For those looking to keep the sports thrills going between watching actual games and sports coverage, there is no shortage of sports shows to keep the athletic action going. Even those who aren’t particularly enamored with professional sports can get hooked by an expertly crafted series about the subject. And given the ubiquity of sports in popular culture, athletic-oriented stories can fit in virtually every major television genre. This includes documentary series uncovering the truth behind beloved sports or irreverent comedies using the competitive industry as a backdrop.

Simply put, sports series have been a television staple for decades and continue to entertain audiences at a steady clip. These range from shows covering virtually every major sport in the country, both at a professional and amateur level, with the stakes always seeming as high as ever. Good sports shows don’t even need to center on the athletes playing the game, but can include managers, commentators, and thoroughly invested fans. Here are the 15 best sports TV shows of all time, ranked and ripe for a revisit or first-time watch.

After bringing quirky, rural Canadian comedy to Hulu with his hit show “Letterkenny,” series creator Jared Keeso launched the sports comedy “Shoresy” in 2022. The spin-off follows the Sudbury Bulldogs, an ice hockey team suffering from a 20-game losing streak and facing a looming shutdown. In response, the team’s acerbic veteran Shoresy (Keeso) makes a wager to completely reverse the organization’s fortunes if he’s given complete control of the squad. With the team’s general manager, Nat (Tasya Teles), agreeing to these terms, Shoresy sets out to make the Bulldogs the most competitive team in Ontario.

To be fair and clear, “Shoresy” is a very different Canadian comedy series than “Letterkenny,” despite sharing continuity and creative talent. Instead, the spin-off features a clear overarching narrative while doubling down on the raunchy humor that occasionally appeared in Keeso’s previous show. The withering insults and brawls are still present, but all framed firmly within the professional ice hockey context. An underdog hockey comedy in the spirit of “Slap Shot,” “Shoresy” gives a welcome Canadian perspective on its most popular sport.

Absolutely exuding charisma whenever he’s on-screen or at public events, it’s safe to say Glen Powell currently reigns as an American sweetheart. Powell channels that likability into a dual role for the Hulu college football comedy “Chad Powers,” which he co-created with Michael Waldron. Powell plays Russ Holliday, a disgraced football prodigy who creates the false persona of Chad Powers to play as a walk-on at a different college. Holliday begins to reverse his team’s fortunes while trying to maintain his secret and reveling in glory days once again.

“Chad Powers” could’ve just been a one-note raunchy football comedy in the vein of “Blue Mountain State.” Instead, Powell offers a surprising range in his lead performance, certainly delivering the laughs but also a genuine sense of heart. The show revolves around an absurd premise, to be sure, but the story has considerable mileage to it while exploring conflicting sides of Powell’s character. One of the most underrated TV shows of 2025, “Chad Powers” provides Powell with a more nuanced role than his usual fare.

Like any sport, professional wrestling has more than its fair share of dirty laundry and dark secrets that it’s accumulated over the years. Those secrets come to light in the documentary series “Dark Side of the Ring,” with each episode delving into a different disturbing behind-the-scenes wrestling tale. From fatal accidents and infamous public events to the tragic stories behind the sports’ biggest names, the show offers a searing exposé. Featuring a mix of archival footage and talking head interviews, these stories go in-depth in recounting wrestling’s most notorious moments.

“Dark Side of the Ring” plays out like a true crime series, with the show just happening to cover the colorful world of wrestling. That makes it accessible for people who are only casually aware of the wrestling industry, but still a must-watch for its fans. Given its sensitive subject matter, the show is not without generating its own controversy, including ECW legend Tommy Dreamer reportedly getting suspended for his “Dark Side of the Ring” comments. A no-holds-barred look at wrestling’s biggest tragedies and harrowing incidents, “Dark Side of the Ring” will leave viewers not seeing the sport or its personalities the same way again.

The rise of Los Angeles Lakers owner Jerry Buss and the team’s star point guard Magic Johnson is depicted in the HBO series “Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty.” John C. Reilly stars as Buss, with Quincy Isaiah playing Johnson, with the show starting as Buss buys the Lakers in 1979. From there, Buss wrangles a squad of outsized personalities, both on the court and helping him run the team. The show covers the team’s rise in the early ’80s, ending in an abrupt series finale with the Lakers playing the Boston Celtics for the NBA championship.

Presented as a dramatization, it’s important to note that “Winning Time” isn’t striving to tell a historically accurate story so much as an entertaining one. The entire show just feels larger-than-life, evoking a mythical era of basketball history and filled with plenty of memorably ridiculous figures. As the series progresses, it weaves in more dramatic moments alongside the comedy without losing its effective focus. Bringing plenty of sports-fueled drama and period piece laughs, “Winning Time” is a wild, energetic slam dunk.

One of the last original scripted shows on The CW for the foreseeable future is “All American,” a coming-of-age sports drama inspired by the story of real-life pro linebacker Spencer Paysinger. The series centers on high school football player Spencer James (Daniel Ezra), who is recruited from inner-city Los Angeles to play for a significantly more affluent school in Beverly Hills, leading to culture shock. The show chronicles James’ incredible high school career, progressing into playing college football, and culminating in James going pro in the NFL.

