For most of the country, Super Bowl Sunday is a can’t-miss event. For everyone else, it’s just another day. But non-sports fans don’t need the excuse of a Super Bowl to get together with friends to binge-watch some shows. Even people who would rather be alone can find plenty of things to watch, especially if they subscribe to Netflix.
If you’re looking for some Super Bowl counterprogramming this year, you’re in luck: We’ve already picked out the five best Netflix shows to watch instead of the Super Bowl. Unlike some of the heavier fare on Netflix, these are the feel-good comfort food shows suitable for almost every occasion. And they’re also fun to watch.
Need more Super Bowl 2024 recommendations? Check out who is performing in the Super Bowl halftime show, how to watch the Super Bowl for free, and 3 great sports documentaries to watch.
Obliterated (2023)
Obliterated is a fitting choice for this year’s Super Bowl counterprogramming because both the show and the event take place in Las Vegas. But what happens in Vegas is kind of the problem in this action comedy. CIA officer Ava Winters (Shelley Hennig), Navy SEAL Chad McKnight (Nick Zano), and their team thought that they had saved Las Vegas from a major terrorist threat that could have destroyed the city. That’s why they all got blitzed out of their minds while celebrating their win.
Unfortunately, the team’s debauchery was a bit premature. The previous threat was just a distraction from the real terrorist plan. Now, most of the team is either so drunk or high that they can’t properly function, much less save the day. But if they don’t sober up fast, there won’t be a Las Vegas left to save.
Watch Obliterated on Netflix.
Cobra Kai (2018-Present)
“Cobra Kai never dies!” The Karate Kid‘s sequel series, Cobra Kai, has taken Netflix by storm, and it’s an ideal programming alternative for the Super Bowl for either solo viewing or a party. Ralph Macchio and William Zabka reprise their roles as Daniel LaRusso and Johnny Lawrence more than three decades after their showdown at the All-Valley Karate Tournament. Daniel got almost everything he wanted, while Johnny’s luck ran out in high school.
After defending his young neighbor, Miguel Diaz (Blue Beetle‘s Xolo Maridueña), in a fight, Johnny is inspired to reopen the Cobra Kai dojo to give himself a new purpose in life. This reignites his feud with Daniel as their lives become intertwined again. Daniel even starts training Johnny’s estranged son, Robby Keene (Tanner Buchanan), while Miguel finds romance with Daniel’s daughter, Samantha LaRusso (Mary Mouser). As tensions rise throughout the valley, the fists will inevitably fly.
Watch Cobra Kai on Netflix.
Arcane (2021-Present)
Imagine if Pixar produced a PG-13 animated series, and you might get something close to Arcane. Although the show is based on the League of Legends video games, you don’t need any familiarity with that franchise to enjoy this series. The show explains everything you need to know about the glistening paradise of Piltover, which rules over its rundown companion city, Zaun, in a sci-fi fantasy setting where impossible technology exists alongside magic.
Violet (Hailee Steinfeld) and her sister, Powder (Ella Purnell), are scrappy orphans living in Zaun with their adoptive siblings. After a disastrous attempt to steal from Piltover, Violet and Powder are pursued back to Zaun. And as a tragedy unfolds, the two sisters are separated for years. The next time that Violet sees Powder, her younger sister has renamed herself Jinx, and she’s become one of the most dangerous women in Zaun. Violet and Jinx’s chaotic reunion isn’t everything they hoped for, and it may bring Piltover and Zaun to the brink of war.
Watch Arcane on Netflix.
Monk (2002-2009)
Monk is a recent addition to the best shows on Netflix, and its episodic format makes it ideal for Super Bowl counterprogramming. Almost every episode of Monk is self-contained, and you’ll get enough mystery, comedy, and drama to keep you coming back for more. Tony Shalhoub is absolutely hilarious as Adrian Monk, an incredibly gifted detective who is ruled by his fears and his OCD, which killed Monk’s promising career with the San Francisco Police Department.
But thanks to his assistant, Sharona Fleming (Bitty Schram), and her replacement, Natalie Teeger (Traylor Howard), Monk can function just well enough to take on some new cases on behalf of the SFPD. But the funniest moments in the show come with Monk’s eccentricities take over, much to the exasperation of everyone around him.
Watch Monk on Netflix.
Seinfeld (1989-1998)
Seinfeld may not have had a new episode in over 25 years, but it’s still among the greatest sitcoms ever made and easily one of Netflix’s most popular comedies. It’s not just good counterprogramming for the Super Bowl. Seinfeld episodes are suitable for every occasion, from watching it alone to binge parties.
Jerry Seinfeld stars as an exaggerated version of himself as he gets into misadventures and misunderstandings with his friends, George Costanza (Jason Alexander), Elaine Benes (Julia Louis-Dreyfus), and Kramer (Michael Richards). That quartet of performers played off each other so seamlessly that Seinfeld‘s comedy has become timeless. Thanks to this show, the most ridiculous parts of the ’90s will live on forever.
Watch Seinfeld on Netflix.
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