5 Things to Watch Other Than the Super Bowl: Bask in the Puppy Bowl Cuteness

We all need a break sometimes, and yes that even includes from the Super Bowl. Maybe as amped up as you are after making Super Bowl predictions, you need a little refuge from the hype.

Or maybe you want nothing to do with The Big Game and need to shelter yourself from the football of it all, even if for just a half hour. Either way, we have you covered with our 5 things to watch other than the Super Bowl.

📺 5 Things to watch other than the Super Bowl

There was a time long ago when major networks not airing the Super Bowl would create counterprogramming, often in the form of one-off specials of their most successful shows.

Halftime of the game was the specific target. It's hard to believe there was a period when the halftime show wasn't popular, as now many viewers tune in specifically for the performance and care little about the football before and after. There are also countless betting markets available to dive into while utilizing our Bad Bunny Super Bowl setlist prediction.

But those days did indeed exist, prompting networks to take advantage of the 20 minutes when millions were around their television set and channel surfing. The most famous example came in 1992, when FOX put together a special episode of In Living Color.

Sit back and allow the early 90s to ooze through your screen.

The NFL then acted swiftly to begin changing the halftime show into what it is today, with Michael Jackson as the headliner the next year.

Gems can be found within the reruns and marathons elsewhere still today though, which is our mission here. We want to find the alternate sources of entertainment that have little or preferably nothing to do with football. It's ideal, and a bonus, if there's a competitive element of some kind, or if you can learn something.

We're also mostly going for viewing during the game itself, with one notable exception for three hours of doggo fun that will keep you dreaming of puppies throughout the Super Bowl anyway.

📡 Best Super Bowl alternate programming

The top option features legendary cuteness, and it's forever the leading source for a non-football sanctuary.

1. Puppy Bowl (2-5 p.m. ET)

The Puppy Bowl has been the staple of alternate Super Bowl Sunday programming since 2005, with Animal Planet putting on the showcase of heart-melting pups every year.

Everyone wins here, because we all get to watch puppies run around, and they get adopted, with the latter the primary goal of the show.

Our Puppy Bowl watch guide for this year breaks down the intense matchup between Team Ruff and Team Fluff.

2. Bad Bunny and the halftime show: Rhythms of resistance (6 p.m. ET)

CNN has put together an original 45-minute documentary about Bad Bunny, his rise, and "what his presence on the NFL stage reveals about race, identity, capitalism and American culture."

The network is airing it a few times on Sunday, including once beginning right around kickoff of the Super Bowl. That's perfect timing for those interested in the halftime show and only the halftime show, and you want to get a deeper understanding of the megastar about to take the stage.

3. The Office (8:30 p.m. ET)

From when it's on at the dentist to any time it briefly brightens your day while doomscrolling, there's simply no turning down a rerun of The Office.

Keeping in the spirit of counterprogramming, in this episode on CMT Dwight's latest scheme is to capitalize on Thanksgiving traffic while making a hay festival in the Dunder Mifflin parking lot.

4. The Great American Baking Show: Celebrity Big Game Special (9 p.m. ET)

Many networks air some of their greatest hits during the game, and while that's true here, this rerun is from the not-so distant past and prior to the Super Bowl last year. It features a star-studded cast with Tony Gonzalez, DK Metcalf, and Arik Armstead, and the latter hooked me in instantly when he admits to being on a baking competition without ever baking once.

Come for the calamity that ensues for Armstead as he remains oblivious to basic kitchen safety, and stay for Gonzalez breaking a whisk.

5. Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown (three episodes, starting at 7 p.m. ET)

If you're already tuned to CNN after enjoying the Bad Bunny documentary, keep it rolling with the legend that is Anthony Bourdain. The network is showing the best scenes from seasons 5-7 of his show.

His culinary knowledge was nearly unmatched, as was Bourdain's sense of exploration and adventure. But there's a core yet simple quality we should all soak in from Bourdain: Curiosity, especially about places, people, and traditions far removed from your own.