“All American” is a sports show that improves as it goes, raising the emotional stakes alongside the athletic ones. James not only grows up throughout the story, but the ensemble cast around him grows and evolves, enriching the show’s scope. The series spawned a spin-off, “All American: Homecoming,” expanding on the college football aspect of the original. “All American” was renewed for a final season at The CW in 2025, signaling an end to James’ story but leaving behind a sprawling sports saga.

While football is very much an underlying presence throughout “The League,” the hit FX series isn’t about playing, coaching, or even managing the sport. Instead, the show follows an incredibly passionate fantasy football league among longtime friends living in Chicago. The ensemble obsessively dedicates itself to the league, including lavish draft days to kick off every football season. In between the friends’ back-and-forth competition, the ridiculous aspects of their lives and careers inform their outrageous friendships.

“The League” is a show that starts off relatively grounded in its comedy and gets wildly outlandish as it continues across its seven-season run. The series also brings in some impressive guest stars, including numerous pro football players, with Season 3 adding Seth Rogen and Will Forte. Football may be what brings these characters together, but the humor comes from the wacky misadventures of modern adulthood. Powered by a shared love of football and insatiable competitive spirit, “The League” is a masterclass in juvenile mayhem from a more mature perspective.

Famous funnymen Rob Mac and Ryan Reynolds went into very serious business together by buying the Welsh football club Wrexham F.C. The two new owners’ trials and tribulations of running a soccer team is chronicled in the FX documentary series “Welcome to Wrexham.” Premiering in 2022, the show details the history behind Wrexham F.C. and how the locals perceive the team and its rapid changes following the new ownership. Reynolds and Mac regularly visit and make decisions on the direction of the club as its ranking in the English football league system rises from its initial struggling position.

“Welcome to Wrexham” keeps its underdog story fun and accessible, even to those not particularly well-versed in English soccer dynamics. Though there are emotional setbacks along the way, the show is a largely triumphant one, filled with heartwarming moments as the soccer team is promoted. During the club’s historic ascent, “Welcome to Wrexham” launched a spin-off series, “Necaxa,” following Eva Longoria investing in a Mexican soccer team. Entertaining, informative, and masterfully pulling at the heartstrings, “Welcome to Wrexham” hits the mark.

Apple TV has become one of the biggest and most consistently impressive streaming services when it comes to premier television. One of the platform’s more recent original comedy hits is the golf show “Stick,” starring and executive-produced by Owen Wilson. Wilson plays Pryce Cahill, a former professional golfer who now works as a golf club seller and amateur coach. Pryce becomes a mentor to young prodigy Santi Wheeler (Peter Dager), but Pryce’s glaring personal issues turn into a liability for Santi’s success.

To be sure, “Stick” follows a familiar formula to anyone with a passing knowledge of these types of sports stories, but it hits all the right notes. Much of this comes from Wilson’s usual laidback charm, with the role of Pryce firmly in his creative wheelhouse. As with many stories of this type, there are steady dramatic elements as well, allowing Wilson to bring more vulnerability to his character. A well-crafted approach to recognizable tropes, “Stick” has been renewed for a second season at Apple TV, set to continue the adventures of Pryce Cahill.

As professional wrestling hit the big time in the ’80s, one of the circuits that entered the spotlight was the Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling, or GLOW. This pro wrestling circuit serves as the backdrop for the Netflix original dramedy “GLOW,” right down to its full-on ’80s setting. As the organization forms in Los Angeles in 1985, struggling actor Ruth Wilder (Alison Brie) and her frenemy Debbie Eagan (Betty Gilpin) are among its most prominent recruits. As the women in the organization learn to work together and develop their stage personas, the outfit is overseen by the wry Sam Sylvia (Marc Maron).

While the three lead actors share a solid rapport, the true strength behind “GLOW” is in its wider ensemble cast. The show also leans more into the interpersonal drama between its characters as it progresses, without compromising its comedic sensibilities. Though the series was renewed for a fourth and final season, the show was canceled amid Hollywood uncertainty in the face of COVID-19. While there are things we wish we saw in “GLOW” before Netflix gave it the chop, the three seasons that exist are a fantastic blend of comedy, drama, and pro wrestling.

Before he launched “The West Wing,” prolific screenwriter and producer Aaron Sorkin created the workplace dramedy “Sports Night.” The show’s namesake is a pastiche of ESPN’s “SportsCenter,” a cable sports news show broadcast on the fictional Continental Sports Channel. The series centers on the challenges faced by producing such a show in the highly competitive television industry under a discerning network, explored through the show’s two anchors, Dan Rydell (Josh Charles) and Casey McCall (Peter Krause) and their work’s impact on their personal lives.

A lot of the qualities that made “The West Wing” such a television classic are present in “Sports Night,” including overlapping talent in the cast and crew. This includes tight pacing and editing, rapid-fire dialogue, and a fully realized rapport between the cast, especially Charles and Krause. That said, “Sports Night” is a much overtly comedic and lighter show than Sorkin’s political follow-up, making it his funniest show to date. Despite only lasting for two seasons, “Sports Night” provides a fun perspective on the sports industry that’s never been adequately revisited since.

