Stream It Or Skip It: ‘Receiver’ on Netflix, a New Documentary Series Looking at the NFL’s Top Pass-Catchers

In the NFL, the quarterback is unquestionably the star. No matter how good a quarterback is, though, they can’t do a thing if they don’t have someone to catch their passes. Following the success of Quarterback, Netflix is presenting Receiver, a new eight-episode documentary series that promises to show the other side of the story with some of the NFL’s top wideouts.

RECEIVER: STREAM IT OR SKIP IT?

Opening Shot: “They say there’s not a more difficult position in sports than NFL quarterback,” voices Hall of Famer Peyton Manning–recognizable even before his face comes on screen–over a montage of passers dropping back and getting sacked. “But the truth is, throwing a pass is only half the story. With all due respect to offensive linemen, a quarterback’s best friend is this guy.” We see a highlight from Manning’s Indianapolis Colts days, airing out a pass that’s hauled in for a touchdown by Marvin Harrison Sr. “The receiver. The lightning-quick wideout, screaming down the field…” Before Peyton can go on too long, he’s interrupted by someone more appropriate for the season–Randy Moss, one of the greatest receivers of all time.

The Gist: As the name would suggest, Receiver is set to profile some of the best wide receivers in the NFL today. The show’s roster features five star pass-catchers: the Las Vegas Raiders’ Davante Adams, the Detroit Lions’ Amon-Ra St. Brown, the Minnesota Vikings’ Justin Jefferson, and the San Francisco 49ers’ Deebo Samuel and George Kittle. As Moss suggests in his intro, we’re following these five through the 2023 season “as they balance their daily grind with their pursuit of greatness”, through a mix of game footage and interviews with the players and their teammates.

What Shows Will It Remind You Of? There couldn’t be a more obvious parallel here, as Receiver is, by design, a carbon-copy of Netflix’s successful Quarterback. (I hope they keep this going long enough for us to get a series called Long Snapper.)

Our Take: There’s a popular tweet from a few years back, from Twitter user Denny Carter, that I think of when I think of the difference in personalities between quarterbacks and receivers. “Typical QB tweet: I love my teammates god is good! WR tweet: the enemy speaks kindly and holds a knife.”

Obviously, it’s exaggerated for comic effect, but it’s often true that NFL quarterbacks are, well, kinda boring in real life. This was evident in Netflix’s Quarterback, where–despite their great on-field success–we got confirmation that stars like Kirk Cousins are barely a step above cardboard cutouts in terms of personality.

Wide receivers, on the other hand, are often known for their big personalities–we’re talking guys like Chad Ochocino, Terrell Owens, Randy Moss, Antonio Brown, Odell Beckham Jr., and so on. If Netflix’s Receiver is to shine, in my opinion, we need to see some freakish intensity on display.

Thankfully, we don’t have to wait long. After segments in the first episode introducing us to the already-familiar George Kittle and Deebo Samuel, we jump to the Lions’ Amon-Ra St. Brown. He recalls a story from youth football, where he and his father learned that another player caught 200 passes a day from a JUGS machine–and so he quickly resolved to catch 202, a practice he’s kept up all the way into the NFL. He recalls his anger at being drafted in the fourth round in the 2021 NFL Draft, and suggests that he can remember all sixteen receivers picked ahead of him in that draft. He then proves it by reciting all sixteen names in order, and shows the handwritten list of those names that he keeps in a notebook and reads before every practice and every game. “Once I read that notebook, it’s on, let’s go.”

That’s the stuff!

If you’re familiar with Quarterback, then Receiver will be quite familiar–it’s a highly-polished mix of interviews, off-the-field reality-TV-ish segments and game footage. To an extent, it’s an extended advertisement for the players (and the league), but it’s a well-done advertisement, on par with the classic NFL Films segments and great catnip for avid football fans. Dropping it in July–when the season is a little under two months away–is a great way to get geared up early.

Sex and Skin: There’s some uncensored on-field language, but no sex.

Parting Shot: George Kittle celebrates his birthday on a party bus, shortly after a dominating victory over the hated Dallas Cowboys that saw him score three touchdowns and reveal a “F**k Dallas” t-shirt worn under his jersey, an act that earned him a $15,000 fine from the NFL. “I don’t regret it one bit,” Kittle recalls. “Not one bit. I might do it again if given the opportunity.”

Sleeper Star: While the high-energy, high-positivity, camera-friendly George Kittle seems to be the pass-catcher most poised for reality-television status (he and his wife Claire have their own line of eyewear under “the Kittles” brand), the real breakout star in the pilot episode has to be St. Brown, who’s got the hunger and intensity that future NFL legends are made of. He also shows off his fluency in German and a great sense of humor, the latter evident as he recalls an incident in Green Bay, where he celebrated a touchdown with a Lambeau Leap, only to be soaked in beer by an angry Packers fan.

Most Pilot-y Line: “I’m big on speaking things into existence,” George Kittle says, reflecting on his 49ers’ loss to the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LIV in 2020. “Otherwise, they might not ever happen.” We cut to him on the sideline in the waning seconds of that game, expressing his frustration in the moment. “I will be back here. I will be back here, and I will be back with a motherf***ing vengeance. You will not get the best of me, you will see.” It’s good drama!

Our Call: STREAM IT. If you liked Quarterback, then Receiver is a perfect follow-up–and if you didn’t, it’s got a roster far more interesting than the quarterbacks offered. For an avid NFL fan, it’s a great way to kill some time until the fall.

Scott Hines, publisher of the widely-beloved Action Cookbook Newsletter, is an architect, blogger and proficient internet user based in Louisville, Kentucky.