John Turturro Is The Ultimate Crazed College Football Fan In Fox Sports Ads

John Turturro has a new role this fall, and it doesn’t involve the Coen brothers or Lumon Industries. Instead, he’s diving into the world of college football as the star of Fox Sports’ latest promotional campaign for “Big Noon Saturday.”

The Emmy-winning actor will show up in a series of commercials built around the idea that the biggest things in college football always happen at noon. In the campaign, dubbed “It All Goes Down at Noon,” Turturro transforms into a character so consumed with the sport that he turns up in surreal, over-the-top scenarios—including hanging out in Michigan’s giant scoreboard and tailing play-by-play legend Gus Johnson.

The work comes from Fox Sports Marketing and MullenLowe, in partnership with creative director Gary Van Dzura, director Brian Billow and Oscar-winning cinematographer Robert Elswit.

The spots make their first appearance tonight (Sept. 12) during Fox’s Kansas State–Arizona broadcast and across the network’s social media channels. From there, viewers can expect to see Turturro pop up throughout the season in different scenarios tied to “Big Noon Saturday” and other Fox properties, including the NFL and Major League Baseball postseason.

“As a passionate sports fan who suffers the slings and arrows of my favorite sports teams, I enjoyed partnering with Fox Sports,” said Turturro in a statement. “We’ve all been that person—riding the highs and lows, hanging on every play. Any sports fan has felt that.”

“At Fox Sports, ‘Big Noon Saturday’ has always embraced the fun, larger-than-life energy of college football, and John Turturro brings incredible depth to this fanatical character showcasing what makes college football fandom so special,” said Bill Battin, senior VP of on-air promotions at Fox Sports. ”This campaign represents everything we want Fox Sports to stand for—bold, authentic storytelling that connects fans, and combined with our world-class creative team, we’re delivering something that will resonate with audiences nationwide.”

For Fox, the campaign doubles as a chance to spotlight its college football tentpole, which has consistently been one of the most-watched weekly time slots in the sport.

This article was originally posted on Ad Age: https://adage.com/creativity/work/aa-fox-sports-john-turturro-it-all-goes-down-at-noon/