The 11 best football movies and TV shows on Netflix to get you through the off-season
- - The 11 best football movies and TV shows on Netflix to get you through the off-season
Megan Vick, Ilana GordonFebruary 11, 2026 at 10:00 PM
0
Dior Walker Scott in 'Last Chance U'; Patrick Mahomes in 'Quarterback'; Darin Brooks as Alex Moran on 'Blue Mountain State'
Netflix (2); Lionsgate TV/Courtesy Everett
Huddle up, team. Now that the Super Bowl is behind us, it’s time to accept reality and map out a game plan for what to do with our free weekends. Netflix is here to help us through the off-season with a curated list of the best football-centered comedies, docuseries, and dramas the platform has to offer. Learn the history of the game, follow some of your favorite college and professional players, and remind yourself why you fell in love with football to begin with.
Keep reading for EW’s list of the 11 best football shows and movies on Netflix.
01 of 11
All American (2018–present)
Daniel Ezra as Spencer James on 'All-American' Troy Harvey/The CW
This CW football drama, inspired by real-life New York Giants linebacker Spencer Paysinger, stars Daniel Ezra as Spencer James, a talented wide receiver at South Crenshaw High who is hand-picked to play for Billy Baker (Taye Diggs) on a Beverly Hills football team. Spencer's culture shock initially drives All American, but the series soon expands to a 360-degree view of life on and off the field, including college recruitment, the NFL draft, and what it's like to be a Black youth in America.
As EW’s critic writes, “All American is an interesting mix of the California-as-utopia teen drama — golden sunlight glinting off the Pacific, so many shirtless boys! — and a more nuanced exploration of the intersection between race and class.” Season 8 starts Feb. 3, so catch up now! —Megan Vick
Where to watch All American: Netflix
EW grade: B
Cast: Daniel Ezra, Taye Diggs, Samantha Logan, Michael Evans Behling, Greta Onieogou
02 of 11
Audible (2021)
Amaree McKenstry-Hall in 'Audible'
Courtesy of Netflix
This Oscar-nominated documentary short is only 39 minutes long, but it packs a hell of a punch. The football team at Maryland School for the Deaf is riding high in many ways. They’re on a hot streak with more wins on the horizon, but throughout it all, senior player Amaree McKenstry-Hall must also cope with a dear friend’s recent suicide.
Lauded for representing deaf students playing a contact sport, Audible also highlights the full spectrum of their lived-in experiences rather than just focusing on the facts of their disability. It's an empowering film that deftly balances grief and hope. —M.V.
Where to watch Audible: Netflix
Director: Matthew Ogens
Cast: Amaree Mckenstry-Hall
03 of 11
Blue Mountain State (2010–2011)
Darin Brooks as Alex Moran on 'Blue Mountain State'
Lionsgate TV/Courtesy Everett
If you’re looking for the direct inverse of the Friday Night Lights viewing experience, consider checking out Blue Mountain State. A sitcom about three college freshmen who join the football team as the second-string quarterback, running back, and mascot, respectively, Blue Mountain State spends three seasons detailing the team’s misadventures with their coach, women, and binge drinking.
Blue Mountain State premiered on Spike TV in 2010 and is clearly intended for a young, male audience whose comedic sensibility skews more American Pie than American Beauty. But the show features a standout performance from a young Alan Ritchson as Thadd Castle, the athletically gifted and socially stunted team captain, and fans of his Reacher performance will enjoy seeing the actor revel in his first major role. —Ilana Gordon
Where to watch Blue Mountain State: Netflix
Cast: Darin Brooks, Alan Ritchson, Page Kennedy, Sam Jones III, Chris Romano
04 of 11
Coach Snoop (2018)
Snoop Dogg in 'Coach Snoop'
Netflix/AOL/Everett
Snoop Dogg demonstrated his sports prowess with his epic 2024 Summer Olympics commentary and will serve as an honorary coach for Team USA at the 2026 Winter Olympics, but Coach Snoop proves the West Coast rapper’s prior investment in athletics. This docuseries takes viewers inside the Snoop Youth Football League that he founded in California to help keep kids off the streets and focused on their goals. It centers on a specific team, Snoop's Stealers, while also exploring the ins and outs of the wider league.
Coach Snoop not only introduces you to kids who will win over your heart but also showcases a more serious, sincere side of the artist than we’re used to seeing. —M.V.
Where to watch Coach Snoop: Netflix
Cast: Snoop Dogg
05 of 11
Colin in Black & White (2021)
Mary Louise Parker as Teresa Kaepernick, Nick Offerman as Rick Kaepernick, and Jaden Michael as Colin Kaepernick in 'Colin in Black & White' Netflix
After falling out with the NFL in 2017, civil rights activist and quarterback Colin Kaepernick teamed up with Ava DuVernay to tell his story on Netflix. The limited drama series traces the events that led Kaepernick to play professional football and later stand up for racial justice and equality.
As executive producer, Kaepernick also narrates each episode while Jaden Michael plays his younger self and Nick Offerman and Mary Louise Parker portray his adoptive parents. The result is an "ultimately edifying portrayal of the young athlete's coming of age as a biracial boy growing up in a predominantly white world," according to EW's critic. —M.V.
