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2022 American sports documentary series From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Welcome to Wrexham is an American sports documentary television series that premiered on August 24, 2022, on FX. The series documents the events of Welsh association football club Wrexham A.F.C., as told by the club's owners Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney. The series received critical acclaim, winning two Critics' Choice Television Awards and eight Primetime Emmy Awards. The second season premiered on September 12, 2023. In November 2023, the series was renewed for a third season,[3] which premiered on May 2, 2024.[4] In May 2024, the series was renewed for a fourth season.[5]
| Welcome to Wrexham | |
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Poster for Season 1 | |
| Genre | Sports access-all-areas docuseries[1][2] |
| Starring | |
| Opening theme |
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| Composer | Giosuè Greco |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 3 |
| No. of episodes | 41 |
| Production | |
| Executive producers |
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| Producers |
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| Production locations |
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| Cinematography |
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| Running time | 20–47 minutes |
| Production companies |
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| Original release | |
| Network | FX |
| Release | August 24, 2022 – present |
In September 2020, American actor Rob McElhenney and Canadian-American actor Ryan Reynolds announced their intention to buy Wrexham A.F.C., a Welsh professional association football club based in the Racecourse Ground in Wrexham, North East Wales in the United Kingdom.[6] The company RR McReynolds was set up by November 2020, and the deal was completed in February 2021. As of the purchase, Wrexham A.F.C. played in the National League, the fifth tier of the English football league system, below the Premier League and the three tiers of the English Football League.[7][8]
At the time, the team was described to be "struggling":[9] Management before 2011 was described to have "mismanaged the club to the point of near collapse", with fans "starting to fall out of love with it". The club was served with a winding-up order in 2011.[10][11] Following the suspension of the 2019–20 National League in March 2020 after the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom, Wrexham A.F.C. was said to have furloughed staff and players, and the club was experiencing a "threat to the[ir] continued existence".[12] Prior to the pair's purchase, Wrexham A.F.C. was owned by the Wrexham Supporter's Trust, a fan-operated company, since 2011. The trust approved McElhenney and Reynolds' £2 million takeover by 98.6%.[10][13][14][15] Following the purchase, Wrexham A.F.C.'s Twitter account posted a skit with McElhenney and Reynolds performing a parody advert for Ifor Williams Trailers, then the only sponsor for Wrexham A.F.C.[15] McElhenney and Reynolds attended their first ever game since becoming the club's new owners at Maidenhead, a 3–2 defeat in October 2021.[2]
The series is said to be inspired by Sunderland 'Til I Die, which prompted McElhenney to be interested in buying an association football club,[10] as well as the influence of Humphrey Ker, who was also interested in purchasing a club.[16] Ker was said to have been always watching association football in the writer's room of McElhenney's show Mythic Quest, causing McElhenney to become interested as well, particularly "the idea of promotion and demotion", which McElhenney said was "incredible to me". McElhenney also joked that he only had "TV money" and needed "superhero, movie star money". Ker described himself as "Rob and Ryan's representative" to the club as the pair's inside operations person.[17] The inspiration for the documentary series came from McElhenney's viewing of Chef's Table, Last Chance U and Cheer, and his subsequent realization that all of those were produced by Boardwalk Pictures, who he approached to partner with.[18]
The series is based on the Hollywood pair's attempts to revive the third-oldest professional association football team in the world, founded in 1864, and how the team has performed under the pair's ownership.[19] The pair had no prior experience in managing a sports team.[9] The series also highlights the pair's hopes of improving the team and bringing positive change to the local Wrexham community.[9][20] The style of the series is irreverent and from time to time it is openly critical of the two Co-Chairman and their team, presenting them struggling with the Welsh language, and making mistakes.[citation needed]
