Super Bowl commercials are the rare ads people actually want to watch.
Each year, a handful of brands manage to break through the noise with spots that are smart, funny, or sincere — and sometimes, all of the above. The best of them linger in viewers’ minds long after their initial airing.
That said, these ads are rarely kept under lock and key until game day. Which is why, ahead of the February 8 rematch between the Seattle Seahawks and the New England Patriots — who last faced off in 2015 — TVLine is counting down the five best Super Bowl commercials of 2026: the ads America will be talking about if they haven’t already seen them by Sunday. These are the spots that nail the joke, stick the landing, and remind us why Super Bowl Sunday remains advertising’s biggest night of the year.
Did your favorite early releases make the cut? Hit the comments and let us know which ads scored big with you.
5. Raisin Bran (William Shatner)
At 94 years old, former “Star Trek” captain William Shatner — here rechristened “Will Sh@t” — needs a little extra fiber to help him, ahem, boldly go. The Kellogg’s commercial leans into Shatner’s legacy as James T. Kirk, reimagining the sci-fi icon as an aging space hero grappling with the realities of staying regular.
It’s a knowingly juvenile setup, but one that plays perfectly into Shatner’s willingness to wink at his own lore while encouraging the masses to eat their fiber. (When he’s first transported down to Earth, a surprised restaurant patron asks, “Will Sh@t?” To which the Sh@t Man replies, “Every darn day.” There’s also a Shih Tzu — because of course there’s a Shih Tzu in this pun-filled cereal ad.)
It helps that the spot doesn’t overstay its welcome, either. “I’m getting too old for this sh@t,” a sendup of Danny Glover’s iconic “Lethal Weapon” catchphrase, is a perfect button.
4. Hellmann’s (Andy Samberg & Elle Fanning)
If the return of Lonely Island digital shorts during the milestone 50th season of “Saturday Night Live” left you hankering for more crazed Andy Samberg, then Hellmann’s has the perfect song parody for you.
Last year, the sandwich condiment delivered a “When Harry Met Sally” reunion between Meg Ryan and Billy Crystal, who returned to their table at Katz’s Delicatessen to recreate the iconic “I’ll have what she’s having” scene from Rob Reiner’s seminal 1989 rom-com. This year, Samberg — who once gifted the world “D*ck in a Box” — slips into the role of Neil Diamond… actually, scratch that: Meal Diamond, fully committing to the bit with a mayo-centric rewrite of “Sweet Caroline” that leans into his long-standing knack for musical absurdity.
The spot doubles as a surprisingly sad ballad about Meal Diamond’s cursed existence — growing up without parents or friends, confined to a deli. As it turns out, he’s under a spell, and only if Elle Fanning agrees to marry him can he finally break free and leave. No pressure or anything.
3. Instacart (Ben Stiller & Benson Boone)
More than 30 years after Ben Stiller brought back-flipping fitness guru Tony Perkis to life in Disney’s cult classic “Heavyweights,” the comedian is cast as one half of a competitive disco-pop duo. His counterpart is Benson Boone, a gravity-defying pop star whose own commitment to the bit turns the ad into a contest of escalating physical bravado.
Stiller — now more commonly associated with his work as a filmmaker and as one of the creative forces behind Apple TV’s “Severance” — reminds us just how funny he can be as his European alter ego attempts to one-up Boone and, in turn, makes a crash landing.
We’re not sure anyone watching this Spike Jonze-directed spot will realize it’s promoting Instacart’s new Preference Picker feature. But there’s no denying that “Bananas” is a bop — an ear worm that’s sure to live rent-free in your head long after the final whistle on Sunday.
2. Comcast’s Xfinity (Sam Neill, Laura Dern & Jeff Goldblum)
Life finds a way. Or, in this case, Comcast finds a way to de-age Sam Neill, Laura Dern, and Jeff Goldblum. The trio reprise their iconic “Jurassic Park” roles as paleontologist Dr. Alan Grant, paleobotanist Dr. Ellie Sattler, and chaos theorist Dr. Ian Malcolm, digitally transported back into the original 1993 blockbuster for a playful “What if…?” scenario.
Only this time, instead of a catastrophic system failure, the park stays connected and secure thanks to Xfinity WiFi. With chaos averted, the trio is free to roam Jurassic Park as they always intended — gawking at dinosaurs, savoring the scenery, and enjoying an experience that was cut tragically short the first time around. It’s especially good news for InGen CEO John Hammond, who ultimately earns Grant’s seal of approval.
We’d go so far as to say this is the best “Jurassic Park” sequel since 1997’s “The Lost World.”
1. Pepsi (Taika Waititi)
Pepsi pokes the (polar) bear — and challenges America to rethink its favorite fizzy beverage — on Game Day. Directed by Taika Waititi, who also makes a brief cameo as Polar’s therapist, the ad hinges on a blind taste test that sends Coca-Cola’s longtime mascot into an existential crisis. It’s the biggest cheating scandal since last summer’s viral Coldplay kiss-cam moment, which makes the spot’s finale — featuring Polar and his lady friend on the Jumbotron — the perfect payoff.
It’s a deliciously diabolical concept. There’s a hint of Wendy’s-style social media mischief at work here — the kind of corporate trolling that knows exactly which buttons to push and when.
There’s also an extra layer of pointed craftsmanship. Pepsi relies on CG animation rather than artificial intelligence here, a choice that reads as another subtle jab at its biggest competitor, which recently ditched the bear and leaned on A.I. for its holiday ad.
