5 best football shows you should watch ahead of the Super Bowl

The biggest football game of the year is nearly upon us: Super Bowl 2025 will see reigning champions the Kansas City Chiefs go helmet-to-helmet against the Philadelphia Eagles at the Caesars Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana on Sunday, Feb. 9.

And if the thought of that tense showdown between two of the NFL’s top teams — not to mention the spirited commercials and teasers that come with it — isn't enough to get you excited about next weekend's sports smackdown, you can get in the gridiron mood with these five great football-focused series, all readily available to watch on the best streaming services.

From beloved coming-of-age teen dramas to inspiring Netflix documentaries about real-life pro players, these top TV titles will make for a great pre-Super Bowl LIX kickoff. (And if you really want to go all in on the pigskin theme, check out our guide to the 7 best football movies on Disney Plus, Paramount Plus, Prime Video and more.)

'Ballers'

In real life, Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson is a professional wrestler who became one of the highest-paid movie stars in the world. But on "Ballers" — the sports dramedy created by Stephen Levinson, which aired for five seasons on HBO from June 2015 to October 2019 — he's Spencer Strasmore, a former NFL superstar turned financial manager for pro current players in sun-splashed Miami.

Joining Johnson — "who brings charm and depth to the NFL version of 'Entourage,"' reads the critical consensus on Rotten Tomatoes, which has the show's debut season at a healthy 81% approval rating — in the "Ballers" cast are actors Rob Corddry, John David Washington, Omar Miller and Donovan W. Carter. But football buffs will also no doubt recognize real-deal athletes like Jason Taylor, Terrell Suggs, Ndamukong Suh, Julian Edelman and Eddie George throughout the series' 47 episodes.
►Watch on Max

'Quarterback'

Made in partnership between Netflix and the National Football League, this eight-episode docuseries follows the journeys of three professional quarterbacks — Kansas City Chiefs' Patrick Mahomes, Minnesota Vikings' Kirk Cousins and former Atlanta Falcons QB Marcus Mariota — during the 2022-23 NFL season, marking the first time the league allowed such candid access into the personal lives, practices and pro games of its athletes.

The top-rated series initially only had a one-season order from the streamer but proved to be so successful in terms of critical response (it has an 89% rating on Rotten Tomatoes) and viewership data (it was among the top three original streaming shows in its opening week, per Nielsen) that Netflix released an equally great spinoff titled "Receiver," pivoting the focus to professional wide receivers.
►Watch on Netflix

'Friday Night Lights'

Clear eyes, full hearts, can't lose with this five-season football drama, which aired on NBC and later DirecTV's 101 Network from 2006 through 2011. Lead actor Kyle Chandler won a well-deserved Emmy Award for his memorable portrayal of Coach Eric Taylor, the head of a high school football team in the fictional town of Dillon, a close-knit community in rural West Texas.

Though it never was a ratings giant during its run, "Friday Night Lights" enjoyed critical acclaim and a devoted fanbase, thanks to its authentic depiction of small-town America and local football culture, with actors like Taylor Kitsch, Michael B. Jordan, Zach Gilford and Jesse Plemons portraying the team's talented teenage players. Tom Shales of The Washington Post praised the series as "extraordinary in just about every conceivable way — but especially in the quality of its cast." (If Peacock's "Friday Night Lights" reboot is half as good as the original, consider us sat.)
► Rent/buy on Amazon

'Last Chance U'

With millions of viewers weekly and a whole lot of money on the line, professional football is an unsurprisingly pressure-filled enterprise. But don't discount the drama that many players face before they even get the chance to go pro. Netflix's "Last Chance U" is a gritty, eight-part documentary series that offers a gut-wrenching, behind-the-scenes look at the world of college football, following the stories of elite athletes as they navigate family difficulties, academic struggles, economic hardships and run-ins with the law during their journeys to Division I schools.

Dubbed "a carefully crafted drama with personalities to care about" by Jason Kirk for SB Nation, the docuseries ran for five seasons and 38 episodes on Netflix from 2016 to 2020.
►Watch on Netflix

'All American'

Inspired by the life of professional American footballer Spencer Paysinger, The CW sports drama "All American" revolves around the culture clash that occurs when a rising high-school football star (played by Daniel Ezra) from South Los Angeles is recruited to play for the plush Beverly Hills High by the latter's coach, Billy Baker (Taye Diggs). Calesha "Bre-Z" Murray, Greta Onieogou, Samantha Logan, Michael Evans Behling, Cody Christian, Karimah Westbrook, Monet Mazur and Jalyn Hall round out the ensemble.

The first season holds a Rotten Tomatoes rating of 92% — "All American's ambitious attempts to tackle class struggles and classroom drama largely play thanks to its winning cast," reads the website's critical consensus — with the sophomore installment only going up in quality with a 100% rating. The seventh season of the long-running teen drama recently premiered on Wednesday, Jan. 29, so you have plenty to catch up on!
►Watch on Netflix

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