Following the success of the first season and the numerous sports documentaries in its catalog, Netflix returns with the second season of Quarterback, the series designed to delve into the lives of NFL stars, giving us a glimpse into how these elite athletes live lives so different from our own, yet so close at times. Produced by Omaha Productions and 2PM Productions, along with NFL Films, this Netflix series is undoubtedly in good hands, with Hall of Fame quarterback Peyton Manning and the best of his generation, Patrick Mahomes, as owners of their respective companies. While the second season isn't the best sports documentary series you'll see this year, it brings us close enough to the world of American football to fully enjoy it.
The second season of Quarterback follows the same structural pattern as the previous one, following the seasons of three star NFL quarterbacks and presenting their triumphs and failures with a simplified narrative. While the first season featured Patrick Mahomes, Kirk Cousins, and Marcus Mariotta, the cast had to change this time, except for Cousins, who returns, but in a different context than before.
Stars: Kirk Cousins, Patrick Mahomes, Brittany Mahomes
Mahomes won another Super Bowl following his success in 2022, which was covered in the first season, while Mariotta's career plummeted, with two failed trades to the Eagles and then to the Commanders. While Mahomes returns as the series' executive producer, his story has already been told on screen, as there has been no change in his career trajectory so far. Kirk Cousins, however, returns, this time as a member of the Atlanta Falcons, after representing the Vikings the previous season.
It is clearly due to his trade from the Vikings to the Falcons in March 2024 that Cousins returns in front of the cameras, as the turnaround in his career is an interesting topic. The series introduces two exciting new faces (new to the series, not the league): Joe Burrow and Jared Goff. Joe Burrow has undoubtedly been one of the league's most exciting quarterbacks since his explosive 2021 season, not only for his brilliance on the field but also for his personality. He's very appealing in more ways than one, and the Netflix docuseries has capitalized on that admirably. We spend considerable time over the seven episodes getting to know Joe Burrow better, a fashionista who is also so relatable that he even planned to buy one of the ten Batmobile replicas from the Batman franchise.
The second new quarterback in the series is Jared Goff, the Detroit Lions quarterback who brilliantly redeemed his career after his Super Bowl loss and eventual trade from the LA Rams. While there are fewer stories to tell about Goff in terms of his off-field activities, his inclusion is particularly interesting in the realm of football. The second season covers the fantastic 11-game winning streak the Lions enjoyed in the 2024 season, though not as extensively as I would have liked. Goff's performances and his crucial role as the leader of his team's offense are highlighted fairly naturally, and some of the series' best moments emerge within this context. Burrow's efforts to prove his worth in the NFL and try to lead the Cincinnati Bengals back to the Super Bowl are interesting, but they fall short of Goff's sequences, simply due to the relative lack of wins. The Kirk Cousins segments are also intriguing, especially given the new environment he finds himself in and the veteran quarterback's constant need to prove he's still at his best.
The selection of the three quarterbacks seemed appropriate to me, as the series presents the stories of three players at three very different points in their professional careers. For Cousins, the fact that he could be kicked out of the demanding league if he doesn't perform at his best is quite evident in his segments, making us feel a little more compassion and support for him. The series also attempts to touch on the personal lives of the three athletes, taking into account both the positive and negative aspects. The devastating impact of the news of his home being broken into, during which jewelry and other valuables were stolen, was enough to dampen the positive attitude following Joe Burrow's hard-fought victory. Repeated injuries and the realization that he's losing the physical form he once had clearly plague Kirk Cousins' mind.
However, moments where the intensity of the on-field action or the whirlwind of off-field decisions are successfully conveyed to viewers are few and far between in this new season. A format like Quarterback already suffers from an inherent disadvantage, as it technically covers incidents from a sports season we've already seen and know the results of. However, to be interesting, these shows must have a certain spark and also provide enough undisclosed information to keep viewers hooked. Perhaps the first seasons of Prime Video's All or Nothing, or even Netflix's Drive to Survive, are the best examples of this format executed excellently.
Arguably, Quarterback doesn't suffer from the intentional misrepresentation of facts or over-dramatization of Netflix's F1 docuseries Drive to Survive, but it still feels a bit lacking in several ways by comparison. These productions are also more difficult, as the team is forced to create a narrative and a plot after the season ends, with no control over what will happen in terms of sports performances.
Quarterback's second season clearly struggles with content due to this format, being one episode shorter than the previous version, as none of the three quarterbacks make it past the Divisional Round of the playoffs. While the seven episodes they ultimately created may offer a fairly entertaining experience, I couldn't help but look for more charm. The production value is undoubtedly top-notch, with NFL Films, the organization that works directly with the league, as one of the producers. Overall, Quarterback's second season is worth a single viewing, but it's nothing worth remembering in the vast world of sports documentaries.
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