TV shows about sports give viewers a wholesome experience of entertainment and inspiration through amazing storytelling. The creators blend the spirit of sports and cinematic experience to hook us on the screen.
Sports is all about glory and winning spirit. We get to witness a lot of historic moments on the pitch. However, we rarely see the struggle of the players off the pitch. Every successful athlete has an inspiring story that the world may not know. TV series try to capture that spirit and present it to the audience for a thrill. They uncover the incredible story of the struggles and hard work of the professionals and present it to the world.
The sports drama is not a new concept in the entertainment business. There is almost a never-ending list of sports TV shows available. To save you time, we have gone through the trouble of browsing the list of TV shows and picking only the best of the bests.
Here is the top ten list of TV sports shows that is sure to make you entertain you and give you a memorable viewing experience.
The 10 Best TV Shows About Sports
| 1. | Ted Lasso |
| 2. | All American |
| 3. | A League of Their Own |
| 4. | Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty |
| 5. | Zero Chill |
| 6. | Big Shot |
| 7. | The Queen Gambit |
| 8. | The Last Dance |
| 9. | Formula 1: Drive to Survive |
| 10. | The Grand Tour |
1. Ted Lasso
Ted Lasso is a comedy sports drama series where an American Football coach takes on the job of coaching an English football team. Ted Lasso (played by Jason Sudeikis), an American college football coach, embarks on a journey as a manager away from his home country. Upon his arrival to the United Kingdom, he realizes football means an entirely different sport there. The American coach takes on the coaching job at AFC Richmond, a struggling English Premier League team. But how successful will he be?
The first episode aired on 14 August 2020 in the United Kingdom. Two Seasons have been concluded so far with 22 episodes. It is available for streaming on Apple TV+ Network.
Created by Brendan Hunt, Joe Kelly, and Bill Lawrence, the sports drama holds an IMDb rating of 8.8 / 10 and an extraordinary score of 95% on Rotten Tomatoes.
Jason Sudeikis stars in the lead role as Ted Lasso. Other cast members include;
- Brett Goldstein as Roy Kent
- Brendan Hunt as Coach Beard
- Nick Mohammed as Nathan Shelley
- Hannah Waddingham as Rebecca Welton
- Jeremy Swift as Higgins
- Phil Dunster as Jamie Tartt
- Juno Temple as Keeley Jones, followed by others.
2. All American
All American is a sports drama about a rising football player and his struggle to adjust to a new environment. The series is inspired by the true life story of NFL Superbowl Champion Spencer Paysinger.
Spencer is a promising young talent in high school football. To ensure his growth, his coach advises the teenager to join Beverly Hills. However, the young talent doesn’t feel welcomed in the new team.
All American first aired on 10 October 2018. The series holds an IMDb rating of 7.6 / 10, and the Rotten Tomato score stands at 92%.
Created by April Blair, the show will return for its Fifth Season on 23 January 2023. It is available for streaming on CW Network.
Danie Ezra stars as the lead character Spencer James. Other cast members include
- Samantha Logan as Olivia Baker
- Michael Evans Behling as Jordan Baker
- Greta Onieogou as Layla Keating
- Tay Diggs as Billy Baker
- Bre-Z as Tamai ‘Coop’ Cooper
- Cody Christian as Asher Adams and more.
3. A League Of Their Own
The comedy sports drama, A League of Their Own is a series about an All-American professional women’s baseball league from World War II. The series is based on the story of the formation of the women’s baseball team, Rockford Peaches, in 1943.
Due to the ongoing war, there is a shortage of men to carry on professional sports. So, the team owners test the idea of a women’s baseball league. The women are determined and hard-working and enter the competition with full intensity.
A League of Their Own premiered on 12 August 2022. The show is available for streaming on Amazon Prime Video.
Will Graham and Abbi Jacobson are the creators of the series. The first Season has been designed into eight episodes with one hour of runtime.
The comedy sports drama series has a group of a talented cast member, which includes:
- Abbi Jacobson as Carson Shaw
- Chante Adams as Max Chapman
- D’Arcy Carden as Greta Gill
- Gbemisola Ikumelo as Calnce Morgan
- Roberta Colindrez as Lupe Garcia
- Kelly McCormack as Jess McCready
4. Winning Time: The Rise Of The Lakers Dynasty
The Winning Time is a biographical sports drama about the 1980s Los Angeles Lakers. One of the most respected and dominant teams, the Los Angeles Lakers, defined basketball during the 80s era. The show follows the story behind the rise and dominance of the Lakers Dynasty in Modern sports.
The Winning Time is an HBO original series created by Max Borenstein and Jim Hecht. The first episode aired on 6 March 2022. The first season concluded on 8 May 2022 with a total of ten episodes. Season 2 is all set to premiere in 2023. Streaming is available on HBO Max.
The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty has an ensemble cast that includes;
- John C. Reilly as Jerry Buss
- Quincy Isaiah as Magic Johnson
- Jason Clarke as Jerry West
- Gaby Hoffmann as Claire Rothman
- Hadley Robinson as Jeanie Buss
- DeVaughn Nixon as Norm Nixon
- Solomon Hughes as Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and many more
5. Zero Chill
Zero Chill is a sports drama series that follows a talented teenage figure skater named Kayla. The promising young talent is compelled to let go of her passion when her parents move to England. The teen’s brother gets a chance to play hockey in England, so the family decides to move from their hometown.
The MacBentley family finds it difficult to adjust to the new environment in England. Mac struggles to establish a decent connection with the team, and Kayla insists on returning to figure skating again.
Produced under the banner of Lime Pictures, Zero Chill was created by Kirstie Falkous and John Regier. Adam Usden is the lead writer of the sports drama.
