The Puppy Bowl began as Super Bowl counterprogramming. Everyone’s watching football, so why not just throw a bunch of puppies on the screen and call it a day? Somehow, that worked not just as filler but as actual programming. The Puppy Bowl airs Sunday for the 15th straight year.
It is not live. The event is actually filmed over a week in mid-October at a studio in midtown Manhattan (“the entrance is directly across from Blarney Rock Pub” are the instructions I was given). Yes, these puppies are now approaching dog-hood and have already been adopted.
No matter! Still cute. I went to the Puppy Bowl, camera crew in tow, to try to find out what makes these puppies tick. Unfortunately, they were tight-lipped. Join me as I go backstage with a bunch of adorable puppies.