In a Sea of Super Bowl Commercials, NBC Will Run a Few for Itself

Brian Steinberg Senior TV EditorStanley Tucci’s next trip to Italy will face a slight delay.CNN will bump the debuts of a handful of looming original documentary projects due to its ongoing coverage of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The second season of “Stanley Tucci: Searching for Italy,” will premiere on CNN later in the spring, as will the new series “Nomad with Carlton McCoy.” Meanwhile, the WarnerMedia network will push back the debut of “Roadrunner: A Film About Anthony Bourdain” to Sunday March 13 at 9 p.m., a week later than its previously scheduled March 6 launch.The network has built a new business out of documentaries and docuseries, but it must balance those projects with the demands of the news cycle.

Brian Steinberg Senior TV EditorThe hunt for an elusive South American flower is at the heart of the latest addition to the Peacock streaming service, but the creators of the new show aren’t from the typical Hollywood studio.“Unlocked,” a short film that debuts Friday on the NBCUniversal broadband outlet, is the creation of tech giant Hewlett-Packard and the agency Giant Spoon. The mini-movie tells the story of data scientists hoping to track down a rare plant that might just offer a cure to a mysterious neurological disease that ails the world, but it might solve some other problems as well, like how to get ad messages in front of consumers who are increasingly accustomed to avoid such things when they hunker down for a new bingeworthy session.

Halle Berry was one of the many celebrities that starred in a Super Bowl commercial this year. The actress played Cleopatra in the campaign for Caesers Sportsbook and on Sunday she shared some behind-the-scenes photos with JB Smoove who, also starred in one of the ads.A post shared by Halle Berry (@halleberry)Halle Berry explains why her wedding prank went wrong: ‘This was not supposed to happen’Super Bowl: Take a look at Taylor Rapp’s marriage proposal after winning with the RamsEiza González celebrates Rams’ Super Bowl victory holding the Lombardi trophyThe Sportsbook commercial wasn’t the only screen time Berry had during the Super Bowl.

in the 60-second commercial, which aired during the second quarter of Sunday evening’s game. “The Sopranos” showrunner David Chase directed the ambitious ad, which recreates the iconic opening of the original show and rewrites its famously ambiguous final episode. In the original series, the opening credit sequence sees protagonist Tony Soprano driving his Chevy Suburban from Manhattan to New Jersey as the song “Woke Up This Morning” by Alabama 3 plays in the background.

Brian Steinberg Senior TV EditorMadison Avenue used its most tried-and-true techniques to keep Super Bowl watchers from being overwhelmed Sunday night by a brave new world that emerged with great speed as the nation was hunkered down during the coronavirus pandemic.General Motors, one of the nation’s most staid corporations, put its marketing heft behind a fleet of electric vehicles, using revivals of media favorites like “Austin Powers” and “The Sopranos.” Verizon touted quickening telecommunications service by reviving Jim Carrey in his role as “The Cable Guy” and T-Mobile pressed viewers to think about 5G by showing Dolly Parton with a phone pressed close to her chest. Rocket Mortgage dressed its digital service in bright Barbie overtones along with the familiar site of Anna Kendrick.

Brian Steinberg Senior TV EditorPret-ty, pret-ty, pret-ty….surprising.FTX, the cryptocurrency exchange, did its best to stand out in its first time advertising at the Super Bowl by tapping an actor who has never appeared in commercials before: Larry David.David, best known for his contrarian, curmudgeonly humor, took to the Super Bowl stage for FTX in a minute-long commercial that showed him turning down some of history’s best ideas, era by era. In various historical mini-dramas, David dismisses the wheel, the fork, the toilet, the electric light bulb, the Walkman and even the notion of American independence (because “even the stupid ones” will get a chance to influence major political decisions.)He isn’t much for cryptocurrency, either.

Brian Steinberg Senior TV EditorLast year, Dolly Parton contributed a song for a Super Bowl commercial. This year, she’s raised her game, by appearing in two.The iconic singer and songwriter was planning to be at home Sunday night watching NBC’s broadcast of Super Bowl LVI with plenty of snacks, dips and wings on hand so she could see her performance in two short Big Game commercials from T-Mobile.“I have to watch it this year, ‘cause I’m in it,” Parton quipped during a phone interview earlier this week.Parton debuts alongside Miley Cyrus, making a rare joint appearance with the singer who also happens to be her goddaughter (see their past antics in episodes of Cyrus’ Disney Channel mainstay “Hannah Montana”) for T-Mobile, the telecommunications carrier.

Vanessa Bryant showed off her hometown pride in the latest Super Bowl commercial. During the spot, that premiered Sunday, ahead of the big game, the Los Angeles native, celebrated the city that her late husband, Kobe Bryant, called home and played for the Los Angeles Lakers for 20 years, until his retirement in 2016. In the commercial, Vanessa parks next to a mural of Kobe and their daughter, Gianna Bryant, who died in 2020, as clips roll from Kobe's historic time on the Lakers and Oscars win.

Caesars Sportsbook, the NFL’s exclusive casino partners, just released a 30-second commercial for the upcoming Super Bowl that features a play on Roman times with a Caesar and Cleo dinner theme. In the clip, which can be seen above, comedian JB Smoove plays Julius Caesar while actress Halle Berry plays his lover, Cleopatra, and they are sitting at a table for dinner with sports legends Eli Manning and Peyton Manning as well as their family members Archie and Cooper Manning. It doesn’t take long before their exchanges of pleasantries become quite amusing.

