The clock has hit 0:00, the Lombardi Trophy has been lifted, the confetti is falling and someone is going to Disney World. But how do you follow up the Big Game? With a big show, of course, one that can take many shapes and forms.
In the history of televised Super Bowls we have seen many types of shows follow the Big Game. From Lassie and Walt Disney’s Wonderful World of Color to All In the Family to The Wonder Years to Friends to The Office and The Late Show, every network has tried to take advantage of huge audiences to either launch a new show or grow a big hit.
Here are some of the most noteworthy episodes of television to follow the Super Bowl.
The Wonder Years — Pilot
- Date Aired: January 31, 1988
- Network: ABC
Considered one of the greatest sitcoms of all time, we were taken back to the suburbia of the 1960s and introduced to the middle-class life of Kevin Arnold (Fred Savage) and his family following Super Bowl 22. In the pilot we see Kevin and his one true love Winnie (Danica McKellar) share their first kiss after learning that her brother was killed in action in the Vietnam War. The series would go on to win the honor of Outstanding Comedy Series for its rookie season at the 1988 Emmy Awards and would air for six seasons, ending in 1993.
Homicide: Life on the Street — Gone for Goode
- Date Aired: January 31, 1993
- Network: NBC
Nearly a decade before David Simon brought us The Wire, his book Homicide: A Year on the Killing Streets was adapted by NBC as Homicide: Life on the Street. Starring the late, great Andre Braugher and executive produced by Barry Levinson, Homicide: Life on the Street debuted following Super Bowl 27. Gone for Goode would display several of Homicide‘s future trademarks, most notably the intelligence and cunning of Braugher’s Frank Pembleton, who not only gets a murderer to waive his Miranda rights, but eventually to confess to the crime. Levinson would win an Emmy for directing Gone for Goode and Homicide would run for seven seasons and a TV movie.
Friends — The One After The Super Bowl
- Date Aired: January 28, 1996
- Network: NBC
Friends didn’t make its debut following Super Bowl 30, but it definitely was a case of going BIG with huge names and turning the post-Super Bowl slot into an event. The One After The Super Bowl featured guest spots from Julia Roberts, Brooke Shields, Chris Isaak and Jean-Claude Van Damme.
Dubbed a “one-hour spectacular,” promos promised drama, action and romance. The episode would be seen by 52.925 million viewers, which was the most for any episode in the series’ 10-season run and stands as the highest-rated Super Bowl lead-out program of all-time.
The Office — Stress Relief
- Date Aired: February 1, 2009
- Network: NBC
Airing as part of The Office‘s fifth season, this hour-long episode following Super Bowl 43 was among the funniest in the history of the series, thanks in large part to the absolute chaos of Dwight’s (Rainn Wilson) fire simulation leading to Stanley (Leslie David Baker) having a heart attack followed by Dwight’s disturbing Hannibal Lecter-style removal of a training dummy’s face during a mandatory follow-up safety training seminar.
In true Michael (Steve Carell) fashion, the World’s Best Boss organizes a roast of himself to relieve everyone’s stress and is deeply hurt by what his “family” has to say about him. However, he does get a nice moment when he gets a genuine laugh out of Stanley when he turns the table and roasts the staff.
The Office also welcomed big-name guest stars, but didn’t break the conceit of the show by having Jack Black, Jessica Alba and Cloris Leachman appear in the pirated movie, Mrs. Albert Hannaday.
New Girl — Prince
- Date Aired: February 2, 2014
- Network: Fox
New Girl was never a ratings smash, but was critically acclaimed during its seven-season run from 2011 to 2018. Its most memorable episode was perhaps the post-Super Bowl 48 episode, which featured a rare cameo from the late, legendary Prince.
In the episode, Jess (Zooey Deschanel) and Cece (Hannah Simone) are invited to a party at Prince’s house, which ends up crashed by Jess’ boyfriend Nick, who wants to take back telling her that he loves her so that he can tell her that he loves her in a more romantic setting. Prince ends up counseling Jess on how to tell Nick she loves him too and she is later invited to sing on stage with him.
Deschanel told Conan O’Brien on Conan in 2016 that the show was able to get the elusive Prince because he liked watching the show and his manager reached out to Deschanel saying the star wanted to appear on the show.
So, it’s clear that although television has undergone significant change since the first Super Bowl in 1967, the slot immediately following the Super Bowl remains one of the most prominent pieces of real estate available each year. And it begs the question: What will follow Super Bowl 60 on NBC? Well, for the answer, read on below.
Super Bowl 60 TV FAQ
When does Super Bowl 60 air?
Super Bowl 60 airs beginning at 6:30 p.m. ET on Sunday, February 8, 2026.
What network does Super Bowl 60 air on?
Super Bowl 60 will air on NBC and stream on Peacock.
What will follow Super Bowl 60 on NBC?
Following Super Bowl 60, NBC will air primetime coverage from the Winter Olympics in Milan Cortina.
What time will the post-Super Bowl 60 television offering begin?
Primetime coverage from the Winter Olympics in Milan Cortina is expected to begin at approximately 10:45 p.m. ET, depending on the circumstances of Super Bowl 60.
Make sure to keep up with all of our ongoing Super Bowl coverage here.
