After taking the NFL world by storm, Patrick Mahomes and Jason Kelce are now doing the same in showbiz. As per the latest reports, the duo’s respective Netflix and Amazon Prime debuts, “Quarterback”[Patrick Mahomes] and “Kelce” [Jason Kelce] have been nominated for the prestigious Emmy awards. Both the content pieces have received nominations for two categories each.
While the Netflix-produced “Quarterback” has received nominations under the Outstanding Documentary Series and Outstanding Audio/Sound Post-Produced categories, Jason’s docu-series on himself has been nominated for Outstanding Long Documentary and Outstanding Editing categories.
As the name suggests, “Quarterback” by Netflix is an in-depth insightful documentary that gives us a sneak peek into what it takes to be an elite QB in the NFL today. The series follows the on-field and off-field lives of three QBs, Patrick Mahomes, Kirk Cousins, and Marcus Mariota. It’s intended to show the world that playing at the most hyped position in American Football takes a lot of sacrifice and effort.
Patrick Mahomes is an Emmy nominee for his Netflix documentary series, Quarterback! pic.twitter.com/CLv8tQcQlf
— Starcade Media (@StarcadeMediaKC) April 9, 2024
Prime Video’s “Kelce” meanwhile follows Eagles Star Jason Kelce’s 2022 season which many including him thought was his swansong year. But lo and behold, the year turned out to be one of the craziest years in the Eagles center’s life as he made the Super Bowl and competed against his brother Travis. While the series didn’t have a fairytale ending with Jason losing the Super Bowl, it did make for a compelling narrative.
Jason Kelce is an Emmy nominee as his #Kelce documentary got 2 nominations! via | People pic.twitter.com/GNBT0xs6Vu
— Starcade Media (@StarcadeMediaKC) April 9, 2024
One of the main reasons for their nomination is the sheer value they provided to the audience. The story, combined with top-notch execution made both the docs-series a must-watch. Here are some key takeaways from both the docu-series.
Why Fans Loved Patrick Mahomes’ “Quarterback” and Jason’s “Kelce”
One of the main reasons why fans loved “Quarterback” is because it had top performers of the position relaying why it’s the “hardest job in sports”. Produced by Peyton Manning, the documentary is an NFL fan’s delight as it shows the trio talk never heard before stories and facets of their life. From Patrick Mahomes divulging the “Burrowhead, my a**” incident to Mariota revealing what transpired between him and the Falcons, fans have a lot of new perspectives to take away from the series.
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Apart from the glossy “Netflix mandatory” bits, the docu-series does a stellar job of showing the lives of the different lives of QBs. While Mahomes represents the superstar QB, Cousins is the talented underrated one with Mariota essaying the spirit of a struggling player in search of a fresh start. Having such three distinct perspectives, and seeing their lives and their training routine makes the 8-episode-long docu-series fun.
Prime Video’s “Kelce” meanwhile is completely different from “Quarterback”. “Kelce” is rooted in a much more grounded setting giving us a complete insight into Jason Kelce and his family. It’s almost like a sitcom with how funny the Eagles player and his family are in the show. For instance, the series showed us that Jason finds it harder to keep track of his belongings than NFL attackers as he and his family went into a frenzy of search when Jason suspected he had lost his Super Bowl ring.
But the main theme of the show is Kelce contemplating retirement. The show went raw and gave us x-ray reports on how injuries affected Jason’s career. Moreover, Kelce’s post-retirement plans were also discussed in depth giving Eagles fans some major takeaways about their favourite star.
Both the series are super insightful and deserve to win it all. However, they have some tough competition. “Kelce” in particular has a threat in the “Outstanding Long Documentary” category from the critically acclaimed ‘The Deepest Breath’, ‘Full Circle’ and the much-raved ‘Saint of Second Chances’. It will be interesting to see if both the docu-series manage to win the awards. Nonetheless, getting nominated is an achievement in itself.