During and since the takeover, Wrexham rose in the rankings of the National League. In the 2019–20 National League (prior to any talk of a takeover), Wrexham A.F.C. were 20th,[21] and by the 2020–21 season, Wrexham rose to eighth place.[22] In the 2021–22 season, the first full season under the new ownership, and the focus of the first season of the TV show, Wrexham finished in 2nd. However, despite a successful season, they missed out on promotion to the fourth-tier EFL League Two after being knocked out in the semi-finals of the promotion play-off and remained in the fifth-tier National League for the 2022–23 season.[23][24]
In the second season of the series, the team successfully secures promotion to the EFL League Two during the 2022–23 season and in the third season of the show filmed during the 2023–24 season they win a back-to-back promotion to EFL League One.[25]
In addition to following the highs and lows of the Wrexham men's team, the series follows fans of the club and characters from the City of Wrexham. It includes the people working behind the scenes for the club, and from time to time follows the personal lives of some of the players. Emotive issues such as autism, bereavement, divorce, mental health, football hooliganism, cancer, stillbirth, disability and injuries ending players' careers are featured through following the lives of different individuals involved with the club. The series explains basic football terms and rules for a US audience, along with occasional Welsh words and British phrases. From the second season, the women's team is also featured.[citation needed]
The cast for the series was stated as the following:[26]
| No. overall | No. in season | Title [27] | Featured matches | Original air date [27] | U.S. viewers (millions) | |
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| 1 | 1 | "Dream" | N/A | August 24, 2022 | 0.319[28] | |
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During the 2020 COVID-19 lockdown, actor Rob McElhenney gets inspired by his Mythic Quest writing colleague Humphrey Ker to purchase Wrexham A.F.C., a Welsh association football team: while the team has an illustrious past, it has been lingering outside the English Football League for many years. To aid with the purchase, McElhenney enlists fellow actor Ryan Reynolds, and the two formally extend the offer to the club's owners, the Wrexham Supporters Trust. The news of the offer is met with confusion and some ridicule in the media, but the two insist their offer is serious – the offer is eventually voted on, and is accepted with over 90% of the vote. | ||||||
| 2 | 2 | "Reality" |
| August 24, 2022 | 0.225[28] | |
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With their ownership now settled, McElhenney and Reynolds – both admittedly clueless about football – bring in an expert to help aid the team: former EFL CEO Shaun Harvey is brought in as an advisor to the board, while Ker becomes executive director. As fans express their discontent with the current state of the club, and players are concerned that the new ownership might be detrimental to their career, Wrexham arrives to the final game of their season against Dag & Red: If Wrexham wins, they qualify for the NL playoffs that could result in their promotion. The team, however, goes one goal down, immediately followed by the ejection of Paul Rutherford for an irresponsible tackle. Jordan Ponticelli equalizes in the last minute, but the game ends in a draw, and Wrexham finishes the season in the eighth place, missing out on the playoffs and staying in the fifth tier for the 14th year in a row. As a result, manager Dean Keates and his staff, along with around a dozen players, are dismissed. | ||||||
| 3 | 3 | "Rebuilding" | N/A | August 31, 2022 | 0.232[29] | |
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After the disappointment of the 2020–21 season, the board begins to rebuild the team: Fleur Robinson from Burton Albion F.C. is brought in as CEO, and after a search for a new manager, the board sets their sights on Phil Parkinson, a manager who has achieved promotion with various teams three times in his career. Parkinson initially turns down the offer; McElhenney, however, is unsatisfied, and persuades Parkinson personally through a lengthy phone call, who ultimately signs with the club. They also sign Paul Mullin, the top scorer of League Two. The episode also profiles Wrexham fan and single father Shaun Winter, and the club's disability liaison officer Kerry Evans. | ||||||
| 4 | 4 | "Home Opener" |
| August 31, 2022 | 0.160[29] | |
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The team begins the crucial 2021–22 season at home against Notts County, which ends with Mullin equalizing for a 1–1 draw. Technical problems immediately arise as it becomes apparent that the pitch, relaid for about £100,000, is falling apart, and needs to be relaid again for double the cost. McElhenney and Reynolds begin a media campaign to bring attention to the team around the world, landing sponsorships with TikTok and Expedia, and raising the profile of the club, directly translating into merchandising sales. Players begin to speculate that Mullin must've been brought in using an exorbitant signing fee, but Mullin insists that his choice was solely based on the fact that playing for Wrexham allows him to be closer to his family and young son. As the team is struggling to find its footing, McElhenney and Reynolds both admit being worried about the future. | ||||||
