Talk about winning TV
Our favorite sports shows.
Ready, set, match. Or rather, ready, set, watch.
Netflix’s “GLOW” returned for a second season over the weekend, bringing us 10 more episodes of spandex-clad wrestling glory. The series, about female wrestlers in the 1980s, is one of the latest sports-themed TV shows that try to meld the drama on the field (or court or ring or anything else) with the drama off it. Not many have figured out just how to nail that tricky balance, but a few have.
In honor of the return of “GLOW,” we picked the 10 best sports TV shows of all time. Equipment not included.
10. ‘One Tree Hill’
Don’t knock the soapy teen drama before you try it. Sure, by the end of the series’ long run, “Hill” wasn’t so much about feuding basketball stars anymore, but still, in its early seasons, the drama on the court was just as crucial as teen marriages and Lucas Scott’s (Chad Michael Murray) love interests and was always a melodramatic good time.
9. ‘Ballers’
When in doubt, turn to The Rock. Dwayne Johnson takes breaks in between starring in every movie of the year to film HBO’s hit comedy about a football star turned sports manager, a high-testosterone mix of “Entourage” (without the baggage) and “Jerry Maguire.” Come for The Rock, stay for the sunny skies and inventive insults.
8. ‘GLOW’
Netflix’s fictionalized, behind-thescenes story of the “Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling” from the 1980s was a fun romp of a summer comedy in its first season but pile-drives into gear for a deeper, more rewarding second. Its deep bench of comedic talent, candycolored aesthetics and respect for wrestling make it a must-watch for wrestling nerds and newcomers alike.
7. ‘American Ninja Warrior’
The best exhibition of athleticism on TV other than watching an actual football or basketball game, NBC’s reality competition is a celebration of the human spirit. From its increasingly difficult obstacle courses to its inspirational contestants to the genuine awe and excitement of announcers Matt Iseman and Akbar Gbaja-Biamila, nothing on the series feels forced or inauthentic. If only all reality TV shows were this pure.
6. ‘Eastbound and Down’
Produced by Will Ferrell and Adam McKay and starring the reliable doltish comedic stylings of Danny McBride, this HBO series is not the one you want to watch if you want to see inspirational sports stories. The comedy follows a onetime professional baseball player who is forced to return home and be a substitute gym teacher, to less-than-successful effect.
5. ‘Coach’
With “Coach,” starring Craig T. Nelson, you get a two-for-one deal with sports jokes and ’90s sitcom tropes. On ABC from 1989 to 1997, it follows Coach Fox (Nelson) as he tries to whip the fictional Minnesota State University Screaming Eagles into shape. Often hilarious and heartwarming, it’s all the fun of sports without too much drama.
4. ‘The White Shadow’
Although on CBS only from 1978 to 1981, “The White Shadow” was a groundbreaking series at the time because it was one of the first network dramas to include a largely African-American cast. Like many classic sports films, “The White Shadow” dealt explicitly with the relationship between race and sports when a white coach (Ken Howard) starts coaching the basketball team at a racially diverse, underfunded city high school.
3. ESPN’s ‘30 for 30’
Although the best episode of this documentary series won an Oscar for best documentary (“O.J.: Made in America”), it’s still technically TV and one of the most illuminating nonfiction series on today. If you want the best of the best, try “O.J.” or “The Price of Gold,” a much better portrait of the Tonya Harding-Nancy Kerrigan saga than the fictionalized movie did last year.
2. ‘Sports Night’
Before he gave us “The West Wing,” Aaron Sorkin tried his hand at this short-lived series about a fictional sports talk show in the vein of “Sports Center.” Its cast (including Josh Charles, Peter Krause, Felicity Huffman, Joshua Malina and Robert Guillaume) spat Sorkin’s dialogue with ease and made this canceled-too-soon series a cult classic.
1. ‘Friday Night Lights’
There’s nothing better than spending time with the Taylors. The high school football show, inspired by the 2004 film, is the pinnacle of sports TV, a deft portrayal not just of what football means to a Texas town but of the people who make it up. The series had some of the strongest TV performances ever from Kyle Chandler and Connie Britton and was an incubator for talents like Taylor Kitsch, Jesse Plemons and Michael B. Jordan.