In all honesty, the majority of soccer documentaries, unless you're a diehard supporter of the club featured, are skippable. In the end they all play out as exercises in public relations — glamorized puff pieces looking to move the needle on brand awareness.
There are exceptions to this, most notably Netflix's Sunderland 'Til I Die, which does an incredible job of showing the passion and pride the club ignites in the city but doesn't shy away from the calamity of back-to-back relegations, underperforming millionaires and the hilarity of bumbling executives and managers.
It's in this vein that I have high hopes for the first season of FX's Welcome To Wrexham. Yes it'll primarily serve as a marketing tool for fifth-tier side Wrexham AFC, which shot to prominence following its takeover by actors Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney, but it's exactly the club's current standing and ownership group that points to a series more akin to Sunderland 'Til I Die than All or Nothing: Manchester City.
There's no doubt that Wrexham's 157-year history (the oldest club in Wales), historic Racecourse Stadium and passionate fanbase will all be rightfully stressed, but it's not like they'll go the First Team: Juventus route of using every scene to stress how important winning is.
And with Reynolds and McElhenney at the center of it all, you know that they won't sign off on anything that doesn't constitute good TV. There'll be drama as the club attempts promotion to EFL League Two, there'll be comedy as the two new owners navigate one of the murkiest professions on the planet, there'll be memorable characters who've suddenly been thrust into the global spotlight and it'll all be done exceptionally well on FX.
Welcome To Wrexham Trailer
The first season is scheduled for release in 2022 (obviously after the completion of the 2021-22 campaign) and FX has already ordered a second season.
"Rob McElhenney has been an all star on Team FX for years and now has partnered with the formidable Ryan Reynolds to bring glory to the 'Red Dragons' in the docuseries, Welcome To Wrexham," said FX's president of original programming. "Rob and Ryan will take fans inside the sport as never before, pairing their genuine love for the game with the welcome challenge of building on the heritage of this club."
The team is doing pretty well right now, sitting fifth in the 23-team league after 20 matches, which would be good for qualification to the playoff quarterfinals.