Jennifer Coolidge hilariously plays Lady Luck taking a much-needed vacation for Fan Duel’s hilarious Super Bowl LVI commercial. The gist is that Fan Duel is offering such incredible odds (56-1) for betting on either the Cincinnati Bengals or LA Rams to win Sunday’s big game that Lady Luck can finally relax and take some time off. And Jennifer/Lady Luck intends to do just that, as she is spotted at an airport on her way to Bora Bora. But while going through security, Jennifer runs into a bit of trouble as she is smuggling a leprechaun. “Oh, he’s only 3 ounces,” Jennifer pleads to the guard. As the commercial concludes with Jennifer making her way to the plane, a voiceover is heard saying, “The Super Bowl is your luckiest day ever!” Jennifer coyly adds, “Mine too, buddy boy.”

Greetings, lovers! John Legend, 43, has a seductive new offer just in time for Valentine’s Day, and it involves him sleeping beside you and whispering into your ear…platonically, of course! In a new Super Bowl commercial for mindfulness company Headspace, John invites fans to “sleep with him” just in time for Valentine’s day, by listening to the soothing Sleepcast he recorded for Headspace’s app.

Our favorite Catwoman is back! In a new commercial, Halle Berry teamed up with Caesars Sportsbook and Best Friends Animal Society to put some adorable kittens on display during the Super Bowl‘s other big game on Sunday: the Puppy Bowl.

Devotees of the hit TV show Community will be greeted with some familiar faces (and attitudes) in a new Super Bowl commercial starring Ken Jeong, 52, and Joel McHale, 50. The two actors, who starred on the NBC fan-favorite as unlikely classmates at a community college, bicker just like they’re back in class in the silly new ad, where Ken and Joel argue for different approaches to enjoying a snack of Planter’s Mixed Nuts.

Super Bowl without some must-see, star-studded commercials! Every year, families gather around the television on Super Bowl Sunday to watch the fun and exciting TV spots — and also a football game.The nation's biggest companies shell out millions to craft hilarious, clever, touching and downright wild ads for the annual sporting event.

Brian Steinberg Senior TV EditorOne of the self-proclaimed greatest villains in history is coming to the Super Bowl to take over the world — but only if he can save it first.General Motors is likely to cause a stir on Sunday when it debuts a Super Bowl commercial for its growing fleet of electric vehicles that reunites the cast of the 1997 hit “Austin Powers.” The goal is to get consumers thinking about cars and trucks that are better for the environment. In the spot, Dr.

Salma Hayek and Arnold Schwarzenegger might have one of the best Super Bowl commercials in history. The big game is just a few days away and the actors have a huge campaign with BMW for their new iX electric vehicle. Hayek shared a 60-second ad on her Instagram and, the Hollywood A-listers play the Greek God Zeus and his wife Hera as they retire from Mount Olympus to live on earth.

Sometimes the most important match could be with the person helping with your taxes! Jason Sudeikis gave fans a sneak preview of him in the Super Bowl Sunday commercial for TurboTax on Monday February  7. The commercial promised the the 46-year-old actor would meet his match in the upcoming TurboTax commercial that’ll air during Super Bowl LVI.

Hannah Waddingham has no idea what to expect!«They are just brilliant, brilliant brains, but they know better than to tell me anything at all,» said the actress, who plays AFC Richmond team owner Rebecca Welton, of the beloved Apple TV+ show's creative team, which includes creator and star Jason Sudeikis.Waddingham confirmed to ET that after some delays, the show is due to start production on season 3 in early March. Much ado has been made about the series' planned three-season run, which would make the upcoming episodes their last, but, given that the show has been such a hit with fans and critics alike, many, Waddingham included, can't help but wonder if Sudeikis might end up changing his mind.«He has always said that there is a beginning, a middle and an end,» she recalled, «which is why he was very specific about telling everyone that [season 2] was the middle, kind of vibe.»However, Waddingham admitted, «If I were Apple and Warner Bros., I'd be leaning on him like a lunatic and putting him in a corner in a little cage and giving him a notebook and a pen… It's too beautiful.»If the series ends up extending its run, it would be far from the first surprise for the actress, who earned acclaim on the West End before breaking through in television with her role as the ice queen-turned-supportive team owner.

Pete Davidson isn’t afraid to admit he’s “very hittable.”

Brian Steinberg Senior TV EditorAs Americans chow down on buffalo wings, beer, quesadillas, and chips, during the Super Bowl Unilever thinks it’s found a flavor that will help them swallow a serious message.The company is sending its venerable Hellmann’s  mayonnaise back into the Super Bowl ad fray in a second effort to use the Big Game to get people at home to cut back on wasting food. In the ad, linebacker Jerod Mayo tackles people getting ready to toss out old food, telling them instead they can use Hellman’s to turn potatoes into potato salad. “Saturday Night Live” cast member Pete Davidson (and his mother) turns up at the end to drive the lesson home.“There is a bigger ambition here, a bigger mission, says Benjamin Crook, senior marketing director for Hellmann’s North America, in an interview.