Many New England Patriots fans were disappointed by Apple TV’s “The Dynasty” docuseries, and a pair of franchise legends are right there with them.
The 10-part series, which chronicled the Patriots’ remarkable 20-year reign over the NFL, heavily emphasized negative storylines and controversies. Long-time New England safeties Devin McCourty and Rodney Harrison weren’t impressed with the results.
Patriots Legends Rip ‘The Dynasty’ Series for Being Too Negative
Apple’s show, directed by Matt Hamachek, certainly spends time on New England’s six Super Bowl titles and the combined greatness of Tom Brady and Bill Belichick. However, you could argue it spent more time on scandals such as Spygate, Deflategate, the Malcolm Butler Super Bowl benching, and the Aaron Hernandez saga.
If you went into The Dynasty hoping to gain a deeper understanding of how the Patriots were able to dominate for so long, you probably didn’t get what you were looking for.
“I felt like I got kinda duped,” McCourty said in an interview with Harrison, via Pro Football Talk. “I was like, ‘Man, this is gonna be great. Like the storytelling, we’re talking about this, and we’re talking about that.’ Everything that we all gave to the 20 years that it encompassed, it only hit anything that was negative.”
Harrison revealed he spent roughly six hours with the show’s producers, only for his role in the series to be reduced to a quote about New England’s ill-fated 2007 season.
“It didn’t tell the stories like, of me coming and Corey Dillion,” said Harrison, who joined the Patriots in 2003, one year before Dillon. “I interviewed for five or six hours while I was in New York, and all they had me saying was, ‘F— ’em all. F— ’em all.’ Like, that’s it!”
Devin McCourty and Rodney Harrison on The Dynasty series. pic.twitter.com/syG12yvmyA
— ProFootballTalk (@ProFootballTalk) March 19, 2024
Many fans and pundits have accused the show’s creator of painting Belichick in a bad light. And there’s undeniable merit to those claims, despite Belichick absolutely deserving scrutiny.
Harrison simply wishes viewers were taught more about aspects of Belichick’s greatness beyond the X’s and O’s.
“They act like the last three or four years, ’cause the Patriots have struggled, that Bill can’t coach,” Harrison said. “Bill made some mistakes. And he wasn’t always the nicest or the purest guy. But, at the end of the day, he always did whatever he had to do to make the team better. … He gave me an opportunity. … He gave Tom Brady an opportunity.”
Harrison added: “He gives guys who are the underdog an opportunity. No one talks about that. When everybody else is done with a guy, he brings in a Corey Dillion, he brings in a Randy Moss, he brings in a Rodney Harrison. And I just don’t think he got enough credit, enough respect, enough props. Man, this dude is the greatest coach of all time.”
Ultimately, reviewing The Dynasty is a subjective exercise. The show didn’t dive deep into the Patriots’ on-field brilliance, but that might not have been the mission statement.
However, there are some issues on the margins that are worth pointing out.
How The Dynasty Has Spawned Multiple Conspiracy Theories
In their attempts to discredit the series, fans have gone under the hood to find potential flaws and conflicts of interest. Whether the accusations are fair and/or relevant is up for debate.
Is The Dynasty a Robert Kraft Puff Piece?
You could make that case.
Why wasn’t there any mention of the allegations stemming from Kraft’s visit to a Florida day spa in 2019? Why does one of the episodes open with Rupert Murdoch, of all people, fawning over Kraft’s greatness? Why is zero time spent on rumors of Kraft meddling in football operations in recent years?
Why is “Kraft Dynasty LLC 2024” listed as the copyright holder at the end of the credits?
All fair questions.
In multiple interviews, Hamachek insisted Kraft didn’t have any creative control over the series. He also said Kraft Dynasty LLC 2024 is the copyright holder of a significant portion of behind-the-scenes Patriots footage used in the series — and nothing more.
Patriots fans will just have to take him at his word.
The Framing of Bill Belichick’s News Conference About Aaron Hernandez
Episode 6 focuses on Hernandez, who committed murder in 2013 and committed suicide in 2017. The episode is critical of Belichick, whom some claim turned a blind eye toward Hernandez’s increasingly problematic behavior.
At one point, viewers are shown a glimpse of Belichick’s news conference about Hernandez’s arrest and release from the Patriots. The episode makes it seem as if Belichick was dismissive of the topic and blew off reporters.
In reality, Belichick gave a lengthy opening statement and answered most questions. He steered clear of any questions on legal matters, as he should’ve. Really, Belichick did as good of a job as possible given the circumstances.
Strange Editing Choices
Editors have their reasons for doing things, and not everything is a conspiracy. Sometimes you take liberties to ensure the final product looks and sounds as good as possible.
But when is the line crossed?
MORE: How Patriots, Bears, and Commanders Feel About Trading Top Picks
WBZ-TV’s Michael Hurley noticed a questionable editing decision made in Episode 5. The production team took a Bleacher Report blog about Brady and Matt Cassell and made it look like like a local newspaper column.
I noticed this kind of garbage part in "The Dynasty." They took a 2009 Bleacher Report blog and tried to make it look like a real newspaper column. I found the original use of the real newspaper (Jan. 2002 Bruins AP recap above it). Why create fake media in a documentary? pic.twitter.com/UcG5Kgi6LG
— Michael Hurley (@michaelFhurley) March 1, 2024
You could argue this choice was made purely for aesthetic reasons. Newspapers just look better than screenshots of sports blogs.
However, you also could argue that a non-local sports blogger writing an anti-Brady column is a very different thing than a local newspaper reporter doing the same thing. It’s subtle, but the difference in messaging is real.
Why Was Nick Foles’ Name Edited Out?
This one’s kind of goofy.
In the original NBC broadcast of the Philadelphia Eagles’ “Philly Special” play in Super Bowl LII, Al Michaels mentions quarterback Nick Foles by name.
“And they’re gonna snap it, and it’s Trey Burton who throws, caught, Foles, touchdown,” Michaels said as the play unfolded.
Well, in The Dynasty, Foles’ name is edited out of the broadcast clip. Take a look:
I have uncovered an anti-Nick Foles conspiracy in this Apple TV show about the Patriots. pic.twitter.com/RRgrs4hvHK
— Todd Orodenker (@ToddO243) March 18, 2024
So, what gives?
Some believe Brady, still bitter over losing to the Eagles, asked the editors to remove Foles’ name. Maybe that happened; maybe it didn’t. The more likely explanation is the producers wanted a snappier edit for the montage, as Michaels did take an extra beat on his original call.
KEEP READING: Stephon Gilmore Considering Patriots Reunion
The bigger problem: For all the reasons listed above, The Dynasty might’ve lost the benefit of the doubt.
Miss football? The 2024 NFL Draft is almost here, boss. Pro Football Network has you covered with everything from team draft needs to the Top 100 prospects available. Plus, fire up PFN’s Mock Draft Simulator to put yourself in the general manager’s seat and make all the calls!
