The A.V. Club’s guide to watching the 2022 Winter Olympics
Watching the Beijing games from home is more accessible—and safer—than ever
TV Features the 2022 Winter Olympics
Sure, it may be forever tarred with the 30 Rock brush of being the “less fun” Olympics, but the quadrennial competition of sliders, skiers, and skaters that is the Winter Olympics begins this week.
Coming to the world from the requisitely snowy and icy heart of Beijing, China (because what are human rights abuses and an ongoing ethnic cleansing campaign to the IOC and NBC), the 2022 Winter Olympics is the reason your favorite NBC shows will be taking most of February off.
And while there’s always plenty of controversy surrounding any Olympics, fans of the finest winter athletes from around the world (even the traditionally non-snowy countries) will be glued to their TVs and various streaming devices from Friday’s Opening Ceremonies right through to the whittled-down pageant of the victorious on Sunday, February 20.
NBC is promising a daunting 2,800 hours of Olympic coverage across its various holdings, with everything from Peacock to MSNBC to USA Network and the NBC Sports App live-streaming events when they happen (which, in time zone terms means the wee hours of the morning in America), while the nightly prime time Olympics recap coverage on NBC proper will present some 200 hours of the Games starting at 8 p.m. ET (7 p.m. on Sundays).
For cord-cutters, there are various alternative methods for watching the Games (some more legitimate and/or legal than others).
Also, while top-Olympics bidder NBC is touting a record 178 commentators who will explain new Olympic sports like monobob throughout its wall-to-wall coverage, the sheer number of former Olympic champs on hand to cover everything from figure skating to luge to snowboarding and beyond should provide plenty of helpful expertise.
Of course, medal-heavy expert announcer types like Lindsey Vonn, Ashley Wagner, Brian Boitano, and Scott Hamilton will be broadcasting from NBC Sports HQ in Connecticut, owing to that whole COVID situation. (No word on whether Leslie Jones will be doing her thing in Beijing, sadly.)
Prepping for the Games is a sport in itself, with news outlets and podcasts aplenty bringing viewers up to speed on everything from individual athletes and sports, potential Cinderella stories, the spotty and often controversial history of the Olympics, and the social and political aspect of an Olympics awarded to an authoritarian country undergoing both human rights and COVID crises.
With even more controversies than usual dogging these Games, it’s left up to the Winter Olympics faithful to decide how much, if any, of this avalanche of content to watch. The World Uyghur Congress is urging a boycott, while critics of China’s human rights record are dubbing these the “Genocide Games.”
Meanwhile, countries are urging their athletes to use burner phones while at the Games, the pandemic is threatening to disrupt things, and the U.S. has ordered a diplomatic boycott. But, for those die-hard fans of the slippery arts, here is a rundown of how and where to watch.
All times are Eastern. For a full schedule of events and coverage, check out the official NBC guide.
Friday, February 4
6:30 a.m.: Live Opening Ceremonies (NBC)
12 p.m.: NBC’s Winter Olympics Preview Show (NBC)
8 p.m.: Opening Ceremonies Prime Time Coverage (NBC)
9 p.m.: Women’s Slopestyle Snowboarding Qualifying (NBC)
11:10 p.m.: Women’s Hockey Prelim—Canada vs. Finland (NBC)
Saturday, February 5
8 p.m.: Short Track Relay (NBC)
8 p.m.: Curling—U.S. vs. Czechoslovakia (NBC app)
8:30 p.m.: Figure Skating Women’s Team Short Program (NBC)
8:30 p.m.: Women’s Snowboarding Slopestyle Final (USA)
10 p.m.: Men’s Alpine Downhill (NBC)
11 p.m.: Men’s Team Figure Skating Free Skate (NBC)
11 p.m.: Men’s Slopestyle Snowboarding (USA, NBC app)
