User Reviews

I'll give them credit because they do have some never before seen footage of my beloved New England Patriots which was cool to see. Also they get some tid bits of players prospective that nobody's heard but is this a hit piece to try and make certain players/coaches look bad? They focus way more on the negative and drama than they do on the actual teambuilding, tough front office decisions, game strategy, and player relationships. Seriously they skip right over Super Bowls seasons to focus on scandals and murderer stories. It does sometimes catch lightning in a bottle, but could be been better.

This was a very fascinating, informative documentary that allowed life-long fans to relive amazing moments while at the same time educate those unfamiliar with the greatest sports dynasty of all time. From humble beginnings, through controversies both real and imagined all the way until the bitter, inevitable end this series provides the viewer with a front row seat to all the ups and downs. My only disappointment is with many of the reviews disparaging this phenomenal documentary. To be a fan is natural and to "hate" a team that displayed consistent success at the expense of ones own team is understandable but, being unable to see past your own fandom to appreciate true greatness is unforgivable. True football fans will see the documentary for what it is: a recording of greatness as it rose and fell. Ignore the negatively of some of these reviews. They were written by fake football fans and bandwagoners who have allowed their bitterness to cloud their judgement.

A few reviewers wondered who this documentary is actually for. Obviously all the New Englanders and any Bill and Tom fans. Also, all New England and Brady haters, who are just waiting for the final episode to see the demise of the franchise without him and Bill (evidenced by their dismal record since he has left). And really, just anyone who cannot get enough of any football since the season is now over until August. Thus, it resonates with a lot of football fans.

I watched it just because I hated Brady, until he came to Tampa, and then I became an instant fan (I know, what a hypocrite). Thus, I wanted to see his emergence into becoming the GOAT that he is. Especially was it exciting reliving SB51--with that spectacular come-from-behind win against the Falcons (my team at the time--till I moved to Tampa) in overtime.

Yeah, they might be "cheaters," but you cannot win like they have by cheating the entire way. They just got caught is all (meaning most if not all teams cheat--they just have not gotten caught yet). In addition, it would not have been as big a deal had it been the Panthers (who actually need to cheat) or the Commanders.

All in all, I have enjoyed binge-watching the first eight episodes.

If you are a sane, intelligent adult sports fan who watched the entire dynasty as it was happening there's no possible way you could give this a bad rating.

If you are a sane intelligent person who studied the history of this dynasty, there's no possible way you could fail to appreciate what the Patriots organization did in the Kraft/Brady/Bill era and how great it was presented in this documentary.

Quarterback is clearly the most important position in the most dangerous complicated popular sport on the planet. Quarterbacks not only have to be good at their position, but they also have to be inspirational leaders. Players have to want to be on your team because they believe that they can win. Players will play harder for them if they believe they have a chance to win it all year after year. No one transcended the expectations more than Tom Brady. He was also good enough to be a head coach in his ability to thoroughly master exactly what was going on with his own playbook and scheme, but also what to expect from all other teams.

When Brady, as a rookie, told Kraft that he was the best decision the organization ever made, he was exactly right. Not because he could see into the future, but because he knew how much he wanted to win, and he knew that he was going to work as hard as he could for as long as he could, no matter what, to make it happen. He knew he was going to do the work! And that's exactly what he did. He epitomized what it was to be the greatest player - in the greatest, most difficult and dangerous team sport - for almost a quarter of a century as an NFL player.

I loved watching the NFL when Brady was in it.

It was a great ride.

There are episodes (like the Jordan doc) that make watching this series captivating. Whether you're a fan of the patriots or not this documentary is totally worth watching.

Know going in that the Kraft family essentially manipulated this, specifically with all their access. So above everyone else, billionaire Robert Kraft gets his say, and the last word.

But the curtain being pulled back on the Patriots' dynastic run is fascinating. Bellicheck's relentless drive to win at all costs. The punishing years long pursuit of championships. Brady's maniacal will to win, also at all costs. The question everyone debates: was it Bellicheck or Brady? Answer: neither one. Actually both PLUS Kraft who managed to keep them together.

The Aaron Hernandez murder scandal, the deflate-gate scandal, the spy-gate scandal, the ego and prideful infighting between Brady and Bellicheck.

It's all there. It's obvious how the documentary wants to steer your thinking: Bellicheck's ego blew it up. And it did. But it was also Brady. AND Kraft. Bellicheck benched Malcom Butler in the Super Bowl. Ego? Maybe. Questionable? Absolutely. Was it him demonstrating that Brady couldn't win it all by himself? Possibly, even though Brady threw for over 500 yards in that game. Brady had his own office (not revealed in the documentary) and snuck his personal trainer into the Patriot camp. Subverted the strength and conditioning training of the organization because he was convinced that his way was better. He engineered (through Kraft) getting rid of Garropolo because he didn't went the competition. So there's some ego at play there too.

