Momentum is everything in the world of pro sports, which the Kansas City Chiefs have had in spades over the past two years. And that’s not even counting Taylor Swift’s presence in the plus-one box.
After two consecutive Super Bowl wins and a firehose of unexpected publicity, the NFL franchise has been capitalizing wisely on that momentum – especially when it comes to expanding its brand in the entertainment space. Last week, the team announced it would follow up its zeitgeisty 2024 Hallmark original movie with a new digital series made in the style of a classic buddy comedy.
Christopher Meloni (of Swift’s beloved “Law & Order: SVU”) and comic actors Pete Holmes and Holly Robinson Peete will star in “The Magic Number,” set to air over multiple episodes on the Chiefs’ YouTube channel (the highest subscribed of any NFL team) beginning Jan. 14. Kansas native and Chiefs superfan Jason Sudeikis serves as narrator. Robinson Peete’s father-in-law, Willie Peete, landed his first assistant coaching job in the league with the Chiefs in 1984.
The team’s chief marketing officer Lara Krug tells Variety that its latest original production is part of an effort to “become storytellers” in service of its diehard fans, as the team yet again heads to the playoffs.
“We started on this content last year with our playoffs campaign last season, and the Hallmark film ‘Touchdown: A Chief’s Love Story,’ and we’re very grateful to be in the position to be in the playoffs again,” said Krug. “We try to pull in what is culturally relevant. Our mantra this year is to make magic, and this series achieves that.”
Holmes and Robinson Peete star as two friends looking for a third to complete their superfan set. Cameos abound, including a sizable part for Meloni.
“We didn’t have a previous relationship with him and this is obviously something very different from what he’s working on. He literally moved around his schedule and we found a way to do this with him in New York,” says Krug. “It’s a great example of how fans, even famous ones, want to engage with our club. Especially when it’s not the same story over and over.”
Holmes said that “comedy is kind of like my sports. There’s an athletic component to stand-up, especially in terms of competition. Everyone wants the best set or joke of the night.” The “Woman of the Hour” star also complimented “every Chiefs fan and player that I got to meet, it was a true delight. The vibe in the city was very contagious.”
The Chiefs previously collaborated with Skydance Sports on the Hallmark film, and Krug thinks the team will prioritize building a mechanism to continue producing originals. And yes, she says, the Taylor Swift effect is real.
“There are absolutely more eyeballs on us — from our performance on the field to everything that’s happened off the field,” Krug says. “Obviously, there are new younger female fans and that brings a ripple effect. We see stories of dads and their daughters watching together, entire families gathering around a Chiefs game. It’s only helped us evolve our content approach.”
