The 2024 Super Bowl saw the Kansas City Chiefs beat the San Francisco 49ers in an overtime thriller. Do you care? Maybe! Maybe not! But if you’re visiting us here at Nerdist, we’re pretty sure we know something you definitely care about: the commercials. As always, this year’s batch of big game ads included plenty of duds, studs, and everything in-between. Which ones most appealed to pop culture lovers everywhere? These are the best nerdy 2024 Super Bowl ads and commercials.
“Can’t B Broken” – Beyoncé for Verizon
Queen Bey and Veep‘s Tony Hale got together to try and break Verizon since breaking the internet is harder than it seems. It’s not impossible, though. We know because this very funny commercial also doubled as prelude to Beyonce’s announcement of Act II, a new country album. It also got its own ad. All hail the Super Bowl Queen.
“The DunKings” – Ben Affleck, J.Lo, and Matt Damon for Dunkin’ Donuts
How do you like them donuts? We like them. We like them a lot. How could we not after Ben Affleck partnered with his wife J.Lo, best friend Matt Damon, and retired NFL quarterback Tom Brady for a ridiculous musical Dunkin’ Donuts commercial. Now we just need those DunKing track suits to go on sale.
“Talkin Like Walken” – Christopher Walken for BMW
Everyone thinks they can do a Christopher Walken impression. Everyone is both sort of right and sort of wrong. BMW leaned into that in a delightful ad where the real deal is forced to deal with bad Christopher Walken impressions everywhere he goes. (Note: We love this ad, but please don’t do this if you meet the legend himself.)
“Like a Good Neighbaaa” – Arnold Schwarzenegger and Danny DeVito for State Farm
State Farm went full action movie with one of the biggest action stars in Hollywood history. Only, Arnold Schwarzenegger’s couldn’t quite nail the pronunciation of the company’s tagline. For that they had to call in his old Twins co-star Danny DeVito, the true Agent State Farm.
“Mr. P” – Chris Pratt for Pringles
Chris Pratt’s mustache really did make him look like the Pringles Guy. So while we’re not sure a “Mr. P” movie would work, his commercial was at least the Super Bowl role of a lifetime.
Flashdance Remix – Jason Momoa, Zach Braff, and Donald Faison for T-Mobile
We wouldn’t expect to see Aquaman hanging out with some scrubs, but thankfully he did for this year’s Super Bowl. Jason Momoa continued to be the world’s largest human who is also willing to look very silly in a T-Mobile Flashdance homage. He got in on the musical fun with Donald Faison and Zach Braff.
Dina & Mita – Jenna Ortega for Doritos Dinamita
Our next big action duo is here and they are hungry. Jenna Ortega’s abuelas Dina and Mita turned their neighborhood into a big game chase when they missed out on the last bag of Doritos Dinamita.
“Don’t Forget” – Jennifer Aniston for Uber Eats
It’s all well and good to say you’ll be there for your friends. Except you can’t actually do that if you don’t even remember them. That’s what happened to Jennifer Aniston and David Schwimmer in their Uber Eats Super Bowl promo.
“Hello Down There” – Marty and Francesca Scorsese for Squarespace
Marty Scorsese might be the greatest American director of all-time, but he’s also a tremendous actor and unlikely TikTok star. Squarespace leaned into all of those aspects for their nerdy Super Bowl ad. First he partnered with his daughter Francesca on how to make a website. He then directed a very fun ad about aliens arriving to Earth. (The extended version is even better.)
“Having a Blast” – Aubrey Plaza and Nick Offerman for MNT DEW
Super Bowl commercials cost a lot, but you don’t have to overthink them. MNT DEW didn’t. They realized you can just put Parks & Rec stars Aubrey Plaza and Nick Offerman on dragons.
“Extraterrentrials” – Jeff Goldblum for Apartments.com
How bad is the housing crunch? Even aliens need help finding a place. For that they turned to someone who knows a lot about extraterestials, Independence Day star Jeff Goldblum.
“A Mountain of Entertainment” – Patrick Stewart for Paramount+
Patrick Stewart throwing a football head-shaped child while Creed plays and Lt. Dangle and Drew Barrymore look on? Paramount+’s “Mountain of Entertainment” should have also included a poet to capture the majesty of this ad.
“Wred Dragon” – Sir Anthony Hopkins for SToK Cold Brew
You want to make a memorable and nerdy Super Bowl ad? Hire an actor who only gives memorable performances. Then have him be Wrexham A.F.C’s mascot. That’s what SToK Cold Brew did with Sir Anthony Hopkins, who truly embraced his part as the “Wred Dragon.”
“Michael CeraVe” – Michael Cera for CeraVe Skincare
Some ads write themselves, but that doesn’t mean they’re not amazing. That’s the only word to describe Michael Cera’s commercial for CeraVe Skincare. He’s right: this was the perfect crossover opportunity.
