadens that topic from a personal one to a community one, making it one of the best documentaries like Surviving Death. In the docuseries, journalist Graham Hancock travels to several ancient civilizations that have experienced their own personal apocalypse like Sodom and Gomorrah, the Mayans, the Minoans, and more as he treats audiences with some alternate theories as to how these societies met their end. Like the series Ancient Aliens, what's depicted in Ancient Apocalypse should be taken with a grain of salt, but like Surviving Death uses the end of life as its primary subject.

Coded Bias (2020)

AI and its implications for humanity and the future is a hot-button topic at the moment, and Coded Bias surveys its impact on minorities. The topic of AI and life after death are uniquely intertwined as scientists seek to see a future in which human beings can be augmented themselves with AI technology. In one of the best documentaries like Surviving Death, MIT researcher Joy Buolamwini discovered that many facial recognition technology programs didn't recognize her face unless she was wearing a white mask. Coded Bias uncovers the bias that can be programmed into AI technology and what that could mean for the future and people of color.

The Social Dilemma (2020)

Surviving Death is highly psychological in nature, which is why The Social Dilemma is one of the best documentaries like Surviving Death. Just as important as death is life itself, and the lives of the public have been forever changed by the advent of social media. Using interviews with former employees of social media companies and academic researchers, The Social Dilemma primarily chronicles the negative effects that social media has had on humanity and its dangerous ability to manipulate emotion, belief, and behavior all while spreading false information. Like Surviving Death, The Social Dilemma has a humanity-forward scope and uses research to display its findings.

Haunted (2018)

Surviving Death episodes "Signs from the Dead" and "Seeing Dead People" reinforce the titular subject of life after death, and Haunted is one of the best documentaries like Surviving Death in that it takes these themes to the extreme. The reality docuseries is now three seasons strong and saw a popular spinoff in Haunted Latin America. Using face-to-face interviews and dramatic reenactments, Haunted focuses each episode on a person or persons who have experienced a supernatural haunting in their lives. While some of these venture into demonic territory, the bulk of the episodes sees ghosts interacting with the living.

The Future Of (2022)

One of the best documentaries like Surviving Death sees an entire installment dedicated to the subject of life after death, though framed through a technological lens. While The Future Of's primary focus is how technology is advancing to further impact humanity, episode 7, "Life After Death," tackles topics like holograms, human composting, voice cloning, and more as the series dissects how technology will change the way that humanity lives on after they've passed away. Like Surviving Death, The Future Of predominantly uses interviews to discuss this tricky topic and delves headfirst into the possibilities of the unknown.

Connected: The Hidden Science Of Everything (2020)

Journalist Latif Nasser tackles the ambitious subject of how humanity connects to one another and the universe as a whole in one of the best documentaries like Surviving Death, Connected: The Hidden Science of Everything. No topic is too small or too large for Connected and the 2020 docuseries uses interviews with subject-matter experts to dissect exactly how the human race fits into the bigger picture. Much like Surviving Death, Connected sought to explain complex and meta topics regarding existence and connection while tethering in humanity's unbreakable ties to the mundane.

How To Change Your Mind (2022)

Psychedelics and their mind-broadening effects are inextricable from topics like the afterlife and how humanity views life and death as a whole. While Surviving Death focuses solely on the many implications of the afterlife and the possibilities of how it could look while it interacts with the living, one of the best documentaries like Surviving Death, How to Change Your Mind, zeroes in on the history and effects of psychedelics on human consciousness. Each episode sees a different psychedelic, like LSD, Psilocybin, and MDMA, explored at length in terms of history, uses, and impact.

Our Universe (2022)

No topic is quite as vast as the universe itself, and Surviving Death finds its ties to the study of the universe with focuses like reincarnation and signs from the dead. It's in this way that Our Universe is one of the best documentaries like Surviving Death on Netflix. Narrated by Morgan Freeman, Our Universe explores the links of the cosmos to life and death on Earth using scientific research to back up its findings. Our Universe covers everything from the life-giving properties of the sun to the changing of the seasons to how water ended up on Earth.