Sunday, February 6
7 p.m.: Men’s Ski Jump Qualifying (NBC)
7:30 p.m.: Men’s Luge Final Runs (NBC)
8:15 p.m.: Pairs Free Skate Team Competition (NBC)
9:15 p.m.: Women’s Giant Slalom (NBC)
9:30 pm.: Pairs Free Dance Skating (NBC)
10:15 p.m.: Women’s Freestyle Skiing—Big Air (NBC)
10:35 p.m.: Women’s Team Free Skate (NBC)
11 p.m.: Men’s Snowboard Slopestyle Final (USA)
Monday, February 7
8 p.m.: Women’s 500m Short Track Final (NBC)
8:30 p.m.: Women’s 1500m Speed Skating (NBC)
9 p.m.: Women’s Freestyle Skiing—Big Air Final (NBC)
10 p.m.: Women’s Hockey—U.S. vs. Canada (USA)
10:05 p.m.: Men’s Super G (NBC)
11 p.m.: Men’s Figure Skating Short Program (NBC)
Tuesday, February 8
8 p.m.: Women’s Luge (NBC)
8:30 p.m.: Women’s Snowboarding Halfpipe (NBC)
9:15 p.m.: Women’s Alpine Slalom (NBC)
10 p.m.: Men’s Freestyle Skiing Final (NBC)
Wednesday, February 9
8 p.m.: Short Track Skating (NBC)
8:30 p.m.: Women’s Halfpipe Final (NBC)
10 p.m.: Men’s Alpine Combined Downhill (NBC)
10:40 p.m.: Men’s Free Skate (NBC)
11:45 p.m.: Men’s Skeleton (USA)
Thursday, February 10
8 p.m.: Freestyle Aerial Mixed Team Skiing (NBC)
8:30 p.m.: Men’s Snowboard Halfpipe Final (NBC)
10 p.m.: Women’s Super G (NBC)
Friday, February 11
8 p.m.: Men’s Ski Jump (NBC)
8:20 p.m.: Men’s 500m Short Track (NBC)
8:40 p.m.: Men’s Skeleton (NBC)
9:15 p.m.: Snowboarding—Mixed Team Cross Final (NBC)
10 p.m.: Women’s Alpine Downhill (NBC)
10:15 p.m.: Women’s 1000m Short Track, Men’s Relay Semifinal (NBC)
11:10 p.m.: Men’s Hockey—U.S. vs. Canada (USA)
Saturday, February 12
8 p.m.: Women’s Skeleton Final (NBC)
8:30 p.m.: Women’s Bobsled (NBC)
8:45 p.m.: Figure Skating—Rhythm Dancing (NBC)
9 p.m.: Women’s Freestyle Skiing—Slopestyle (NBC)
9:15 p.m.: Men’s Giant Slalom (NBC)
Sunday, February 13
8:15 p.m.: Ice Dancing—Free Dance (USA)
8:30 p.m.: Women’s Bobsled—Monobob (NBC app)
10:45 p.m.: Figure Skating Free Dance (NBC)
11:10 p.m.: Women’s Hockey Semifinal (USA, NBC app)
Monday, February 14
8 p.m.: Women’s Aerial Freestyle Skiing (NBC)
8:30 p.m.: Women’s Snowboarding Big Air Final (NBC)
9:35 p.m.: Men’s Two-Person Bobsled (NBC)
10 p.m.: Women’s Alpine Downhill (NBC)
10 p.m.: Men’s Big Air Snowboarding (USA)
11:10 p.m.: Men’s Hockey (CNBC, USA)
Tuesday, February 15
7 p.m.: Men’s Hockey (USA)
8 p.m.: Men’s Two-Person Bobsled Final (NBC)
8:30 p.m.: Women’s Figure Skating Short Program (NBC)
9 p.m.: Men’s Biathlon (USA)
9:15 p.m.: Men’s Alpine Slalom (NBC)
9:45 p.m.: Women’s Speed Skating Team Pursuit (NBC)
10:15 p.m.: Women’s Figure Skating Short Program (NBC)
11 p.m.: Men’s Hockey Quarterfinal (USA, NBC app)
Wednesday, February 16
8 p.m.: Men’s Freestyle Aerial Finals (NBC)
9 p.m.: Women’s Freestyle Skiing Halfpipe (NBC)
9:30 p.m.: Women’s Combined Downhill (NBC)
11 p.m.: Women’s Hockey Gold Medal Game (NBC, NBC app)
11 p.m.: Men’s Freestyle Skiing Halfpipe (USA)
Thursday, February 17
8 p.m.: Women’s 1000m Speed Skating (NBC)
8:30 p.m.: Women’s Figure Skating Free Skate (NBC)
9 p.m.: Women’s Freestyle Skiing—Halfpipe Final (NBC)
10 p.m.: Women’s Figure Skating Free Skate (NBC)
11:10 p.m.: Men’s Hockey Semifinal (USA, NBC app)
Friday, February 18
7 p.m.: Men’s Biathlon Mass Start (USA)
8 p.m.: Women’s Two-Person Bobsled (NBC)
8:30 p.m.: Figure Skating Pairs Short Program (NBC)
9 p.m.: Men’s Halfpipe Freestyle Skiing Final (NBC)
10 p.m.: Alpine Downhill Skiing Team Team (USA, NBC app)
Saturday, February 19
8 p.m.: Women’s Two-Person Bobsled Final (NBC)
8:30 p.m.: Pairs Figure Skating Free Skate (NBC)
9 p.m.: Men’s Four-Person Bobsled (NBC)
9:30 p.m.: Pairs Figure Skating Free Skate (NBC)
10:40 p.m.: Men’s Four-Person Bobsled Final (NBC)
11:10 p.m.: Men’s Hockey Gold Medal Game (USA, NBC app)
Sunday, February 20
8 p.m.: Closing Ceremony
56 Comments
Looks like you can watch about 80% of the Winter Olympics without needing internet access at all. Neat.
