Sunday NFL Countdown: Story, Cast and Series Facts

Story and premise

Sunday NFL Countdown is a sports talk show that airs Sunday mornings during Football season where a panel of NFL experts discuss and breakdown the upcoming weekend games. This show's former names include NFL GameDay from 1985 to 1995, NFL Countdown from 1996 to 1997, and since 1998, Sunday NFL Countdown. This Sunday pregame talk show debuted in 1985 and soon became a signature ESPN series behind host Chris Berman, who was at the helm for three decades. Taking over that role is Samantha Ponder, a one-time college football reporter and contributor. She introduces the features and directs the storylines associated with the day's games, joined by a roster of analysts highlighted by ex-NFL players. Chris Mortensen and Adam Schefter deliver breaking news and injury updates, while reporters at game sites set the scenes.

Series details

• Title: Sunday NFL Countdown
• Format: Talk Show
• Language: English
• Genres: Sports
• Premiere date: 1985-09-07
• Status in TVmaze: Running
• Network listed by TVmaze: ESPN
• Network country: United States
• Typical episode runtime: 177 minutes
• TVMaze ID: 31986
• IMDb ID: tt1239156

Cast and credited roles

• Rex Ryan — Analyst
• Tedy Bruschi — Analyst
• Adam Schefter — NFL Insider
• Randy Moss — Analyst
• Alex Smith — Analyst
• Sal Paolantonio — Correspondent
• Mike Greenberg — Host
• Kimberley A. Martin — Reporter
• Jeff Darlington — NFL Reporter
• Erin Dolan — Sports Betting Analyst
• Dan Graziano — NFL Insider
• Lindsey Thiry — On-Location Reporter

Seasons in the TVmaze catalogue

• Season 1: premiered 1985-09-07; final listed air date 1985-09-07.
• Season 33: premiered 2017-09-03; final listed air date 2017-10-01.
• Season 36: premiered 2020-09-13; final listed air date 2021-01-03.
• Season 37: premiered 2021-09-12; final listed air date 2022-01-09.
• Season 38: premiered 2022-09-11; final listed air date 2023-01-08; episode order: 18.
• Season 39: premiered 2023-09-10; final listed air date 2024-01-07; episode order: 19.
• Season 40: premiered 2024-09-08; final listed air date 2025-01-05; episode order: 18.
• Season 41: premiered 2025-09-07; final listed air date 2026-01-04; episode order: 18.
• Season 42: premiered 2026-09-13; final listed air date 2026-11-01; episode order: 18.

Source and licence

Adapted from Sunday NFL Countdown on TVmaze. The synopsis is reproduced as plain text; catalogue facts, cast and season records are selected and reformatted. This adapted text is available under CC BY-SA 4.0, following the TVmaze API licence. Network and web-channel credits identify the service listed in this source; they do not establish current streaming availability.