A new Netflix sports documentary is waiting for you to binge watch The Receiver is the follow-up to last year's Quarterback and has already earned the #1 spot on Netflix's Top 10 Shows list

Given that we chose this sports doc as one of Netflix's top shows this week, it's perhaps not surprising that it's already at the top spot However, dominating the charts doesn't necessarily mean it's worth your time I played the first episode, “Great Expectations: Part 1,” to see if the show lives up to its hype

So is “The Receiver” for NFL fans or documentary buffs? Should everyone watch Netflix's latest hit show? Or is it a Netflix must-see? Let's get into what “The Receiver” is all about and what we thought of the first episode

Like “Quarterback,” “Receivers” follows the best players at their positions on and off the field throughout the NFL season

Well, that's not entirely accurate It focuses on some of the NFL's best wide receivers, including Davante Adams (Las Vegas Raiders), Amon-Ra St Brown (Detroit Lions), Justin Jefferson (Minnesota Vikings), and Deebo Samuel (San Francisco 49ers) Although the show focuses on tight ends, it also focuses on tight ends It's not Travis Kelce, aka Taylor Swift It's Samuel's teammate, George Kittle

Over eight episodes, the show follows the five receivers on and off the field as they make their way to the 2023-24 NFL season and Super Bowl LVIII in Las Vegas Whether or not any of the five receivers will punch their ticket to the Super Bowl by the end of Episode 8 will be a treat to watch, but if you're a football fan like me, you know “All Too Well” how the season ended

Mild spoilers follow

While there are plenty of touchdowns in the first episode of “Receiver” (George Kittle scored three in one game), the show is not just about what happens on the field In fact, it spends as much time on what happens off the field as it does on screen

This is a hallmark of recent Netflix sports documentaries All of them, such as “Formula 1: Drive to Survive ‘ and ’ Quarterback,” are careful to give fans a behind-the-scenes look at the lives of athletes In this first episode alone, we get a look at his father, their decade-long relationship, and what it was like when he was educated as a child by his large parents to be an elite receiver

As of now, there are few reviews on Rotten Tomatoes, but they are generally favorable One critic even called it “a great way to pass the time until fall”

Unfortunately, I respectfully disagree While the production is certainly polished from a production standpoint, it fails to get into the X's and O's enough The highlights of the match are simply a highlight reel You don't get a deep analysis of why the play was successful, what you did in training that led to the success of that moment, etc Brock Purdy tries to get analysis from Samuel after a big play, but even he can't win that battle

Off the field, things are not much better In this first episode, the Kittles family's lifestyle is not particularly engaging, and there is little mention of teammate Samuel's personal life While it is nice to dive into the personal life of Amon La St Brown, unfortunately the episode does not devote enough time to him, and the way the episode is edited kills the momentum that a single theme could have built up In this first episode we don't even meet two of the five receivers

So if you're bored and looking for something to get into this week, “The Receiver” is at least well enough done But apart from that, this sports documentary fails to approach the level of involvement and insight you get from the best sports documentaries You're better off skipping this Netflix show and streaming something else