Cars have long held an important place in TV and film history, whether it’s James Bond’s Aston Martin, KITT from Knight Rider, the Ghostbusters’ Ecto-1, Doc Brown’s DeLorean from Back to the Future, the A-Team’s van, or, of course, the Batmobile. But in recent years, cars have expanded beyond cop shows and classic movies to become their own independent genre.
Film franchises, sitcoms, procedurals, docuseries, reality series, you name it — there’s one about a vehicle. It’s easy to be overwhelmed by the plethora of viewing options, so we’ve gassed up, sped through the queue, and selected 12 car-related series worth slowing down for. Buckle up and keep reading for our recommendations.
If you want to witness some real rags-to-riches stories, then watch what Mark Towle and his masterful crew at Gotham Garage can pull off on Car Masters: Rust to Riches. Set in Gotham’s Temecula, California, garage, this reality series finds Towle, Gotham owner and mechanic, and his team restoring an eclectic collection of classic cars and giving them modern makeovers in hopes of flipping them for an impressive profit. Season 5, released in December 2023, features Towle, Tony Quinones, Constance Nunes, Shawn Pilot, and Michael “Caveman” Pyle working their magic on a Ferrari 360 Spider, a ’69 Chevelle, a Harley-Davidson Dyna, and even a Tesla.
Fans of comedy, cars, and coffee rejoice! The non-traditional, on-the-go talk show gives creator, director, and host Jerry Seinfeld the chance to hang with his famous friends via a hot beverage and a fancy drive. Each installment begins with Seinfeld picking up a celebrity guest in a vintage car that was selected specifically for them. The two then head to a restaurant or café for a laugh-filled chat about comedy before eventually making an impromptu second stop. Seinfeld’s loaded roster of interviewees includes Larry David, Ricky Gervais, Alec Baldwin, Carl Reiner, Mel Brooks, David Letterman, Chris Rock, Don Rickles, Jay Leno, Tina Fey, Howard Stern, Jon Stewart, Kevin Hart, Amy Schumer, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Jim Carrey, Trevor Noah, Stephen Colbert, Will Ferrell, Steve Martin, Garry Shandling, Lorne Michaels, Kristen Wiig, Norm Macdonald, Jerry Lewis, Eddie Murphy, John Mulaney, Jamie Foxx, and Barack Obama. Do you realize how much caffeine that is?!
After famously playing delivery driver Doug Heffernan on the long-running sitcom The King of Queens, Kevin James transitioned to a radically different world of drivers with The Crew. From The Ranch producer Jeff Lowell and James’ Paul Blart: Mall Cop 2 director Andy Fickman, The Crew stars James as Kevin Gibson, the crew chief of NASCAR team Bobby Spencer Racing, whose job is turned upside-down when longtime owner Bobby Spencer (Bruce McGill) steps down and cedes control to his millennial daughter Catherine (Jillian Mueller). NASCAR drivers Austin Dillon and Ryan Blaney are among those who make appearances, and rounding out the main crew in James’ workplace comedy are Cobra Kai’s Dan Ahdoot, Tony nominee Sarah Stiles, Boston Legal’s Gary Anthony Williams, and Peacemaker’s Freddie Stroma.
The reality series Drive Hard: The Maloof Way introduces the Maloofs, a family of stunt drivers and gearheads who use their skills and passion to build high-tech, powerful car engines and perform even more high-tech, crazy stunts. The patriarch of Maloof Racing Engines is the colorful and dedicated Sammy Maloof, a prolific racer and stunt driver who has worked on multiple Fast & Furious movies, and many more besides. Maloof and his daughter Hannah, who he trained to follow in his footsteps, will be familiar to fans of other Netflix car content, considering the duo previously appeared together on the 2018 series premiere of Fastest Car. Well, it doesn’t get much faster than the Maloofs.
Following the epic success of Formula 1: Drive to Survive, the women of the sport are speeding into the spotlight with F1: The Academy. Produced by Hello Sunshine — the production company founded by Reese Witherspoon — the seven-part series goes inside the female racing league, led by managing director Susie Wolff, a former professional driver and the first woman to participate in a Formula 1 weekend in 22 years. As the racers break barriers, the series also delves into all the rivalries and victories that pave the road to greatness.
