I Watched And Ranked 16 McDonald's Filet-O-Fish Commercials And This One Is Best

As a Midwest child of the 1980s, I was a huge fan of McDonald's. And although I preferred a Chicken McNugget Happy Meal, I was familiar with the less popular Filet-O-Fish sandwich through the various commercials that aired in Ohio, where I grew up.

Coincidentally, the Filet-O-Fish does come to us from Cincinnati, Ohio, in the 1960s, developed in response to the local community who weren't eating meat on Fridays for Lent. Although variations exist in other countries outside America, the current Filet-O-Fish sold in the U.S. contains a fried Pollock fish patty with American cheese and tartar sauce on a classic McDonald's bun. Coming in at 380 calories and 19 grams of fat, it's actually one of the healthier menu items available when compared to the fried chicken and double burgers.

Because I personally haven't eaten a lot of Filet-O-Fish sandwiches in my life, I was curious where their popularity comes from. I sought out 16 American commercials that have played over the last 60 years to get a sense of where this sandwich started and where it's going. Having a background in filmmaking myself (as well as a degree in Communications), I looked at these commercials in terms of overall aesthetic quality, as well as effectiveness in making me want to pick up a Filet-O-Fish. Check out my rankings below.

A "regular guy" is interviewed by an unseen observer on camera about McDonald's hamburgers, saying he "doesn't like fish." He then bites into the Filet-O-Fish, and his mind is changed as he describes the taste as "great." The narrator describes the sandwich as "the fish sandwich for people who think they wouldn't like a fish sandwich."

This commercial is my least favorite because I think it's the least creative out of these commercials. Coming to us from 1969, not long after the Filet-O-Fish was introduced, it seems as though it's in direct response to the concerns of McDonald's higher-ups that people may not purchase the Filet-O-Fish in quantities that matched the burgers. To shoot this commercial, they grabbed a generic-looking actor to represent the "public." It's all framed with one dull angle with muted colors, and focused on the opinion of this one person. I understand why, at the time, this spot may have convinced some watchers to give the sandwich a try, but I personally found it boring and ineffective.

In this ad, a screen card transitions from "Real Value" to "Reel Value" before showing the Filet-O-Fish and a price tag of 99 cents. In the background, a typical beat from the 1990s plays while we get attractive shots of the sandwich and a visual of a hand filling up a Coke from a soda machine. There is not one word spoken the entire commercial, but the last line on screen we see is "Don't Let This One Get Away."

This commercial ranks low for me because there just doesn't seem to be a lot of effort put into anything other than branding. It's basically just some white text on black cards with pictures of the fish sandwich and some tartar sauce being spread. I will say, it projects a confidence that just seeing the Filet-O-Fish will make you want one, but there are better commercials on this list that feature the product in more interesting, appetizing, and innovative ways.

The first commercial for Filet-O-Fish, produced shortly after its addition to the menu, features an animated sea captain who loves the sandwich, interspersed with images of the Filet-O-Fish patty and narration describing the "golden brown, plump, moist, and flaky" fish. The tagline here is "let the fish that catches people catch you," which comes at the end of the 21-second spot, right before an image of the classic McDonald's golden arches.

This commercial comes in lower on the list because, in 1967, we just didn't have high-quality filmmaking techniques, so overall, the commercial looks and sounds a bit spotty. However, it is clever in how it combines the animation with real-world footage, and the sandwich does sound genuinely good here. They pack a lot of information into under 30 seconds, and this spot would appeal to kids, drawn in by the cartoon, who might ask their parents to take them to McDonald's after seeing the fun characters.

We see a ship on the water with the McDonald's Hamburglar, Ronald McDonald, and a Captain aboard, while a McDonald's-themed sailing song plays. The Captain tells Ronald, "We be all out of McDonald's Filet-O-Fish sandwiches." Chaos ensues as the Hamburglar and Ronald ready the ship by preparing the lookout, anchor, and sails. Ronald grabs a fishing pole and says, "I'll catch you some Filet-O-Fish sandwiches." But then, Ronald runs the ship aground by catching a full McDonald's store, where he and the Captain sit down to eat.

The Captain is a recurring character in the McDonald's universe in the 1970s and '80s, and likely all of these figures are meant to appeal to kids, much like the animated commercial. I can't really see many adults watching this ad and being convinced to buy a Filet-O-Fish. However, there is a sense of play here with all of their antics on the boat, making the sandwich seem fun to eat.

The second of the "Ronald McDonald on a boat" series features an upgraded Captain (he's lost his googly eyes in favor of a more streamlined mascot head). Ronald and the Captain work together to put a rowboat in the water containing a plate of sandwiches. The Captain lets go of a rope so he can eat "a succulent seafood sandwich," and Ronald careens upwards. A puppet parrot gets splashed with water, and then Ronald floats himself gently down into the boat with a balloon.

