Super Bowl 2020: The 10 Best Commercials During This Year’s Game

Another Super Bowl has come and gone, which means that another massive wave of Super Bowl commercials are now online for fans to enjoy. Some of the ads that aired on Sunday night were absolute tear-jerkers, some had viewers doubling over with laughter, and some just weren’t that good at all. As always, the Super Bowl delivered a mix of quality when it came to the commercials.

Regardless of how wide the range of outcomes may have been, there were still quite a few great ads that had people talking well after they aired during the game. Whether they were advertising self-parking cars or a specific flavor of Doritos, certain ads that played on Sunday night were just better than all the rest.

To celebrate those great ads, we’re going to count down the Top 10 commercials from this year’s Super Bowl, but we need to set some ground rules before we begin. First and foremost, we’re not going to include any of the sad commercials on this list. Yes, Google’s ad was beautiful in the most heartbreaking way, but we don’t want to experience that again, and neither do you. Second, we’re not counting any of the movie or TV trailers that aired during the game. There’s a separate article reserved just for those.

With those things in mind, let’s break down the Top 10 Super Bowl 2020 commercials, starting with the rebirth of a certain snack mascot at #10.

10. Planters

This entire Planters campaign ad is one of the weirdest things in recent memory. The company killed Mr. Peanut ahead of the Super Bowl only to resurrect him as “Baby Nut” thanks to the magical tears of the Kool-Aid Man? Top to bottom, this entire thing is insane, and honestly a little creepy.

However, thanks to the death of Mr. Peanut and the birth of Baby Nut, Planters has dominated social media conversation multiple times this year. Off-putting or not, this Planters campaign has been incredibly effective.

9. Bud Light

This ad for Bud Light and Bud Light Seltzer is basically a journey inside the mind of Post Malone via Pixar’s Inside Out. It’s a fun concept, especially when utilizing an artist who almost always elicits the “What is going on inside his head?” question anytime someone experiences him for the first time.

The commercial as a whole is pretty funny, but it rides the success of a fantastic idea. Not to mention that Posty’s hilarious delivery of “Got any pretzels?” is perhaps single greatest line in any commercial this year.

8. Little Caesar’s

This Little Caesar’s ad is all about telling people that the ever-affordable pizza company now delivers, an idea that the commercial argues is the best thing since sliced bread. Yes, you’ve heard that phrase a million times before, but Little Caesar’s took some time to show everyone just how “Sliced Bread” would react to the notion.

What this ad lacks in creativity it absolutely makes up for execution. There isn’t a soul on this planet who could sell this sketch better than The Office breakout Rainn Wilson, who channels his inner-Dwight Schrute for the panic-stricken performance.

7. Walmart

Walmart’s mobile order commercial wasn’t nearly as funny as the other entries on this list, but it makes up for its lack of laughs with its sheer spectacle. Every sci-fi movie fan in the world probably had at least one moment in this ad that caused them to gasp with excitement.

Star Trek, Star Wars, The LEGO Movie, Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure, The Guardians of the Galaxy, and so many other famous properties make an appearance in this ad to stop by Walmart and pick up some much-needed groceries. That said, as many great cameos as there are in this 60-second spot, not one of them tops the sight of the Mars Attacks! Martians returning to Earth. Men in Black‘s Frank comes close, but not nearly close enough.

6. Pringles

The only way this Pringles/Rick and Morty crossover could have been better is if it would’ve ended with the Season 4 midseason premiere date. We don’t know when Rick and Morty is coming back, but this ad provides a fun way to pass the time until we do.

Instead of simply utilizing the characters from the popular series, Pringles actually partnered with Adult Swim to create the 30-second ad, so it feels just like a tiny little episode of Rick and Morty. Rick watches TV, gets mad because Morty interrupts him, and uncovers the secret that he’s actually in another dimension with no real resolution at all. It’s exactly what we were hoping for.

5. Hulu

If you’re not a big sports fan you probably didn’t totally get what was going on in Hulu’s Live TV commercial. However, if you do keep up with the NFL, that Hulu ad is one of the most expertly-crafted troll jobs to-date.

The man in the ultra-serious-looking ad is Tom Brady, the championship-winning quarterback for the New England Patriots. Brady is older than most players in the league but still playing at a high level, and his future in football is uncertain given his age and what he’s already accomplished. For about 10-15 seconds, this commercial seems like a retirement ad for Brady (“They say all good things must come to an end”), only for the QB to turn things around, announce he’s not going anywhere, and talk about Hulu. It’s a perfectly-executed joke.

4. Doritos

There are two parts to this year’s Doritos Super Bowl commercial, and both are equally as funny. The one that aired during the actual game is the second half the whole story, and it features a dance-off between hip-hop sensation Lil Nas X and beloved actor Sam Elliott. Elliott’s mustache, one of the most iconic pieces of facial hair in entertainment history, actually dances on its own during the ad, an instant all-time Super Bowl commercial moment.

The first part of the ad, which was released online ahead of the game, shows Elliott marching into an old western saloon and reciting the words to Lil Nas X’s “Old Town Road” in a way that only Sam Elliott could. 

3. Jeep

If you get Bill Murray to appear in a commercial, chances are it’s going to be great. Jeep, however, wasn’t content with just landing the comedy legend. This car commercial is perfectly tailored to Bill Murray’s talents, gives viewers every ounce of nostalgia they’ve been hoping for, and could have literally only worked on this year’s Super Bowl Sunday.

Not only was Sunday the day of this year’s Super Bowl, but it also happened to be Groundhog Day. Combining the two events, Jeep’s commercial sees Murray reprise his character from the Groundhog Day movie, attempting to steal Punxsutawney Phil from captivity. It works on too many levels not to be an instant classic.

2. Rocket Mortgage

If you turned off the TV Sunday night thinking that Planters had the weirdest commercial of the entire night, you must have gotten up for food when Rocket Mortgage aired its ad. Long story short: Jason Momoa spends the commercial peeling off his “fake” bulk, revealing that he’s just an incredibly skinny, balding man who likes to be comfortable around the house.

Throughout the entire ad, Momoa continues to take off parts of his body, inducing more shock with each passing moment. What makes this commercial great, regardless of how creepy it may be, is Momoa’s willingness to strip away his sex appeal and get weird for a Super Bowl ad. Bonus points for his wife, actress Lisa Bonet, showing up in the final moment to out-lift him. 

1. Hyundai

Hyundai’s new Smart Park feature is pretty awesome, but not nearly as awesome as its wicked good Smaht Pahk commercial for the Super Bowl. Famous Bostonians Chris Evans, John Krasinski, and Rachel Dratch spend the entire ad going back and forth with their best and heaviest Massachusetts accents, and there’s even a cameo from Red Sox legend David Ortiz at the end.

This ad is simple, totally hilarious, packed with beloved celebrities, and gives viewers a catch phrase that won’t be going away any time soon. In other words, it’s an absolutely perfect Super Bowl commercial. Good luck not saying “Smaht Pahk” everytime you see a Hyundai or a Captain America movie for the next several years.