Must-Watch 9/11 Films and Documentaries for the 25th Anniversary
Almost everyone can remember where they were on Sept. 11, 2001, when hijacked planes flew into the Twin Towers and the Pentagon.
For retired New York firefighter Bill Spade, he relives the nightmare every day, he says. After rescuing people inside the North Tower, it collapsed moments later, burying him and civilians in soot and debris. "I always tell people I went to counsel[ing] for four years, but it doesn't really leave you," Spade told USA Today. "By talking about it, I feel it's better than keeping it inside." Spade now gives talks at the 9/11 Memorial and Museum.
As of 2025, about 30 percent of U.S. residents were born after 2001, according to U.S. Census Bureau data, meaning a third of U.S. residents were not alive to witness the terrorist attacks that killed nearly 3,000 people. The tragedy has since been memorialized in classroom textbooks, anniversary broadcasts, museums and the stories told by survivors. As the 25th anniversary of 9/11 approaches, streaming platforms and cable networks have announced specials, films and documentaries dedicated to the recovery efforts made by emergency professionals, the bonds formed among strangers and the next generation impacted by the day.
Here is a list of new 9/11 documentaries, films and specials to watch ahead of the anniversary.
9/11 Reunited
Where: Hulu
When: Now streaming
As 9/11 Reunited examines the catastrophic attacks, it also hand-picks six stories around the life-changing connections made between rescuers and survivors. The three-part docuseries reunites a firefighter to the family of the officer he could not save. It connects the three men who used a squeegee to escape a stalled elevator. And it introduces the first responders who rescued a firefighter who spent 24 hours under the rubble. The National Geographic docuseries was directed by Julian Jones and created in collaboration with the 9/11 Memorial and Museum and production company 72 Films.
9/11: United We Stand - 25 Years Later
Where: ABC, streaming on Disney+ and Hulu the next day
When: Tuesday, Sept. 1 at 9 p.m. ET
This primetime special explores how Americans used sports, music, Broadway and comedy to find comfort and connection following the 9/11 attacks. The two-hour ABC special, led by Michael Strahan, features archival footage and interviews with New York Yankees legend Derek Jeter, music icon Jon Bon Jovi, comedian Billy Crystal and "The Tonight Show" host Jimmy Fallon, among others. United We Stand also features a conversation with comedian Pete Davidson, whose father, an FDNY firefighter, died as the North Tower collapsed, and "The Daily Show" host Jon Stewart, a longtime advocate for financial support for first responders and survivors.
Turning Point: Generation 9/11
Where: Netflix
When: Wednesday, Sept. 2
Turning Point: Generation 9/11 focuses on the generation that has no memory of the attacks but has inherited a nation forever changed by policy, technology and conflict. The documentary follows children who lost their parents as well as service members who dealt with the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan. Generation 9/11, directed by Brian Knappenberger, marks the latest installment in the Turning Point franchise, following Turning Point: 9/11 and the War on Terror, Turning Point: The Bomb and the Cold War and Turning Point: The Vietnam War.
Top of the World
Where: CNN, streaming on the CNN app the next day
When: Monday, Sept. 7 at 8 p.m. ET
The CNN documentary takes an inside look at Windows on the World, the high-rise restaurant that sat on the 106th and 107th floors of the North Tower. Top of the World features conversations with wine master Kevin Zraly, chef Michael Lomonaco, survivors, and includes archival recordings from Joe Baum, the restaurateur who developed the eatery. The documentary, directed by Katie Lee Biegel, also remembers the 79 employees who died during the attacks.
9/11 Reclaiming Ground Zero
Where: Prime Video
When: Sept. 11
After the smoke and rubble were cleared, New Yorkers asked themselves one question: What should be done with Ground Zero? 9/11 Reclaiming Ground Zero looks at the citywide initiative that gathered thousands of representatives of New York to decide on the future of the World Trade Center site. Josh Sabey directs the film, which examines survivors, victims' families, city leaders and others as they wrestled with redevelopment and remembrance.
9/11 Tribute in Light: Live From Lower Manhattan
Where: ABC, Disney+, Hulu, National Geographic
When: Friday, Sept. 11 at 8 p.m. ET
"Good Morning America" co-anchor Robin Roberts, anchor Diane Sawyer and "World News Tonight" anchor David Muir will host the ABC News live special commemorating the victims and celebrating the resilience of survivors, first responders and families. The special, in collaboration with the 9/11 Memorial and Museum, will end its broadcast with "Tribute in Light," the public art installation that illuminates the New York City skyline every year on Sept. 11. The broadcast will air after a one-hour edition of "Prime" from Ground Zero, anchored by Linsey Davis, Sade Baderinwa and Mike Marza.
102 Minutes Inside the Towers
Where: History Channel
When: Friday, Sept. 11 at 8 p.m. ET
In this Robin Roberts-helmed documentary, first responders and employees recount their harrowing experiences inside the towers and how they escaped. The 102-minute presentation spotlights window washers, bankers, building security staff and first responders, who share chilling firsthand accounts, some for the first time.
Daughters of 9/11
Where: CBS, Paramount+
When: Friday, Sept. 11 at 9 p.m. ET
Jessica Trant was 19 when her father, a bond salesman, died in the North Tower. Elizabeth Miller was 6 years old when her father, a firefighter, also died during the 9/11 attacks. Miller and Trant, in Daughters of 9/11, work with FBI agent Frank Pellegrino to identify Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, the man accused of orchestrating the attacks. The two-hour CBS special features an unreleased recording of Pellegrino's interrogation of Mohammed, in which he admits to masterminding the attacks: "I was responsible for the 9/11 operation from A to Z."
Robin Roberts Presents Angel in the Rubble: The Genelle Guzman Story
Where: Lifetime
When: Saturday, Sept. 12 at 8 p.m. ET
Genelle Guzman, a New York City transit employee, spent 27 hours buried under soot and debris following the North Tower's collapse. Guzman, the last survivor rescued from Ground Zero, is the subject of Robin Roberts' Lifetime film Angel in the Rubble. Comedian and talk show host Sherri Shepherd will portray Guzman, alongside actor Dondre Whitfield. The forthcoming Lifetime film is based on the survivor's memoir, Angel in the Rubble: The Miraculous Rescue of 9/11's Last Survivor.
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