Ambient TV Is Bringing New Meaning to the Phrase ‘Netflix and Chill’

Bowing this week on Disney+ is Earth Moods, a new five-episode series produced by National Geographic that transports viewers on a wordless journey to the most calming corners of the world — think deserts, tropical forests, and glaciers. It's the latest in a small genre of ambient TV shows that pair captivating visuals with natural sound, music or relaxing narration. One step removed from the traditional nature documentary, ambient TV draws viewers in with the promise of calming our frayed nerves — and more often than not, it delivers.

With Earth Moods drawing new eyes to the genre, we took a deep-dive into each of the major streaming services in search of more ambient (and ambient-adjacent) programming. Here's what we found:

Disney+

Disney+ has experimented in the past with ambient offerings, including the Disney Parks Sunrise Series, and the animated Arendelle Castle Yule Log and Dory’s Reef Cam, but Earth Moods is the most ambitious of the bunch — no narration, no words, just good vibes from planet Earth. While this is a National Geographic production, it's worth noting that not every nature documentary (of which there are plenty on Disney+) is the right choice when you're looking to relax, as many are violent and/or deal with existential threats including climate change and extinction. Still, there are some fairly chill nature docs under the Nat Geo banner on Disney+, including Planet of the Birds, a global tour of the bird world and Giants of the Deep Blue, which goes underwater with the whales and dolphins, another classic environment for ambient entertainment.

Hulu

The shelves are fairly bare on Hulu when it comes to ambient content, but like its corporate cousin Disney+, the service does have a few National Geographic productions that at least approach an ambient mood. There's the Jennifer Lawrence-narrated A Beautiful Planet, which was produced for IMAX in conjunction with NASA and includes some breathtaking views of Earth from space. There's also the 34-minute Into the Deep, another IMAX production exploring the undersea world off of the California coast.

Netflix

The biggest obstacle for Netflix being a go-to destination for ambient programming is that it cycles through its catalog content at such a rapid clip, adding and dropping titles constantly. Back in December, its collection of Yule Log-adjacent fireplace programming was hopping, but not today. There are still a few soothing options available however, including Moving Art, featuring three seasons of episodes focusing on the serene beauty of the natural world, including breathtaking looks at waterfalls, deserts, and the Galapagos. There's also the eight-episode 2019 nature documentary Our Planet, narrated by the great David Attenborough.

HBO Max

While HBO Max boasts a massive film library, ambient titles appear to be absent. One adjacent project does stand out, however: The Moon's Spell on the Great Barrier Reef, a 55-minute documentary about Australia's massive coral reef teeming with life. The photography on this one is absolutely breathtaking, and it's guaranteed to help you bliss out for a bit.

Amazon Prime

It may not be the trophy they're angling for, but when it comes to pure ambience, Amazon is absolutely crushing the competition. And it comes in so many varieties. There's the Relaxing Beach Campfire if you feel like cozying up to a crackling fire. There's Relaxing Water, a no-narration, hour-long exploration of waterfalls, beaches, rivers, and islands around the world. Relaxing Nature Sounds: Thunder and Rain is exactly what it sounds like; as is Gentle Tropical Rainstorm, a nine-hour ambient movie that delivers on its promise and then some. Journey Through the Stars runs a comparatively brisk 52 minutes, though it plays out at a very deliberate pace, wordlessly guiding its audience on a tour through space with the express purpose of relaxing the body. Our personal favorite, though, is Divine Beaches, which eschews both narration and music in favor of the natural sounds of various beaches around the world. It's an incredible balm for anyone who's been cooped up all year, unable to enjoy the calming pleasures of the ocean waves lapping up on a beach — a complete audio-visual experience that represents the best of what's available from the streaming world's best ambient platform.

Joe Reid is the senior writer at Primetimer and co-host of the This Had Oscar Buzz podcast. His work has appeared in Decider, NPR, HuffPost, The Atlantic, Slate, Polygon, Vanity Fair, Vulture, The A.V. Club and more.