My Octopus Teacher (2020)

The Academy Award-winning documentary My Octopus Teacher is one of the best existentialist documentaries like Surviving Death that Netflix has to offer, and is a highly inspirational documentary. While the subjects may not seem all that similar, My Octopus Teacher's underlying themes connect deeply with that of Surviving Death, as filmmaker Craig Foster forges a relationship with a South African octopus that teaches him about the fragility of life and humanity's connection to something deeper. The documentary follows Foster as he meets a curious young octopus in a South African kelp forest and the two experience a unique relationship over the course of a year.

Haunted Latin America (2021)

One of Netflix's most popular docuseries Haunted headed to Latin America for a spinoff show which turned out to be one of the best documentaries like Surviving Death. A big portion of Surviving Death has to do with the living encountering the dead and Haunted Latin America delivers on that aspect in a big way. Using interviews with those who have experienced contact with the dead and other hauntings to create terrifying reenactments, Haunted Latin America sees five separate tales of terror, with one even directly connecting to the events of a death at a subject's neighbor's penthouse.

End Game (2018)

Surviving Death seeks to explore life and death using parapsychology and the supernatural, End Game focuses on the medical side of end-of-life experiences. In one of the best documentaries like Surviving Death, a set of terminally ill patients meet with medical practitioners who are revolutionizing the way that people approach life and death. This short documentary is an easy binge, clocking in at about 40 minutes, but the subject matter itself is pretty heavy. Using real footage with practitioners like Dr. Pantilat, Dr. BJ Miller, and Dr. Elia, the doctors discuss palliative care with their patients and families while exploring the patients' relationship with their impending passing.

Extremis (2016)

Another end-of-life documentary on Netflix that doubles as one of the best documentaries like Surviving Death is Extremis. Similar in tone and theme to End Game, Extremis follows Dr. Jessica Zitter who works in the palliative care unit in the ICU at Highland Hospital in Oakland, California. Dr. Zitter uses her extensive experience to help patients and families make crucial end-of-life decisions while fighting with their own beliefs and preconceived notions about quality of life. Extremis, though short and understated, was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary Short and was the winner in the same category at the Tribeca Film Festival.

Hope Frozen: A Quest to Live Twice (2018)

The Thai documentary Hope Frozen: A Quest to Live Twice sees a couple whose toddler dies of brain cancer seek to have her cryogenically preserved. Hope Frozen is one of the best documentaries like Surviving Death on Netflix as it explores attitudes surrounding death and the possibility of life after passing. While Surviving Death dissects these possibilities through reincarnation and contact with ghosts and spirits, Hope Frozen looks at this through technological means as it chronicles a Thai couple's controversial decision to cryogenically freeze their two-year-old daughter's brain. It's a heartfelt venture into a personal story as the couple struggles to grieve their daughter and deal with inflammatory public opinion.

Life After Death With Tyler Henry (2022)

A good portion of Surviving Death focuses on psychic mediums and parapsychology, making Life After Death with Tyler Henry one of the best documentaries like Surviving Death and subsequently one of the best paranormal documentaries on Netflix. The docuseries follows famed clairvoyant medium Tyler Henry as he works through his extensive client waitlist. Henry seeks to assist his clients with finding closure in the death of a loved one while simultaneously exploring his own familial past and how that has influenced his relationship with death and life thereafter.

Dick Johnson Is Dead (2020)

Taking a more comedic approach to the great void is the documentary film Dick Johnson is Dead, one of the best documentaries like Surviving Death on Netflix. Filmmaker Kristen Johnson has an elderly father who suffers from dementia. In the documentary, Kristen and her father imagine a number of ways in which he could die, ranging from realistic to fantastical while setting up darkly comedic reenactments. In addition, Johnson has her father act out his funeral while the two fantasize about what it will be like when he reaches the gates of heaven. Like Surviving Death, Dick Johnson is Dead explores the possibility of an afterlife, but much more comedically.