The Best TV Shows on ESPN

Every ESPN Show Ranked From Best To Worst

Showcasing over 20 shows from 2005 up until N/A, ESPN stands as a beacon of television excellence. Highlighting ESPN’s quality programming, The Ultimate Fighter and Highly Questionable stand out, premiering in 2005 and N/A. Explore our list of the top rated shows up to date from July 2025 that includes over 20 unique series.

  • Highly Questionable
    Highly Questionable (N/A)10.0

    Lively sports commentary with a rotating cast of columnists and commentators.

  • E:60
    E:60 (2007)9.5

    E:60 is a weekly investigative journalism newsmagazine show. It premiered on ESPN on October 16, 2007 at 7:00 p.m. ET, 4:00 p.m. PT. The show is one hour long. E:60 covers stories that relate to both American and international sports. Reporters from the network interview those surrounding the stories, and they also discuss what was involved in covering the stories. Many of the stories' subjects are of a serious nature, such as a story featured on the premiere show about Jason Ray, the student who portrayed the North Carolina Tar Heels' mascot Ramses, being killed after he was struck by a car. Reporters and contributors on the show include ESPN personalities Jeremy Schaap, Rachel Nichols, Lisa Salters, Jeffri Chadiha, Michael Smith, and Chris Connelly.

  • The Last Dance
    The Last Dance (2020)8.2

    A 10-part documentary chronicling the untold story of Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls dynasty with rare, never-before-seen footage and sound from the 1997-98 championship season – plus over 100 interviews with famous figures and basketball’s biggest names.

  • O.J.: Made in America
    O.J.: Made in America (2016)8.0

    The rise and fall of American football star, O.J. Simpson, from his days growing up in Los Angeles to his murder trial that polarized the country.

  • 30 for 30
    30 for 30 (2009)7.4

    30 for 30 is the title for a series of documentary films airing on ESPN, its sister networks, and online highlighting interesting people and events in sports history. This currently includes four "volumes" of 30 episodes each, a 13-episode series under the ESPN Films Presents title in 2011–2012, and a series of 30 for 30 Shorts shown through the ESPN.com website. The series has also expanded to include Soccer Stories, which aired in advance of the 2014 FIFA World Cup, and audio podcasts. This entry refers to the main Volumes of the series presented by ESPN

  • Tilt
    Tilt (2005)7.3

    Young poker players must navigate their past along with the best players in the world to win.

  • Basketball: A Love Story
    Basketball: A Love Story (2018)7.0

    'Basketball: A Love Story' is a series of 62 interconnected short stories that creates a vibrant mosaic of the game, featuring 165 exclusive interviews. The cast encompasses basketball's most prominent figures and explores the complex nature of love as it relates to the game.

  • The Bronx Is Burning
    The Bronx Is Burning (2007)7.0

    In the summer of 1977, New York was a city in crisis. Paralyzed by a citywide blackout, political strife, and the Son of Sam killing spree, the Big Apple was burning. Rising out of this troubled urban landscape to bring hope and inspiration came one of baseball's most storied franchises, The New York Yankees.

  • The Ultimate Fighter
    The Ultimate Fighter (2005)6.3

    The Ultimate Fighter is an American reality television series and mixed martial arts (MMA) competition produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) and Pilgrim Media Group currently airing on ESPN+. It previously aired for fourteen seasons on Spike TV. The show features professional MMA fighters living together in Las Vegas, Nevada, and follows them as they train and compete against each other for a prized six-figure contract with the UFC. The series debuted on January 17, 2005.

  • Pardon the Interruption
    Pardon the Interruption (2001)6.2

    Pardon the Interruption is a sports television show that airs weekdays on various ESPN TV channels, TSN, ESPN America, XM, and Sirius satellite radio services, and as a downloadable podcast. It is hosted by Tony Kornheiser and Michael Wilbon, who discuss, and frequently argue over, the top stories of the day in "sports... and other stuff". They had previously done this off-air in The Washington Post newsroom. Either Tony Reali or the uncredited "producer over the loudspeaker" serves as moderator for parts of the show, which is filmed in Washington, D.C.; Around The Horn also originates from the same studio.

  • Nine for IX
    Nine for IX (2013)5.7

    Nine for IX is the title for a series of documentary films airing on ESPN, celebrating the 40th anniversary of Title IX. The documentaries are being produced by ESPN Films in conjunction with espnW, and are intended to have the same creative, story-driven aspect that ESPN Films' other series, 30 for 30, has, with the series focusing on captivating stories of women in sports told through the lens of female filmmakers. The first film, Venus Vs., premiered on July 2, 2013.

  • Playmakers
    Playmakers (2003)4.8

    The series is a gritty ensemble drama about the off-field lives of a group of players on a pro football team and how they deal with the pressure of being on the professional level.

  • Around the Horn
    Around the Horn (2002)4.4

    Around the Horn is a daily, half-hour sports roundtable on ESPN filmed in Washington, D.C. It airs at 5:00 pm ET, as part of a sports talk hour with Pardon the Interruption. The show is currently hosted by Tony Reali.

  • The World's Strongest Man
    The World's Strongest Man (1977)N/A

    Athletes compete for a place in the World Finals.

  • Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest
    Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest (2003)N/A

  • The Pat McAfee Show
    The Pat McAfee Show (2017)N/A

    The Pat McAfee Show is a three-hour daily sports talk show hosted by WWE commentator and former National Football League punter Pat McAfee on ESPN, ESPN+, ESPN's YouTube channel, and McAfee's own YouTube channel. Only the first two hours air on ESPN; the final hour airs exclusively on ESPN+ and YouTube.

  • World Series of Poker
    World Series of Poker (N/A)N/A

    The World Series of Poker is a series of poker tournaments held annually in Las Vegas and, since 2004, sponsored by Caesars Entertainment Corporation. It dates its origins to 1970, when Benny Binion invited seven of the best-known poker players to the Horseshoe Casino for a single tournament, with a set start and stop time, and a winner determined by a secret ballot of the seven players.

  • Scripps National Spelling Bee
    Scripps National Spelling Bee (N/A)N/A

  • The Domonique Foxworth Show
    The Domonique Foxworth Show (2022)N/A

    With episodes every Monday, Wednesday and Friday during football season, ESPN and Andscape contributor Domonique Foxworth offers his unique perspectives on sports, the personalities surrounding it, and just about anything else he finds interesting.

  • Boardwalk & Baseball's Super Bowl of Sports Trivia
    Boardwalk & Baseball's Super Bowl of Sports Trivia (N/A)N/A