While most “Karate Kid” viewers are fixated on waxing techniques and crane kicks, the classic ’80s movie does technically center around a martial arts competition. This distinction is carried over to the revival series “Cobra Kai,” with a middle-aged Johnny Lawrence (William Zabka) getting his life back in order by opening his own karate dojo. This reignites Johnny’s rivalry with Daniel LaRusso (Ralph Macchio), who opens a competing dojo, espousing a more philosophical approach to karate. As the San Fernando Valley becomes home to another karate-fueled feud, familiar faces from Daniel and Johnny’s past resurface amid the escalation.

By introducing a new generation of karate students mentored by Johnny and Daniel, “Cobra Kai” recaptures and modernizes the coming-of-age qualities present in the “Karate Kid” movies. The show weaves in many fan-favorite elements from the films and even manages to redeem “The Karate Kid Part III,” all while bringing impressively choreographed fight sequences. And more than just being a one-note joke, “Cobra Kai” gives William Zabka the chance to demonstrate his acting chops in full. A beautiful and entertaining continuation to “The Karate Kid,” “Cobra Kai” proves the classic ’80s franchise still has plenty of mileage.

If there was ever a role that was tailor-made for Danny McBride, it’s Kenny Powers, the acerbic protagonist of HBO’s “Eastbound & Down.” After being disgraced for his behavior during his time in Major League Baseball, Powers returns to his North Carolina hometown to work as a physical education teacher. Heightening the awkwardness is the fact that Powers’ ex-girlfriend, April Buchanon (Katy Mixon), also works at the same school as a teacher. Powers tries to find a way to make it back to the majors, but his own ineptitude and boorish behavior often land him right back where he was.

On a surface level, “Eastbound & Down” is a redemption story starring a character who doesn’t think he ever needs to be redeemed. Seeing Powers constantly self-sabotage himself is only part of the fun, with the series building an equally goofy ensemble cast around McBride. The humor is thoroughly raunchy and serves as the groundwork for his subsequent work on HBO, including “The Righteous Gemstones.” A four-season sports comedy that reveled in the ridiculous lengths it could take its characters, “Eastbound & Down” remains one of the funniest HBO original series ever made.

Michael Jordan is, to many, the greatest player to ever suit up in the NBA, and his historic run with the Chicago Bulls is the subject of the ESPN and Netflix co-production “The Last Dance,” which premiered in 2020. Featuring a mix of archival footage and interviews with key figures from the period, including Jordan himself, the documentary series delves into the Bulls’ 1990s NBA dynasty and the drama within. This is juxtaposed with a special focus on Jordan’s final season with the Bulls as he vies for a sixth championship with the team.

There is no other sports documentary series that captivated the world quite at the same level as “The Last Dance.” More than just chronicling Jordan’s many championships with the Bulls, the documentary shines a light on a decade when basketball was arguably at its finest. This is illustrated by plenty of engaging footage from the era, amusing anecdotes from both on and off the court, and an energetic soundtrack. “The Last Dance” is myth-making at its finest, a celebration of Jordan’s legendary status in the NBA.

If there was ever an original series that put Apple TV on the map, it was the sports dramedy “Ted Lasso.” The show stars Jason Sudeikis as the titular Wichita State football coach who is hired to lead a soccer team in England. Initially set up to tank the organization by its spiteful new owner, Rebecca Welton (Hannah Waddingham), Lasso wins over Rebecca and the squad with his earnest and kind nature. As the team faces stiff competition, Lasso also comes to terms with his own unresolved trauma, with the experience improving him as well as those he leads.

“Ted Lasso” is one of the most refreshingly uncynical shows in recent memory, with Lasso’s qualities carrying over to the audience. While Sudeikis delivers the best performance of his career, the ensemble around him is uniformly solid, especially Waddingham and Brett Goldstein. Though audience reaction to the show’s third season was mixed, the series has since been renewed, and everything we know about Season 4 points to a return to form. A sports comedy with an enormous and genuine sense of heart, “Ted Lasso” set the gold standard for Apple TV.

After directing and co-writing the acclaimed 2004 sports movie “Friday Night Lights,” filmmaker Peter Berg repurposed the story for television. Premiering in 2006, the show focuses on small-town Texas high school football coach Eric Taylor (Kyle Chandler). Working at the same school as Eric is his wife, Tami (Connie Britton), with the two balancing their personal lives and work, especially given the heightened importance of football. This is juxtaposed with the coming-of-age drama surrounding the players on Eric’s team and their increasingly turbulent lives.

A blend of teen soap opera, family drama, and bone-crunching sports stakes, “Friday Night Lights” lives up to its premise’s full potential. With the added real estate of five seasons compared to one movie, the story really gets the chance to breathe and grow with its cast. The interpersonal relationships are beautifully messy, the emotional rollercoaster of being a teenager and young adult is effectively captured, and the football action is exciting. “Friday Night Lights” is a tightly crafted teen drama anchored by Chandler and Britton leading the cast, with everything framed against the backdrop of Texas high school football.