AMC Networks released the trailer for “Rise of the 49ers” on Thursday, adding another entry to what’s become a crowded field of NFL dynasty documentaries. The four-part series premieres Sunday, Feb. 1, and Monday, Feb. 2 at 9 p.m. ET on AMC and AMC+, with two episodes airing each night.
The documentary covers San Francisco’s run from 1981 to 1995, featuring interviews with Joe Montana, Jerry Rice, Ronnie Lott, Steve Young, and Eddie DeBartolo Jr. It also uses rare NFL Films footage, including behind-the-scenes material of Bill Walsh and the team during that stretch.
Tom Brady, a San Mateo native and lifelong 49ers fan, appears throughout and executive produces through his Religion of Sports production company.
“So my family had season tickets to the San Francisco 49ers,” Brady says in the trailer. “That alone made me fall in love with football. I was Joe Montana throwing passes to Jerry Rice.”
Brady’s involvement goes beyond just being a fan who grew up watching the team. The 49ers were ready to make one final run at bringing him out of retirement before committing to Brock Purdy as their starter in 2023. Kyle Shanahan told Purdy that he’d be the starter unless Brady wanted to play one more season for his hometown team.
So instead of suiting up for the franchise he idolized as a kid, Brady’s telling their story.
“And in the end, they changed the city,” Brady added.
AMC Studios and Skydance Sports are co-producing with NFL Films and Religion of Sports, while Ryan Kelly and Nick Mascolo of NFL Films directed the series. AMC’s press release says it will examine how the 49ers “became a cultural unifier at a time of tectonic shifts in the Bay Area” as the region transformed into Silicon Valley and survived the 1989 earthquake.
About Sam Neumann
Since the beginning of 2023, Sam has been a staff writer for Awful Announcing and The Comeback. A 2021 graduate of Temple University, Sam is a Charlotte native, who currently calls Greenville, South Carolina his home. He also has a love/hate relationship with the New York Mets and Jets.