Where to watch Colin in Black & White: Netflix
EW grade: B
Cast: Colin Kaepernick, Jaden Michael, Nick Offerman, Mary Louise Parker
06 of 11
Last Chance U (2016–2020)
Dior Walker Scott in 'Last Chance U'
Netflix
The "stunningly well-made" Last Chance U is one of the most underrated docuseries on Netflix. But rather than exploring a viral true crime, this gem follows troubled junior college football players looking at their shot to play Division I and secure a brighter future.
“Last Chance U is nonfiction, but like a lot of the most addictive sports documentaries, it feels ‘cinematic’ in the old-fashioned sense, luscious music, you-are-everywhere camerawork,” writes EW’s critic in their A-rated review. “It’s ludicrously involving. But don’t call it escapism. Last Chance U is brutally honest about its young players’ prospects.” —M.V.
Where to watch Last Chance U: Netflix
EW grade: A
Cast: Ron Ollie, Brittany Wagner, Buddy Stephens, John III Franklin, John Beam
07 of 11
Quarterback (2023–present)
Patrick Mahomes in 'Quarterback'
Courtesy of Netflix
Quarterback is the first official partnership between Netflix and the NFL. Produced by former Colts QB Peyton Manning, this docuseries follows current Chiefs team captain Patrick Mahomes, then-Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins, and former Atlanta Falcons quarterback Marcus Mariota in its first season. Season 2 featured Bengals QB Joe Burrow, Lions quarterback Jared Goff, and the return of Cousins.
All these pros were mic'd during their games, giving the viewers unprecedented access to how these star athletes function on the field and on the sidelines. The series also peers into the players’ personal lives, showing intimate moments at home with loved ones and interviews about balancing football with family. —M.V.
Where to watch Quarterback: Netflix
Cast: Patrick Mahomes, Kirk Cousins, Marcus Mariota, Joe Burrow, Jared Goff
08 of 11
Receiver (2024–present)
Deebo Samuel in 'Receiver'
Courtesy of Netflix
From the team behind Quarterback, Receiver follows four wide receivers — Davante Adams for the Las Vegas Raiders; Justin Jefferson for the Minnesota Vikings; Deebo Samuel for the San Francisco 49ers; and Amon-Ra St. Brown for the Detroit Lions — and 49ers tight end George Kittle during the 2023 NFL season. It gives you the same unprecedented access to these players as the flagship series, except now you're on the field with the players most likely to run the ball into the end zone. If you loved the behind-the-scenes intel and raw material of Quarterback, then Receiver will scratch that same itch. —M.V.
Where to watch Receiver: Netflix
Cast: Davante Adams, Justin Jefferson, Deebo Samuel, Amon-Ra St. Brown, George Kittle
09 of 11
SEC Football: Any Given Saturday (2025–present)
Brian Kelly on 'SEC Football: Any Given Saturday'
Netflix
In the Southeastern Conference (SEC), college football is life. In SEC: Any Given Saturday, the cameras journey into the locker rooms to capture the madness from the perspective of the game’s coaches and players. Shot during the 2024 school year, the seven-episode first season features stories like the University of Florida’s quarterback struggle, Vanderbilt’s massive upset over Alabama, and other college football highlights. SEC fans will come away with a new appreciation for the depth of talent and interesting personalities that populate their conference, and casual football viewers will learn why the SEC is one of college football’s most feared divisions. —I.G.
Where to watch SEC Football: Any Given Saturday: Netflix
Director: Collin Orcutt
10 of 11
Untold: Johnny Football (2023)
Johnny Manziel in 'Untold: Johnny Football'
Courtesy of Netflix
Johnny Manziel became the first college freshman to ever win the Heisman trophy in 2012. The Texas A&M quarterback held on to that shine all the way to the 2014 NFL draft, where he was expected to be a top 10 pick, but when team after team passed him up, the attention turned sour when he landed at No. 22.
The "Johnny Football" episode of Netflix's sports docuseries Untold tells the story of Manziel's headline-making fall from grace and the many scandals that came before and after his disappointing draft, from $5 million benders to a litany of legal issues. It's a trainwreck you can't take your eyes off, featuring first-hand interviews with “Johnny Football” himself. —M.V.
Where to watch Untold: Johnny Football: Netflix
Director: Ryan Duffy
Cast: Johnny Manziel
11 of 11
We Are: The Brooklyn Saints (2021)
9U team in 'We Are: The Brooklyn Saints'
Courtesy of Netflix
Netflix knows how to pull the heartstrings with a well-produced sports docuseries. We Are: The Brooklyn Saints heads to the East Coast to follow a New York youth football team and their dedicated coaches. It is only four episodes, but it'll remind you why football is America's favorite sport with these kids’ high hopes and the even higher stakes.
Similar to Coach Snoop and Last Chance U, many of the young players in Brooklyn Saints haven't had it easy, but they've found a sense of belonging and purpose on their football team. All of those emotions are expertly captured here through authentic moments on each step towards their potential victory at the National Championships in Florida. —M.V.
Where to watch We Are: The Brooklyn Saints: Netflix
Director: Rudy Valdez
on Entertainment Weekly
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