But where can I watch the games from the comfort of my Xinjiang death camp?
They’re called Harmonius Rehabilitation Vocational Facilities
Hey buddy, I just work here.
Once you’ve learned all of Xi Jinping’s communist anthems by heart, young man, only then may you watch television with the other inmates students.
I’m just going to re-watch the 1936 games..
Preach.
Olympia *is* a fantastic film…
I’m not watching any of it when possible, it’s a a disgrace
On whatever US-based streaming service you can get, since the almighty dollar is the only thing that matters to the true capitalist.
Believing in rumours for racism reasons: #1 favorite american pastime
“Safer?” When was watching the Olympics on TV dangerous?
In 2018, when The AC Club ran that piece on “How To Make Meth While Watching The Olympics”. Such a senseless loss of life for those two weeks.
Fact: Roughly half of all household injuries occur while watching the Winter Olympics.
Truth. When I was a kid, we were watching at a friend’s house and decided bobsledding looked fun. We blew up a small air mattress and three of us rode it down the stairs into a pile of pillows, which provided little protection when we crashed into the wall opposite the bottom.
Most injuries occur within 5 channels of the Olympics
When McDonald’s used to give out free food for USA wins (in the US). Especially when the Soviets and their allies boycotted the 1984 Olympics (in retaliation for the Western 1980 boycott) the US cleaned up. Probably led to the 1990s obesity epidemic.
Says you! 5G and the space lasers gave me the Rona through my tv set!Hootenany television
Oh yeah, if there’s one thing everybody at the AVClub loves… it’s generic coverage of the Winter Olympics.
Here’s where to watch West coast hockey games next weekend!
Alternatively you can just not watch them and find your life far more fulfilling. This shit is like watching paint dry. Plus give all the human rights violations maybe we shouldn’t give China any attention.
I’d rather watch paint dry.
BOOO SKI JUMPING RULES THO
I’m an unabashed Olympics fanatic and love watching all the random stuff that you really don’t ever get to see. I’m beyond impressed by athletes who dedicate their lives to being the best in the world at what they do, mostly in complete anonymity since most people only see them every four years.Which is why this one pisses me the fuck off. I want more and better coverage because the competitors deserve the exposure. What they DON’T deserve is for the IOC to keep awarding the games to shitty autocracies like China and Russia, and getting stuck in the middle of these political tugs of war. Meanwhile the public is forced to take sides.
I remember when athletes used to take a stand. Kind of disgusting that people are going over there.
I mean, I can understand it. You have a window as an athlete and for a lot of these sports, this one of few chances to compete on a public stage and get exposure that leads to endorsement deals. But someone like Sean White? He can afford principles.
The problem is that “shitty autocracies” seem to be the only countries interested in hosting the Olympics these days. Seriously. The only other serious bid for this one was Kazakhstan, which given recent events, would have been an even worse choice. The fact is the Olympics (much like the World Cup) tend to be a net financial loss for the host country so really the only point to hosting them is for propaganda purposes.
Given the permanent nature of the facilities needed for a winter Olympics, they really should just migrate between previous hosts that are actually at high enough elevation to get real snow. Watching the downhill over the weekend on a white ribbon of artificial snow down the side of an otherwise arid rock was just weird. Never mind the energy and water consumed to make all that snow.
I hear ya, but as a Canadian, I am somewhat invested in our hockey teams.
That makes sense, you lose citizenship if you deny hockey
Even this year?
As a Canadian, our team is a joke which is going to get crushed by the European teams which have have a much greater level of B-level talent at their disposal, whereas all our A and B-level talent is tied up in professional league play they can’t get out of.
It is pretty remarkable how the ultra-woke AVClub is stumping for an event held in a literal genocide state.
My favorite event!
Checked out the broadcast last night as there was already some figure skating on. They did a pretty nice job of sticking to the action, and the coverage was generally non-intrusive and enjoyable, I was kind of surprised. That said, Johnny Weir needs to take it down a notch. He was pretty brutal with his commentary on some of the mid-tier pairs last night. It came off as really unnecessarily mean-spirited. I’ve generally found the streaming Olympics coverage nothing but frustrating. You can quickly lose all sense of continuity. Hopefully it has evolved a little since last year.