Zero Chill was released on 15 March 2021 in the United Kingdom. The first season of the show has 10 episodes, with each of them having a total runtime of 35 minutes. The show is available for streaming on Netflix.
Grace Beedie leads the cast of Zero Chill as Kayla MacBentley, followed by
- Dakota Taylor as ‘Mac’ MacBentley
- Jeremias Amoore as Bear Stelzer
- Anastazie Chocholata as Ava Hammarstom
- Leonardo Fontes as Sam Stelzer
- Jade Ma as Sky Tyler
- Sarah-Jane Potts as Jenny MacBentley
- Doug Rao as Luke MacBentley
- Tanja Ribic as Elina Hammarstrom
- Oscar Skagerberg as Anton Hammarstrom
6. Big Shot
John Stamos is a college basketball coach with a temper who gets fired from his job as a coach. Stamos has no option but to accept a job at an elite all-girls private high school.
Big Shot was well received by critics and found widespread praise. The IMDb score is 7.5 / 10, and Rotten Tomatoes assigned an approval rating of 78%.
Big Shot is created by Brad Garrett, David E. Kelley, and Dean Lorey. The first season of the TV show premiered on 16 April 2021. The success spawned a second season which was released on 12 October 2022. It is available for streaming on Disney+.
The major cast of Big Shot is comprised of the following;
- John Stamos as Marvyn Korn
- Jessalyn Gilsig as Holly Barrett
- Sophia Mitri Schloss as Emma Korn
- Nell Verlaque as Louise Gruzinsky
- Tiana Le as Destiny Winters
- Tisha Custodio as Carolyn ‘Mouse’ Smith
- Cricket Wampler as Samantha ‘Giggles’ Finkman
- Yvette Nicole Brown as Sherilyn Thomas
7. The Queen Gambit
The Queen Gambit is a TV miniseries based on the life of Chess mastermind Beth Harmon, a fictional character. The story is set during the era of the Cold War. Beth Harmon is an orphan who lost her parents at the age of nine. During the 1960s, the orphan discovers and masters the game of chess. She sets out on a quest to become the greatest chess player but also struggles with her addiction at the same time.
The show is adapted from The Queen’s Gambit, a novel by American novelist Walter Tevis. The novel about a fictional chess prodigy, Beth Harmon, was published in 1983.
The show created by Scott Frank and Allan Scott first aired on 23 October 2020. The miniseries has seven episodes with one hour of runtime. It is available on Netflix for streaming.
The Queen Gambit has talented cast member that includes;
- Anya Taylor-Joy as Beth Harmon
- Chloe Pirrie as Alice Harmon
- Bill Camp as Mr.Shaibel
- Marcin Dorocinski as Vasily Borgov
- Marielle Heller as Alma Wheatley and many more.
8. The Last Dance
The Last Dance is a historical docu-series that covers the rise of the Chicago Bulls as a prominent dynasty in modern sports. During the 1990s, Michael Jordan was the leading man for Chicago Bulls.
The Last Dance follows the 1997-98 season of the Chicago Bulls from start to end. The team was competing for their sixth title in just eight seasons. At the same time, it also covers the remarkable career of Michael Jordan, from an emerging high school athlete to becoming one of the greatest players in history.
The Last Dance was officially released on 20 April 2020. The docu-series, designed into ten episodes, is directed by Jason Hehir. The documentary, produced jointly by ESPN Films and Netflix, is available for streaming on Netflix and HULU.
The Last Dance is arguably one of the best-made documentaries ever. The series holds a rare IMDb rating of 9.1 / 10 and a Rotten Tomatoes score of 97%.
The legendary Michael Jordan is at the heart of the documentary, followed by;
- Phil Jackson, the head coach of the Bulls from 1989 to 1998
- Scottie Pippen, the Bulls forward
- David Aldridge, ESPN reporter
- Steve Kerr, Bulls guard
- Michael Wilbon from The Washington Post
- Andrea Kremer, the ESPN correspondent
- Deloris Jordan, Michael’s mother, and many more.
9. Formula 1: Drive To Survive
Formula 1: Drive To Survive follows the coveted racing sports FIA Formula One World Championship across multiple seasons. The docu-series gives an intimate insight into the lives of professionals involved in this sport. The drivers, managers, and team owners, every person in Formula One, live fast-paced lives both on and off the pitch.
Formula One is not just highly competitive in terms of racing but equally so in terms of finance. Affluent potential buyers are always competing to take an edge over the other. After the ownership changes, the management also changes, and pressure mounts to outperform others. Formula 1: Drive To Survive attempts to bring the true story of this multi-billion dollar business to light.
The first season of the docu-series aired on 8 March 2019. The overwhelming success of the series has spawned four Seasons over the course of three years. The show is available for streaming on Netflix.
The show, produced by Netflix in collaboration with Formula One, has presented iconic motor racing figures like Will Buxton, Lewis Nicholls, Lewis Hamilton, Charles Leclerc, Sebastian Vettel, Daniel Ricciardo, Max Verstappen, Sergio Perez, Valtteri Bottas, Carlos Sainz, and many more.
10. The Grand Tour
The Grand Tour follows three people, Jeremy, Richard, and James, as they travel the world looking for new and exciting automobiles.
The first season of the docu-series was released on 18 November 2016 in the United Kingdom. The automobile show is already in its fifth season now which started on 16 September 2022.
Three companies, including Expectation Entertainment, Amazon Studios, and W. Chump & Sons, were jointly involved in the show’s production. The series is available for streaming on Amazon Prime Video.
Three friends, Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond, and James May, are the creator and foremost presenters of the show. The fabled trio set out on an adventure across the globe to test new and exciting cars.