How to Watch Something Other Than the Super Bowl
Welcome to all the Super Bowl haters! You are safe here.
Looking for a way to stream the Super Bowl online? Mosey over to this piece for quality advice on how to watch the “big game.”
Okay, now that it’s just us, go ahead and give yourself a pat on the back. You feel like you’re better than the unwashed masses, and why wouldn’t you? Sports are boring, and there’s a range of reasons not to love the National Football League, from the NFL’s record on disability payments to team mascots disparaging Native Americans.
Who even cares if the Chiefs beat the Packers on Sunday? (The Packers aren’t in the Super Bowl. It’s actually the Eagles, but I’m all for obliviousness.) If there’s one thing this testosterone-fueled holiday gets right, it’s the snacks. So go ahead and grab a big bag of chips, a 57-layer cheese dip and a soda. Maybe even some of those little dresses! We’ve rounded up seven Super Bowl entertainment alternatives for your oh-so-sophisticated palate.
The last of us
“Video game adaptation” and “prestige TV” aren’t phrases often uttered in the same breath, but The Last of Us series is redefining expectations for the genre. It has it all: an adorably grumpy Pedro Pascal, an unruly teenager who likes to swear, a devastating third episode where Nick Offerman plays a weird survivalist. New episodes appear weekly on HBO Max.
iFixit Teardowns
Show me the gadget guts! The iFixit team is all about DIY repairs, but you’re missing out if you just go to their YouTube channel when your smartphone screen is cracked. Their gadget teardown videos reveal the everyday hardware hidden away. What’s really in the Meta Quest Pro or the Samsung Z Flip or the Steam Deck? I could watch this stuff for hours.
Free Solo
Got a Disney+ subscription so your kids could watch Moana or Turning Red? Take some time to dig into the service’s movie collection for gems like Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, Fantastic Mr. Fox, and Free Solo. A documentary not for those with a fear of heights, Free Solo follows climber Alex Honnold as he climbs Yosemite’s El Capitan without safety ropes.
M3GAN
If you’ve seen the TikTok memes and Saturday Night Live sketch but haven’t watched the M3GAN movie, do it. An experimental robot is tasked with protecting a vulnerable girl after the death of her parents. What could possibly go wrong! The movie is campy, offbeat, and now available to rent. Even as someone notorious for falling asleep on the couch, I can say that rolling credits on M3GAN was the easiest thing I’ve done all year.
The Button
Valentine’s Day is so, so creepy. Like seriously. Lean into the thick of it all with one of my favorite series on YouTube, a speed dating show from The Cut. Singles sit down at a nondescript table and talk to each other until a red button lights up between them. If either person chooses to press the button, their partner is instantly eliminated for someone else. Essentially, it’s MTV’s Next for the YouTube generation. No one really finds true love on The Button, but the awkwardness is strangely satisfying to watch.
Shrink
Still have an Apple TV Plus subscription after streaming the first season of Severance? The latest show on Apple’s service worth watching is Shrinking, a drama starring Jason Segel as a therapist who tries a more direct approach with clients as he processes grief. Created by Segel and two of the people behind Ted Lasso, the show has a warm heart underneath all the interpersonal issues.
Rupaul’s Drag Race
Often called the “Super Bowl of drag” by queer fans who haven’t watched a football game in over a decade, RuPaul’s Drag Race is the closest thing to a sport my household enjoys. Catch up on all the beautiful costumes and bitter fights by visiting the MTV website and logging in with credentials from your TV provider. (There’s a free one-day pass for cord-cutters down for a binge-watch.) If only I could place FanDuel bets on Sasha Colby taking away this season’s crown.