Kraft is the mastermind that created an invigorated organization that hadn't existed before. He assembled a lot of the pieces. He was also the Great Enabler. He coddled Hernandez. He created a separate safe haven for Brady and his wife, to complain about Bellicheck. He allowed Bellicheck to coach (govern?) without any checks or balances. It seems like Kraft wants it both ways: he's the genius, benevolent benefactor, but didn't know anything about any of the bad or questionable things that took place. There has to be some acceptance of accountability in there somewhere.

So Kraft gets a lot of credit, he also deserves a lot of the blame.

Bellicheck? He cheated, got fined, and never apologized. Brady? He cheated too. Suspended, never owned up. Bellicheck was a dictator. Brady was a sensitive diva who wanted complete protection from...Bellicheck.

You can argue that Brady left the organization and won a Super Bowl with the buccaneers, so it was all him. No. The Tuck Rule mismanaged call won him his first championship. Adam Viniteri won three in the last, or near last plays of the respective games. Pete Carroll gift wrapped one win by making the worst playcall in Super Bowl history. Bellicheck won championship number 6 on his outrageous decision to completely change the defense to thwart McVay's Rams.

A year after the Bucs won it all, it all fell apart. They won the division with a losing record and got blown out in wild card weekend.

Bellicheck got the Pats to the playoffs in his first year without Brady. Then the wheels came off.

What the documentary misses, and Kraft ignores, is what Bellicheck said at the beginning (and then forgot)...it's all about the team, and no one person is more important than the team.

Too bad that all three men, who achieved something amazing together, didn't understand that until it was over. And it seems as though they may never truly see their own roles in the deterioration of a uniquely special time.

The vast majority of my football-watching life to this point occurred during the Bill Belichick & Tom Brady New England Patriots dynasty. As such, this Last Dance-style sports doc was always going to hit the nostalgic sweet spot for me. Filmmakers Matthew Hamacheck & Jeff Benedict are largely able to transcend the "nostalgia grab" narrative, however, by featuring excellent production values and one-on-one interviews with key Patriot figures that are as enlightening as they are sometimes exceedingly strange.

The Dynasty examines exactly that--the New England football dominance of 2001 through 2018. Quite literally every main event of that time period is covered through the prism of old TV footage, sit down interviews with the figures themselves, and color commentary from NE or national reporters. There will likely never be another dynasty rivaling the one created by Brady, Belichick, & owner Robert Kraft, and this ten-part series examines it all.

For the most part, I'd call this a pretty fair examination of the "Patriots Way", so to speak. They are hit hard on the Spygate scandal, the mismanagement (which led to tragedy) of the Aaron Hernandez situation, and Belichick's slide into utter arrogance towards the end. At the same time, the team's remarkable resiliency through it all is chronicled step by step.

Of course, to get the "big hitters" (Brady, Kraft family, Bill, other key players) to participate whatsoever there were a few seeming concessions made. The narrative here about "Deflate-gate" is poo-poo'd almost to minimization levels, and the elder Kraft is often portrayed as the "white knight" of the whole shebang despite off-gridiron scandals and chumminess with NFL commissioners that are never even hinted at. But all in all, a relatively small price to pay for on-the-record cooperation.

The strange--and often outright hilarious--piece of "Dynasty" is Bill Belichick's participation (or lack thereof). He does not have one insightful or constructive comment on anything asked of him. The now-former Patriots head coach simply refuses to engage--either playing to his stereotype or actually living it to fruition. As such, he is painted (rightfully or wrongfully who can tell) the villain of the piece simply due to his reticence towards any sort of candor.

Overall, I enjoyed "Dynasty" and more often than not had both Friday night episodes binged before my head hit the pillow! I can't quite give it the full 10-star treatment--mainly due to Belichick's odd presence and the Deflate-gate "hatchet job" episode--but it was a treat to re-live (through the lens of 20+ years of history) the entire saga of the dynastic New England Patriots.

I've only seen a few sports documentaries over the years, but I'm glad I caught this one. "The Dynasty" allows us all to peek behind the curtain and to see the rise and fall of the patriots dynasty. This show gives an inside look at how Robert Kraft, Bill Billichick, Tom Brady and company, all established themselves as champions, as well as the struggles they all dealt with over the years. It's important to note how much of a role ego plays in an arena of this stage. But it's also worth remembering that we're all human and could've made the same mistakes or choices. What's most fascinating is reliving those moments from the players', staff's, and management's perspectives. All in all it was a nice trip to the past and it was a pleasure to be part of their journey.

