In its first Super Bowl spot since 2019, ​​M&M’s positioned its candies as a thoughtful way to apologize for life’s little irritations and come together. 

The spot came from M&M’s longtime creative agency BBDO New York and was directed by Matt Aselton from Arts & Sciences.

The Super Bowl commercial shows people handing out packs of M&M’s to those they’re apologizing to for various transgressions. Missteps include kicking the plane seat in front of them (on purpose), mansplaining (and explaining mansplaining while apologizing for mansplaining) and hosting a gender reveal party where guests get covered with blue powder. A man hands a pack to a priest in the confessional.

And in a timely take on the name that’s become shorthand to describe an entitled white woman, one woman apologizes to her neighbor for calling her Karen.“That’s my name,” says the neighbor receiving the candy. “Sorry your name is Karen,” the apologizer says, handing Karen another pack. 

Then, “Schitt’s Creek” star Dan Levy makes a cameo, promising to two M&M’s spokescandies that he won’t eat any more of their friends.

This is M&M’s sixth ad in the game in the past decade. M&M’s last appeared in 2019, with a spot starring Christina Applegate driving the spokescandies, who were bad passengers. It previously ran spots in 2012, 2013, 2014 and 2018.

Brand: Mars

Agency: BBDO New York

Quarter Aired: Q1

Super Bowl: LV

Year: 2021