I like this boat commercial more than the previous one, because it's calmer and easier to track what's happening, and the picture quality has improved over the 10 years since the previous one. The Captain looks less bizarre, and the premise is simplified. Another instance of the gimmick being focused on more than the sandwich, but it's a cute spot, and puppet animals will always get an extra point.

This is the most recent Filet-O-Fish ad, released in 2026. It's a quick one, coming in at just 15 seconds, and primarily focuses on glamor shots of the fish patty. The tagline here is "you either love it, or you haven't tried it yet." The final image features both a single and a double fish patty, along with a Sprite and a side of fries, available via delivery.

While this is one of the clearest images of the Filet-O-Fish, with choral background music and a strong narrator, there's not a lot to dig into here. It's simple, straightforward, features the sandwich upfront, and essentially dares the viewer to try the Filet-O-Fish now.

This commercial falls toward the bottom half of the list because there's not a lot of creativity or fun. However, it is effective in terms of simply offering the product in a clean way that makes it look appealing.

This is another attempt at a "regular person" testimonial, this time from a McDonald's employee (who is an actor). He tells us that when he was a kid, "the closest you could get [him] to a fish was the aquarium." He informs the audience that all of the McDonald's fish is U.S. government-inspected, and the Filet-O-Fish is "the best-selling fish sandwich in America." At the end of the commercial, the fast food worker tells the viewer his nickname is "Jaws," with a smirk.

This is an interesting strategy, showcasing both the quality of the sandwich (by telling viewers it's Grade-A approved) and letting you know that a blue-collar worker like Henry likes it, too. The shots of the sandwich here aren't as beautiful as in some of the other commercials, but we see the process of it being made as it comes out of the fryer, and it emphasizes that the fish itself is "prime, white filet."

Remember the swing dance craze of the 1990s? This commercial is entirely scored to swing music, with McDonald's employees dancing and singing along, and holding up McDonald's products, along with images of other food items like Chicken McNuggets, fries, and a sundae. In the last 10 seconds, we get our Filet-O-Fish picture with the message "swing into McDonald's for our tasty Filet-O-Fish sandwich" while a knife spreads the creamy tartar sauce across the fish. We hear you can get "two for $2," which was the promotion at the time.

For me, I feel like the Filet-O-Fish-specific message that so many of the other commercials have is getting a little lost amongst all of the other items. However, this commercial does get a like from me on the use of swing music (I fully participated in that fad), and fits into the category of special theme songs for the Filet-O-Fish that the brand has run with over the years. It makes me want to get up and dance — just not necessarily purchase a Filet-O-Fish.

We see a sign for Pollock, South Dakota, then see Pollock fish swimming in the sea — we're told they're both Pollock, but "totally different." The fish are "real wild-caught Alaska Pollock, from a certified, sustainable fishery." We see a fishing boat on the ocean and fishermen doing their daily haul. The message is clear — the fish you're eating in your Filet-O-Fish sandwich is high quality, direct from the Gulf of Alaska.

I like that this commercial tells a story. It's almost a very short documentary about where the fish comes from. Is this a compelling message? Probably to more environmentally minded and health-conscious consumers. It still has a bit of a wink and a nod at the top, when talking about Pollock, South Dakota, but for the most part, this is a rather serious message, emphasizing that McDonald's cares about quality. I personally prefer the goofier, high-concept commercials, but this is shot well and has an interesting narrative.

We hear a song proclaiming "Joe Brown's gone fishin' ... Filet-O-Fishin'" as we see a painter enjoying the Filet-O-Fish, followed by an office worker eating the sandwich outdoors, too. More employees are enjoying the Filet-O-Fish, and images of the sandwich are shown while the song plays. In the end, a man in fishing gear eats his Filet-O-Fish on a rowboat while the singer asks, "Wouldn't you like to go fishin' now, and catch one of these?"

This ad gets a thumbs up from me as one of the first instances of a catchy theme song associated with the Filet-O-Fish. Plus, the clever word play used to incorporate the classic, common phrase "gone fishin'" and tying it to a Filet-O-Fish break is smart. McDonald's is making eating the Filet-O-Fish not just a satisfying meal, but a full-body relaxation experience.

A big band leader sings, "I want to tell you about a lady who loves Filet-O-Fish," performing with enthusiasm in an all-white full suit with tails, while the audience sings back in a call-and-response section. We never see the actual sandwich in this ad, just the blue styrofoam container that was popular at the time with the Filet-O-Fish branding on it.