I see a lot of review bombing going on and I really don't know why. This documentary is exceptional and I think people are letting their emotions get in the way. If you have Apple TV+ and are even remotely aware of the NFL, this should automatically go to the top of your list.

Many former players (Devin McCourty & Rodney Harrison on record) each interviewed for hours, telling their experiences and inside stories of the making of the greatest NFL dynasty in the history of the sport. Yet the writers/directors decide that their agenda to focus on the negative aspects of the team and its coaches will take precedence over the experience of those players. What a travesty.

This could have been a tremendous revelation of how the inside events of the team became the juggernaut that went to 9 Superbowls in 18 seasons. Instead they rehash the false information that became "Deflategate". What an insult to fans of the game. Bill Belichick, as imperfect a man as he is, put together a series of teams that accomplished unparalleled continued success in a time when every other team in the league would experience the highs and lows of the free agent process. Nothing really said about that. During a time when most teams' players fall prey to the "Me first" mentality, Belichick gets his players to invest themselves into a "Team first" concept, and experience the success that it can bring. The series doesn't say much of anything about that either. The makers of this series have completely missed the boat. I guess we should have realized what was coming when early in the series the writer confesses that he's always been a Dolphins fan. Should have turned it off right then.

Why wasn't Charlie Weis or Romeal Crennel interviewed. Director had a mission to paint a certain picture. Belichek is still the GOAT. The interviews of players were great but their entire interview "the positives" were not shared. The rating of 8+ is not from Pats fans. I was so excited to watch this bit left so disappointed. The a good doc. The director wanted to stress the negatives whereas 20 years of dominance during a free agent era is profound. Get it right! Harrison, McCortty, Edelman, Slater and Scarnecchia have all shared their thoughts. Believe them before watching this hoax. All in all, Apple should be ashamed.

I was really looking forward to this, The twenty years of unprecedented success of my beloved New England Patriots, but how disappointed I was after each episode.

This Series was produced by the Kraft Family & was a complete character assassination of Head Coach Bill Belichick & a love note to "Tommy".

The Patriots second and third Superbowl victories vs the Panthers & Eagles were completely overlooked whilst the Scandals & Losses were heavily focused on.

I lost all respect for owner Robert Kraft after this, Funnily he omitted his own massage parlour Scandal from the documentary but was happy to insinuate Aaron Hernandez murder victims would still be alive if it wasn't for Belichick.

Tom Brady Love in.

Bill Belichick hatchet Job.

Kraft Mr good guy holding a dynasty together.

One day I hope for Coach Belichicks version of events.

I am a football fan since around the time this unparalled dynasty began. Not a fan of the team but I Iived through all of it.

The documentary is produced by Robert Kraft (the owner of the team) and so it is no wonder that I felt like I am watching state television. The doc dives hard into the beginning of him buying the team, the QB Tom Brady (who Kraft has almost a father-son-relationship with) and the major stories, of which most center around some bad decision the coach Bill Belichick made.

Two points on this: 1. Who doesn't like a little drama? Fine for me but there is almost no new information which the average NFL fan is not aware of. Nothing to see here other than just living through it again.

2. Putting into perspective that we are looking at 20 years of team history that is mentioned here, you would have to think that it is remarkable that the coach caused only these few instances of drama. Some other stories are just unfortunate and unlucky.

What's missing here? Football.

You only here a litte about the brilliance of arguably the best coach in football history. You also don't here much from the players. Patriots players have said themselves in interviews that almost all positive points and true football stories were left out. What was left was merely a few comments on the drama.

It is unfortunate that this story of the Patriots dynasty is not told in full.

What this doc wants you to believe is that the owner and the quarterback are the greatest and the coach was just there for the ride.

Why can't it say that they were all great in exactly what they did?

A great owner. The greatest coach. The greatest quarterback.

1 star for an obvious smeer campaign against the coach. Shameful! He helped you get 6 championships! The team would have been average at best without him.

I'm sorry but there is no way this documentary has a genuine rating of 8.9. Who is this for? It's not for football fans, or even sports fans. It's closer to real housewives of The Patriots. They never focus on the defense really or offensive line which doesn't even get mentioned. It's so clearly a hit piece documentary against Bill. It props up Kraft to this genius for taking a huge risk lol hiring the architect of the best defense of the Giants and doing revolutionary stuff in Cleveland, just didn't have the support or players. Then it puffs Brady up more than needed, the truth about Tom is brilliant enough, why make it fiction. Tom Brady Sr being the second lead in the episode about the Cassell year is absurd. They should've had the balls to call it Kraft and Brady not Dynasty. A team based on doing your job and being a team not an individual is the most selfish documentary I've ever seen.

