Given the giant graphic to the right, and the fact that 100 million people are planning their entire evening around it, I probably don’t need to point out that today is Super Bowl Sunday.
If you’re like me, though, the fact doesn’t fill you with much excitement.
Short of the Puppy Bowl airing on Animal Planet, I can’t say the occasion even makes a blip on my radar — to be totally honest, I didn’t realize it was happening until it was time to lay out this page. If I’ve ever paid it any attention at all, it’s been given to ways to avoid it.
Which is why, as in years past, I thought I’d take this opportunity to share with my fellow anti-sportsers a few worthy distractions from the frenzy.
Whether you’re stuck streaming them on your phone with your earbuds in while others watch the game, or you’re lucky enough to have a Roku-equipped room to escape to, here are a handful of options far more entertaining than watching a bunch of dudes throw a ball around for 100 hours.
And you can always press pause to watch Mr. Peanut’s funeral.
— Netflix, “Killer Inside: The Mind of Aaron Hernandez.” So I suppose this pick doesn’t entirely whisk you away from Super Bowl madness, since it does deal with the murder trial (and subsequent suicide) of a former Super Bowl star. But this three-part docuseries is definitely full of enough twists and turns to warrant a watch — even if you aren’t a football fan (insert girl-raising-her-hand emoji here).
— “No One Saw A Thing,” Sundance Now. What’s that? You don’t subscribe to Sundance Now? That’s OK, I venture to guess not many people do. However, the streaming channel does put out some pretty decent documentaries, and this is no exception. Over six episodes, the filmmakers tell us the story ne’er-do-well Ken Rex McElroy, who terrorized the town of Skidmore, Mo., for ages. Until he was gunned down outside a popular bar on a main street in broad daylight, that is. And, somehow — you guessed it — every single person questioned claims that no one saw a thing.
— “Up Series” on Britbox. Quite possibly the most extensive undertaking in documentary history, the “Up” series began in 1964. That year, all 14 children featured were 7 years old — hence the title, “7 Up.” Filmmaker Michael Apted has checked with those children every seven years since, at ages 14, 21, 28, 35, 42, 49, 56, and now, 63, which was just released in 2019. Not all 14 subjects have elected to stay with the project in the ensuing years, but a good many have, and the result is both fascinating and moving. I’ve been obsessed with it forever, and can’t wait for “63 Up” to stream. It’s not available on Britbox yet, but this is a good time to binge the first eight installments to prepare for its eventual release.
Katie McDowell is the enterprise editor and a lifestyles columnist for The Dominion Post who doesn’t care a whit about football unless it’s background information for some true crime. Email her at kmcdowell@dominionpost.com.
