By Amanda Lenox
Features Editor
The first few Sundays after the Super Bowl are always the hardest for football fans. However, Netflix has some football themed shows to help fill up your time while you wait for the next season to start.
One show I highly recommend is the drama series Friday Night Lights. The show focuses on head coach Eric Taylor (played by Kyle Chandler) as he helps lead the high school football team, the Dillon Panthers, to the Texas State Championship. Viewers might forget they aren’t watching a real football game. You wait in anxiety to see if the team makes the play and cheer in excitement for a touchdown. With an ensemble cast, the show also looks at the individual players as their lives are woven together both on and off the field. The sweet yet insecure Matt Saracen (Zach Gilford) struggles with balancing being the starting quarterback and trying to date the coach’s daughter (Aimee Teegarden). Fullback Tim Riggins (Taylor Kitsch) is the bad-boy character who tries to prove he is more than a stereotype. Throughout the series, the players deal with issues including steroid use and college recruitment.
Friday Night Lights is a critically acclaimed series with two Primetime Emmy wins, including Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series (Kyle Chandler) and Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series. It has 76 episodes within five seasons available on Netflix. The second season is the only lackluster season because of its multiple dull storylines. Recommended episodes include: “Mud Bowl” in Season 1, “There Goes the Neighborhood” in Season 2, “The Son” in Season 4 and “Always” in Season 5.
One of the best parts of football is the way it can bring together a community, whether you are tailgating at a stadium or watching the game with family and friends. Friday Night Lights will remind you of that feeling and will prepare you for the next football season. I give Friday Night Lights a 4.5/5 rating.
Another football-themed show to watch is the comedy series The League. The show follows friends, Pete Eckhart (played by Mark Duplass), Rodney Ruxin (Nick Kroll), Andre Nowzick (Paul Scheer) and Kevin MacArthur (Stephen Rannazzisi). Also, Kevin’s brother, Taco (Jon Lajoie) and wife, Jenny (Katie Aselton) as they all play each other in their fantasy football league. The show has a raunchy style of comedy as the friends argue over things like draft picks and trades. The series is also abundant with notable NFL guest stars, including San Diego Chargers player Antonio Gates in Season 1 episode “Mr. McGibblets.” There are currently 45 episodes within four seasons available on Netflix. Recommended episodes include: “The Shiva Bowl” in Season 1 and “The Marathon” in Season 2. I give The League a 3.5/5 rating.