This documentary had a lot of potential, because it opened really strongly with a lot of great content on the 2001 season and that first Super Bowl (I was too young then to really know most of this stuff). However, this documentary is lacking in football content and spends WAY too much time talking about stupid gossip and drama.

• Skips over entire Super Bowls (Panthers, Eagles 1, Giants 2), and barely any content on the Seahawks game, but 3 whole episodes on the 2001 season

• Completely skips entire seasons

• Focuses more on stupid scandals than the actual team and football. I'm so sick and tired of hearing about scientifically-disproven Deflategate and the Aaron Hernandez murders. Sitting through those segments all over again was a sufferfest. If you want to watch regurgitated fake sensationalist news and he-said she-said BS typical of the garbage media we have in this country, then have at it.

• Paints Bill really badly. I'm not saying the man was perfect, but it makes it look like everyone hated him and it really feels like a bit of a hit piece of me. I felt this way before learning it's a Robert Kraft funded piece.

• Brady is the GOAT but there is just way too much focus on him, especially for a documentary about being selfless for the greater good of the team.

I'm through 6 episodes this far, and I have two issues.

First, I can't tell who the audience is intended to be. There's almost no context to allow someone unfamiliar with this team over the last 25 years to get a good picture of who the Patriots were during this stretch. They basically only introduce two players: Brady and the QB he replaced (Bledsoe). They don't even bother telling us about how awesome the defense was in those early years. They interview a couple defenders, but don't show their abilities; they're only there to tell the story of Brady, Belichick, and Kraft. There's no details during games like score, stakes, down, nothing. There's no sense of the importance of any game whatsoever. Even the undefeated regular season in '07. Wouldn't it make sense to mention that only one team in the NFL's history ever went undefeated and won the Super Bowl? And it's not like they ran out of time - episodes 5 and 6 are 30 minutes each.

Second, it feels like it's very biased towards owner Robert Kraft. In episode 6 (focusing on Aaron Hernandez and being charged with murder), at one point they basically insinuate that if Belichick had traded Hernandez to the west coast (as he requested), that the whole situation could've been avoided. If anyone's unfamiliar, there's been quite the rift between Kraft and Belichick the last few years.

So the tl;dr is that this feels rushed to get it out right after Kraft fired Belichick, and as a result of rushing, lacks a ton of fundamental production/editing qualities to make this hold up to any of the recent docuseries. Maybe it needed 10 years to have a better perspective on the whole thing. Too bad.

Awful documentary. They had the opportunity to make something like the Last Dance, instead they ONLY focus on the scandals without exploring the the players, the critical games etc. The 7th episode which focuses on the 2014 season makes no mention of the Monday night rout to the Chiefs, the on to Cincinnati or even the amazing divisional against the Ravens. Heck even the Seahawks super bowl, one of the greatest games with one of the greatest plays is covered literally for like 3 minutes. Overall there is very little football insight into one the greatest coaching minds and the greatest quarterback, very disappointing.

Absolute crap. Nothing new revealed here. No insight about any of the scandals but more importantly nothing about how the defense held it together when offense was still finding their way under Brady.

No one will ever know why Belichick kept Butler out of the Eagles Superbowl.

If you are going to make a dynasty docuseries, dig deep and come up with some spotlight material that no one has ever heard before. Taking the easy way out is lazy journalism but I get it, it sells.

Or analyze why the cheating scandals had an affect on the dynasty. Or analyze why their zone defense always snuffed out the opponent or how Brady reading defenses could always get is mark. Lazy, lazy film making.

This is a great documentary for outsiders or people who only look for drama or storytelling, where facts, history, and key points are iorgned. If you don't care about what actually happened to make these 2 different dynasties formed over a 20 year span, and are ok with it being misrepresented, while under-produced., then this is for you. Glossing over key points in each of the 2 sections of the dynasty runs (2001-2004 and 2014-2018), is either intentional or a massive oversight by the producer. Either way, it was incredibly disrespectul and very thin on the actual substance as to what made those teams so legendary in a salary cap league., which of course are the PLAYERS coached selected and coache by Belichick himself. Their successes have never been seen before in N. American sports history, certainly in the modern NFL, where you aren't suppose to form dynasties, and may never be seen again. A new production is needed that commands more than just 10 episodes and under 10 hours total. It's not enough for 20 years of time. One episode covered 3 seasons and was only 33 minutes and they played in 1 SB during those 3 seasons, not even mentioningn it. Minboggling. As a fan of the team and someone who has a photographic memory who knows what is missing, I could have done a better job producing this. Good job sourcing 1st hand interviews, but there weren't enough and those were overshadowed by the production approach which was very poor.