Super Bowl commercials have become as much a part of the big game as touchdowns and halftime performances.
This year’s lineup for 2026 brought a mixed bag of laughs, groans, and head-scratchers that had viewers talking long before kickoff.
From butt jokes to AI fears, celebrity cameos to woodland creatures, advertisers pulled out all the stops—some landing perfectly, others falling flat.
Here’s the definitive breakdown of what worked, what bombed, and everything in between.
Top-Tier Commercials That Delivered
Novartis Takes Medical Marketing to New Heights
Pharmaceutical advertising typically falls somewhere between boring and cringe-worthy. Novartis shattered that mold with “Relax Your Tight End,” a brilliant double entendre that had football fans doing actual double-takes.
The commercial cleverly played on NFL terminology while addressing a genuine health concern. More importantly, it managed to be actually helpful while being hilarious—a rare combination in Super Bowl advertising.
William Shatner Embraces Bathroom Humor
Raisin Bran’s “Will Shat” spot proved that poop jokes remain universally funny, regardless of sophistication level. The legendary actor leaned fully into the wordplay, delivering pun after groan-inducing pun.
Bathroom humor might be lowbrow, but when executed with this level of commitment, it becomes memorable gold. Shatner’s willingness to laugh at himself elevated what could’ve been juvenile into genuinely entertaining content.
Hellmann’s Serves Up Nostalgia
“Sweet Sandwich Time” hit different for fans of Brooklyn Nine-Nine and anyone who appreciates a catchy tune. Hellmann’s created an earworm that’ll have viewers humming for weeks.
The commercial balanced fun with product placement seamlessly. Instead of shoving mayonnaise down viewers’ throats, it invited them to associate positive feelings with sandwich-making moments.
Ben Stiller’s Instacart Performance
“For Papa! Instacart” showcased everything right about celebrity endorsements. Stiller didn’t just show up for a paycheck—he committed completely, nearly injuring himself in the process.
The throwback filming quality added authenticity that modern, over-polished commercials often lack. Viewers could tell everyone involved was having genuine fun, and that enthusiasm translated through screens nationwide.
Jeep Destroys Billy Bass
Car commercials rarely make highlight reels, but “Billy Bass Goes to the River” earned its spot. Anyone who’s endured that singing fish monstrosity at someone’s house felt deep satisfaction watching its demise.
Jeep understood its audience perfectly—people who appreciate both outdoor adventures and destroying annoying novelty items from the early 2000s.
Middle-of-the-Pack Efforts
Bud Light Borrows From Reality
The “Keg” commercial featuring people tumbling downhill tapped into the viral appeal of physical comedy. However, it paled compared to actual cheese-rolling competitions where participants risk genuine injury for dairy glory.
Watching people fall remains amusing, but Bud Light played it safe when they could’ve pushed boundaries further.
Xfinity’s CGI Problem
Jurassic Park callbacks should be automatic wins, yet “Xfinity: Jurassic Park … Works” stumbled into uncanny valley territory. Despite being 2026, digital de-aging technology still looks disturbingly artificial.
The concept had potential, but execution revealed how far CGI still needs to evolve before matching practical effects from decades ago.
Alexa Acknowledges AI Fears
“Scary Good” walked a tightrope between humor and legitimate technological anxiety. Amazon essentially admitted what everyone already knows—AI assistants are slightly terrifying.
Making light of surveillance capitalism might’ve seemed clever in the boardroom, but it left viewers uncertain whether to laugh or disconnect their devices.
Skittles Goes Weird
Elijah Wood as a Skittles-producing woodland creature? “Deliver the Rainbow” embraced absurdity fully, transforming the Lord of the Rings actor into something from fever dreams.
Skittles has built its brand on bizarre advertising, and this spot maintained that tradition without breaking new ground.
Commercials That Missed the Mark
RITZ Wastes Celebrity Power
“Island” demonstrated how throwing money at celebrities without a solid concept produces forgettable content. Zero laughs emerged despite presumably massive spending.
RITZ proved that star power alone cannot salvage weak creative direction.
TurboTax Gets Existential
“The Expert” attempted humor by suggesting taxes are worse than death. The problem? That’s not a joke—it’s just true, making the commercial depressing rather than funny.
Tax preparation software shouldn’t remind people why they dread April 15th.
Manscaped’s Gross-Out Fail
“Hair Ballad” featured singing clumps of body hair, which sounds exactly as unappetizing as it looked. Manscaped has produced clever content before, but this wasn’t it.
Gross-out humor works when balanced with wit; this commercial just felt gross.
Squarespace Beats a Dead Joke
“Unavailable” repeated its single joke past exhaustion, then kept going. Watching it once felt tedious; seeing it multiple times throughout the game became torturous.
Squarespace needed better website design for this concept.
Emotional Plays That Warmed Hearts
Not every commercial aimed for laughs. Several brands opted for heartstring-pulling instead:
- Universal Orlando: “Lil’ Bro” captured sibling relationships perfectly
- LAY’S: “Last Harvest” celebrated agricultural heritage
- Dove: “The Game is Ours” promoted inclusivity in sports
- Budweiser: “American Icons” delivered patriotic nostalgia
These spots traded humor for emotional resonance, targeting viewers who appreciate sincere messaging during commercial breaks.
The Verdict on Super Bowl Advertising
After years of disappointing commercial lineups, 2026 represented a genuine rebound. Brands demonstrated renewed willingness to take creative risks, embrace weird concepts, and trust their audiences’ intelligence.
The best commercials balanced humor with memorability—viewers will remember “Will Shat” and “Relax Your Tight End” long after forgetting who actually won the game. Meanwhile, the worst spots proved that celebrity cameos and massive budgets cannot compensate for weak concepts.
What made this year’s commercials work was authenticity. Whether through Ben Stiller’s commitment, William Shatner’s self-deprecation, or Hellmann’s catchy simplicity, the winners felt genuine rather than focus-grouped to death.
Conversely, failures like RITZ and e.l.f. demonstrated what happens when brands forget that entertainment value matters more than product placement. Viewers tolerate advertising interruptions only when compensated with actual entertainment.
As water cooler conversations continue analyzing these commercials, one truth emerges: advertising works best when it respects audience intelligence while delivering unexpected joy. The 2026 Super Bowl featured enough hits to justify the hype, even if several misses reminded everyone why DVR fast-forward exists.