This commercial has a super catchy theme song and is definitely high-energy, which would surely capture the attention of anyone watching it on television. I do wonder about the strategy of not showing or talking about the actual sandwich (beyond its name) — this is the only ad among the group to employ that technique. I'm still placing it above a few of the others because I had a genuinely good time watching it, and I want to listen to the full musical number, but I can't say it was the most effective in making me hungry enough to want to run out and get the sandwich.

This commercial makes even less sense than some of the others we're about to get into, but it's got our Frankie the Fish leitmotif, so it gets into the top five. If you scroll ahead, you'll see a singing fish became one of the most successful Filet-O-Fish commercials ever for McDonald's in 2009, so 10 years later, it makes sense that they're still using the same music that reminds people of that infamous spot.

A sailor plays the singing fish theme song ("Give me back that Filet-O-Fish") on his recorder. A captain watches his radar and spots something. Sailors see a yellow submarine pop up, and a character actor reminiscent of Larry David comes out with a tray of Filet-O-Fish sandwiches. The sailors cheer and eat, and we cut to an image of the singing fish, then the captain dancing, followed by a close-up of the sandwich itself. How do any of these things connect? They don't necessarily, but the song is still catchy, and the singing fish is a star. The name of the game with ads is memorability, and the theme song will definitely trigger a visceral reaction from viewers familiar with this series.

A sea captain (recurring theme) and his two sailors are on a small submarine underwater. A song plays about "seeking fish delicious, Filet-O-Fish," and the sailors dance and lip sync, while holding fish sandwiches. When the captain turns to look at them, they kind of straighten up, then go back to their dancing when he looks away. In the end, the captain also starts nodding along, and the voiceover tells us "the search is over" and shows us an up-close Filet-O-Fish.

As we get increasingly modern with these spots, the captains get a glow-up — this one is a handsome man with a ginger beard, who could, conceivably, captain an actual ship. We're about to get into the more absurd commercials that I really like, and this is a good entry point. There's no reason for these seamen to be dancing and semi-singing, but they just can't help themselves, and the tune is catchy. I like the McDonald's approach to having fun with these ads, as these final spots show. You don't have to take selling fish quite so seriously.

Once again, this commercial may be hard to put into context without seeing the original commercial it's based on, but I'll try: two friends (who we've seen in a garage together with the original singing fish) have gone through the McDonald's drive-thru to pick up a Filet-O-Fish. As one friend goes to bite into his sandwich, the singing fish calls him on his mobile phone and warbles the original "Give me back that Filet-O-Fish" song through a video call. The home-owning friend nods along in the driver's seat, as he did in the garage.

It really is just a redux of the 2009 Frankie commercial that was highly popular, but as the saying goes, "if ain't broke, don't fix it." The song is instantly recognizable, gets the viewer humming along, and reintroduces the loveable trio who broke the internet with the first singing fish tune. The only point against it is that it doesn't give us a lot of Filet-O-Fish images or content until the very end. But, ultimately, if viewers are already singing about the sandwich, do they really need to see it?

A handsome man sits with a beautiful mermaid on a rock and tells her he's been "seeing another fish." He describes the fish as "tender, golden, very warm," and we cut to images of the Filet-O-Fish sandwich while a woman sings a soft love song about the sandwich in the background. The mermaid looks annoyed, then sad as the man rows away from her. She shrugs and says, "Men!" as she dives into the ocean at the end.

Is this silly? Yes, and that's why I love it. A fast food fish sandwich using a jilted mermaid as a spokesperson hits right in my sweet spot of content that doesn't take itself too seriously and has imagination about what kind of message might resonate with different demographics. The juxtaposition of an interspecies breakup and a sandwich is hilarious in just the right way. 

If you're asked to think of a Filet-O-Fish (or any McDonald's) commercial in the last 15 years or so, this is likely the one that pops into your head. A man eats a Filet-O-Fish sandwich in his garage as catchy music begins to play. Suddenly, the plastic fish hanging on the wall turns and starts singing, "Give me back that Filet-O-Fish, give me that fish," while the man watches calmly. Frankie the Fish warns the man that if he were the one in the sandwich, he "wouldn't be laughing at all." The man's friend walks into the garage with a drill and also watches the fish sing. They don't speak, but the man nods along with the fish's song until it ends.

This is a deeply weird commercial, but also so funny and charming. The song itself is infectious, and every time I listen to it, it becomes an earworm that sticks with me for hours. (Also, as seen in other ads, the song was so successful that McDonald's used and remixed it multiple times.) While the Filet-O-Fish itself is not featured prominently (although the man holds it throughout the spot), the name is mentioned enough in the song that you can't forget it. At the time it aired, the ad got more than a million views on YouTube, and searches for "McDonald's fish" went up 100%. Clearly, I'm not the only one who has fond feelings for this number one commercial.