It’s pretty funny watching a lot of professional sports who have former top athletes as commentators. Tennis in particular. “Yeah, I really thought she played lot hot garbage today. Looked completely unprepared for the match and absolutely got her ass handed to her.” Football and baseball guys are typically a little easier on current players.
I found Lipinski to be the weak link. There were a few moments where she said something like, “That routine was FIRE! They understood the assignment!” which felt very Hello Fellow Kids as mandated by NBC.
I swear she said that Alexa Kneirim had “Elle Woods Vibes” at one point but both my wife and I only half-heard it so not completely sure. I guess Knierim does have blond hair, so it wouldn’t be a complete non-sequitur. But yeah, Tara seemed to be grasping a little. I think Weir and Lipinski can and have been be a terrific team, but they do require reigning themselves in a little. But I thought overall it was good start and am glad that skating was the first thing I saw. The performances sure didn’t disappoint.Sui looked like she was ready to burn the place down until about halfway through their routine when she finally cracked a smile. They looked unbeatable. Except then the Russians almost did.I’ve got all the same gripes about the Olympics as everybody else, but it’s always Figure Skating that pulls me back in. Performed at the highest level there’s just nothing like it, especially pairs. Remarkable athletes.
I’m down for them to let Hong Kong be free ish again. Won’t even watch a second of this. Good luck to the hard working athletes though.
I usually love all things Olympics, but I find myself not really caring about this one. I don’t know if it’s fatigue from the Summer Games having finished a few months ago, the dual shitstorm of the pandemic and the Chinese government being awful, or the realization that short track speed skating is the only winter sport worth watching. (That last one is a personal preference—figure skating bores me. I can’t get into a sport where sequins are essential equipment.)
It’s hockey for me. I have the internet, I can watch the sports I want all the time. The Olympics are not a special opportunity. If the NHL was allowing the players to go, I’d absolutely be staying up to watch a best-on-best tournament between Canada and Russia and the US and Sweden. But watching the KHL all-stars beat up on college kids and junior players just isn’t interesting to me.
They wear the required uniform! (tights)
It’s the fact that the last Olympics finished so recently. But they had it on at the dr’s office I was at this afternoon and I felt myself getting sucked in . Olympics baby!
Unless we’re talking about the Albertville games, I’m sure the U.S. will be facing the Czech Republic in curling on 5 Feb.
I hope y’all in here making ethnic cleansing jokes from anglophone countries realize the incredible hypocrisy inherent in that.
I was a Maoist in the early 70s so I have mixed feelings about these games. Mao was a hero to lots of Boomers during the Vietnam years. Our goal was to overthrow capitalism and put something more humane in its place. Maoism seemed like the best option at the time.Hindsight being 20/20, we now know Maoism really wasn’t a good idea. Even so, I can’t resist the pull of nostalgia for my Maoist days. I think I’ll watch these Olympics with Boomer friends and reminisce about Vietnam.
My Guide to Watching The Winter Olympics!Don’t!
No one Should watch or go to the games of the Covid-killer country .
Fuck the Chinese Commie Killers
Good for Mike Tirico. Laid it right out there in his opening commentary:“Now, the Olympic host city and nation are traditionally celebrated,” Tirico said, noting how China has ascended on the world stage in the 14 years since it last hosted an Olympics.“While that might be the case for some in the world, it is not for many of you watching back home,” he continued. “The United States government is not here, a diplomatic boycott announced this fall joined by Canada, Great Britain and Australia citing China’s human rights record and the US government’s declaration that the Chinese Communist Party is guilty of committing genocide on the Uyghur Muslim population in Western Xinjiang region.”Boom.
I’m 50 and I don’t remember an Olympic games I’ve been LESS excited for. Is anyone else feeling this way?
I mean, Moscow was 40 years ago and the US no-showed it. So that one.
Well, naturally. That one wasn’t even broadcast if memory serves. So that’s already a given.
Fuck right off with the lack of curling coverage. (One instance above, and that app-only at that? Oh well, at least I know Canadian coverage will have more.)
“(because what are human rights abuses and an ongoing ethnic cleansing campaign to the IOC and NBC)“yeah bc what are mislabeled satellite photos, anticommunism, CIA plants and overtly racist stereotypeswhy don’t mainstream outlets acknowledge Uyhgur athletes who are competing?
yawn. i guess some people need the distraction.