When you think of cars in pop culture, you think Fast & Furious. But the blockbuster franchise hasn’t just provided laughs, incredible action and slick vehicles on the big screen. Executive produced by Fast masterminds Vin Diesel, Neal H. Moritz, and Chris Morgan, the animated spin-off Fast & Furious Spy Racers tracks the adventures of a different, younger Toretto: Dom’s (Diesel) teenage cousin, Tony, as voiced by Teen Wolf alum Tyler Posey. Over six seasons, Tony and his own vehicular family are recruited by Ms. Nowhere (Hamilton’s Renée Elise Goldsberry) and a government agency to go on undercover missions and infiltrate dangerous criminal organizations. In addition to Posey, Spy Racers has featured appearances from both Vin Diesel and his daughter, Similce Diesel (obviously, Fast runs in the family).
While Formula 1 has long been a mainstay on the international sports stage, it wasn’t until this reality series drove onto the scene that it felt like the European association truly arrived in America. Premiering in 2019, Drive provides a behind-the-scenes look at racing seasons, taking fans inside every team — including the storied Ferrari and Mercedes — and showing the lives and preparation of the drivers, owners, and managers. The series has been credited with helping the sport’s popularity explode in the US, and its seventh season raced onto screens in March 2025.
This reality competition comes from Oscar winner Charlize Theron, whose on-screen racing résumé includes The Italian Job, Mad Max: Fury Road and her ongoing scene-stealing turn as cyber-villain Cipher in the Fast & Furious franchise. Executive produced by Theron, the 10-episode series finds 28 elite street racers from around the world facing off as they attempt to navigate an obstacle-filled course. Expect plenty of crashes, triumphs, and drama in Hyperdrive, which Theron has compared to a combination of American Ninja Warrior and Fast & Furious. Tune in to see if these competitors also go to space.
Premiering in early 2022, the docuseries Race: Bubba Wallace features an up close and powerful look at the last few years for Bubba Wallace, the only Black full-time driver in NASCAR’s Cup Series. While Race documents what happened inside the car for Wallace during the 2020 and 2021 seasons, including his ascension to the top spot on Michael Jordan’s newly formed NASCAR team, it’s the events outside the car that leave an impact. The six-episode series quickly dives into Wallace’s brave stand against racism in his sport following the murder of George Floyd.
The producers behind the memorable early-2000s MTV series Pimp My Ride are back with a new spin on the car restoration genre. Saturday Night Live alum Chris Redd takes on the hosting mantle for Resurrected Rides, teaming up with talented mechanics to spruce up people’s beaten-down vehicles. “We took an iconic concept and gave it a fresh twist, all while helping people along the way,” Redd tells Tudum. “Plus, we got to roast, prank, and even ‘steal’ folks’ cars on a show budget!”
More than thirty years after his tragic death on the track, the life story of Brazilian racing hero Ayrton Senna came to Netflix. The biographical six-episode drama series Senna stars Ferrari actor Gabriel Leone as the three-time Formula One world champion, documenting his historic rise through the sports world. “Formula 1 is a pretty elitist sport,” Leone, also a native of Brazil, tells Netflix. “In the early ’90s, Brazil was having a hard time economically. Every Sunday when he was racing, it was a day to celebrate amid all the bad things that were happening to our people. It used to be a dot of joy amid it all.”
Supernatural might initially seem like a strange inclusion on this list. But fans of the beloved CW fantasy series know that Baby, the black 1967 Chevrolet Impala belonging to Dean (Jensen Ackles), is as important as any non-Winchester character. Not only is Baby a fixture throughout the show’s 15-season run and the much-needed reliable transportation for Dean and Sam (Jared Padalecki) as they travel the country hunting supernatural beings, but the memorable automobile even got its own episode. Season 11’s “Baby” was told exclusively from the perspective of — you guessed it — Baby, and the hour was the highest-viewed of the season and is considered one of the best Supernatural installments ever. If that wasn’t enough to make Baby part of CW royalty, the car’s appearance on an episode of DC’s Legends of Tomorrow sealed its status.
