Inside the Marines: What Netflix’s New Documentary Reveals
Netflix storms into the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit with Marines, a four-part immersion in training, teamwork, and high-stakes operations filmed aboard amphibious warships and across the Pacific.
Netflix is still very much in its documentary era, and the newest drop is a four-part series simply called 'Marines'. It embeds with the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit in the Pacific and lets the cameras roll through training, deployments, and the day-to-day grind on amphibious warships. It is not glossy. It is loud, sweaty, and about as up-close as Netflix has gotten with an active U.S. military unit.
What the show actually covers
The 31st MEU is the so-called 'force in readiness' for the region, and the series follows young Marines and seasoned hands as they get pushed through brutal prep, execute complex drills, and ride out emotionally heavy missions. You see amphibious operations, shipboard drills, pilots and snipers at work, and the quieter stuff that keeps a unit functioning when the tempo never slows.
It was filmed aboard amphibious warships and across the Pacific, and that setting matters. The show leans into the logistics, the noise, the monotony, and the stakes of being a rapid-response force that has to be ready yesterday.
'Real Marines, real tasks, no actors.'
That is the pitch, and the series mostly treats it like a coming-of-age story for its subjects: not rah-rah, not cynical, just honest about the bonds and burdens that come with the job. If you like the guts-and-gears side of military life, there is plenty of that. If you just want human drama, there is that too.
Who made it
'Marines' is directed by Chelsea Yarnell and produced by Amblin Entertainment Documentaries and Lucky8 TV. The executive producers are Darryl Frank, Justin Falvey, Sebastian Junger, Kimberly Woodard, Greg Henry, Isaac Holub, and George Kralovansky, with Katie Goldstein and Arielle Kilker as co-executive producers.
Netflix flagged the series on its socials on November 10, 2025, the day it launched worldwide.
How to watch
It is streaming now on Netflix globally. Release date: November 10, 2025. You can find it with a quick search or under Netflix's 'Documentary Series' row. You do need a subscription: in the U.S., plans currently range from $7.99 per month for the Standard plan with ads to $24.99 for Premium with no ads.
Episodes
- Roughest, Toughest Bastards — 51 minutes
- Contested Waters — 52 minutes
- The Last Scout Sniper Platoon — 46 minutes
- The Few, The Proud — 43 minutes
Bottom line: four episodes, full access to the 31st MEU in the Pacific, and a surprisingly grounded tone. If that sounds like your lane, it is an easy binge.