There’s been many great dynasties throughout the NFL‘s 103-year history. It seems fair to suggest that the best among them was the New England Patriots.
Led by quarterback Tom Brady and Bill Belichick, the Patriots won an unprecedented six Super Bowl championships from 2001 to 2018. Both of the aforementioned figureheads are more or less entrenched as the best ever to practice their respective crafts.
Brady retired following the 2022 season. The Patriots have moved on from Belichick, and it appears likely that 2024 will mark his first season out of football.
After a two-decade run of dominance, it finally appears safe to do a retrospective on the league’s preeminent dynasty. In fact, Apple TV+ recently took the liberty of doing just that with the recent release of “Dynasty: New England Patriots.”
How To Watch “The Dynasty: New England Patriots”
The new series premiered with two episodes on Friday, Feb. 16. Two more episodes of the 10-part docuseries will be released weekly each Friday from now through mid-March. It’s available to stream exclusively on Apple TV+. Director Matthew Hamachek is likely best known for “Tiger,” a 2021 biopic he did for HBO Max on famed golfer Tiger Woods.
Based on the brief synopses of each episode, per Apple.com, it appears to follow each leg of this now-storied dynasty chronologically. The two episodes released on Friday cover the Drew Bledsoe injury, which opened the door for little-known Tom Brady to enter the starting lineup, and the memorable “Snow Bowl” playoff game which is often referred to as the dynasty’s true starting point.
Let's start at the beginning.
First two episodes of The Dynasty: New England Patriots are now streaming. pic.twitter.com/iabcbz9sHZ
— Apple TV (@AppleTV) February 16, 2024
Other memorable storylines covered in the series will include “Spygate,” “Deflategate,” the Aaron Hernandez saga, and the unforgettable 28-3 comeback New England staged against the Atlanta Falcons in Super Bowl LI.
The series features guest interview with a number of the preeminent names associated with the franchise in that era, including Brady, Belichick, Bledsoe, Tedy Bruschi, Randy Moss, Rob Gronkowski, Robert Kraft, and Roger Goodell.
There are also guest appearances from notable celebrity Patriots fans such as Bill Burr and Jon Bon Jovi. The aforementioned director, Hamachek, spoke to Boston.com in a recent interview about what it was like to speak with so many insightful former Patriots players.
“When you think about it, it’s amazing the number of guys who came through that building who are on TV now and who are great storytellers,” Hamachek said. “Tedy [Bruschi] is on TV, Randy [Moss] is on TV. Devin McCourty is on TV. I’m sure Matt Slater is going to be on TV whenever he’s done. They’re all such fascinating people.”
When listening to Hamachek describe the project, it’s clear this was a labor of love — an ode to a great dynasty and a great story, one that spans the length of several decades. And one that the ambitious director says should appeal to any audience, not just those who are fond of football.
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“But I think we do it in an incredibly nuanced, careful way. Because nothing is binary in that story or in any great story. It’s not just this one thing that happened, and everything fell apart. It was over the course of 20 years. You think about any relationship that lasts 20 years — it’s incredibly complicated. And the fact that they sustained it for so long is remarkable.”
“I think whether you think you know everything about the Patriots or you could care less about football, this story is for you.”
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