| 5 | 5 | "Fearless" |
| September 7, 2022 | 0.278[30] | |
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The episode profiles a number of Wrexham fans: Michael "Scoot" Kett is the singer of local band The Declan Swans who is currently struggling through chemotherapy after a cancer diagnosis; Annette Gardner is a volunteer for the club who found solace in the fan community after her husband's death; Sam Halton is a teenage superfan who also plays as a goalkeeper. The team's goalkeepers, Rob Lainton and Christian Dibble, are also profiled, explaining the role of a goalie as the player whose sole mistake can decide a match; Lainton also notes his problem with injuries in the past. In a match against Chesterfield, the team concedes a penalty while one goal down, but the shot is saved by Lainton, and Mullin equalizes in the second half. The episode ends with fans expressing hope about the team, and Scoot being announced he's officially cancer-free. | ||||||
| 6 | 6 | "Hamilton!" | N/A | September 7, 2022 | 0.213[30] | |
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The episode explores the past ownership of the club: When the club is sold to businessmen Alex Hamilton and Mark Guterman in 2004, it becomes apparent that the two treat the club merely as a business asset, and concoct a plan to turn the club's legendary stadium, the Racecourse Ground, into real estate; press and fans accuse Hamilton of asset stripping. Fans eventually organize a city-wide protest against Hamilton and pressure him into resigning; the club is then turned over to the Wrexham Supporters Trust, making the club fully fan-owned. While the fans view this positively, and in 2014 the supporters fundraise £127.000 in a day to keep the club from going under, it soon transpires that the Trust doesn't have the funding or focus to be able to push the club forward, and both the team and the stadium begins an inextricable slide down in quality, with one of the stands, the "Kop", being in such state of disrepair that it can no longer safely host audiences. In present day, McElhenney and Reynolds attempt to regain ownership of the Racecourse – owned at the time by Wrexham Glyndŵr University – but are increasingly frustrated by the protracted bureaucratic process. In the end, the months-long effort is successful, the club regains the ownership of its stadium, and Harvey presents the chairmen with an architect's rendering of plans for a new, renovated "Kop" stand. | ||||||
| 7 | 7 | "Wide World of Wales" | N/A | September 14, 2022 | 0.242[31] | |
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The episode focuses on the country of Wales itself with allusions and parodies of other television programmes: John Green explains the difference between Wales and the United Kingdom, and the brief history of the country; journalist and Wales native Maxine Hughes hosts a cooking show with McElhenney and Reynolds and teaches them how to make Welsh cakes; the two owners also appear in their own version of SportsCenter with a montage of the team's best plays that year so far, and finally wrap up with their own late-night talk show, hosting singer Charlotte Church, who performs "Men of Harlech". | ||||||
| 8 | 8 | "Away We Go" |
| September 14, 2022 | 0.142[31] | |
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After spending months watching games from across the Atlantic, McElhenney and Reynolds finally arrive to Wales, to see Wrexham play in person against Maidenhead United F.C.; their arrival is met with an immediate media buzz, but their enthusiasm is soon crushed when the team goes two goals down and Bryce Hosannah is sent off; while the team miraculously equalizes with a man down, Maidenhead still wins after Josh Kelly's 75th minute goal. After the game, McElhenney and Reynolds both admit to each other that they weren't prepared for how emotionally taxing being present at a game is. The episode also looks into the culture of football fans travelling for away games, and profiles defender Aaron Hayden and team bus driver Mark Vaughn. | ||||||
| 9 | 9 | "Welcome Home" |
| September 21, 2022 | 0.203[32] | |
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McElhenney and Reynolds finally arrive to Wrexham: after an emotional visit to the Racecourse, they visit the town and find it flooded by fans, visit St Giles' Church, view the newly created powerchair club's practice, and end the first day with drinks with the fans at Turf Hotel; during the day they are met with appreciation and enthusiasm, but fans also give them an unvarnished expectation that the team should do well soon, because it hasn't so far – former president Spencer Harris advises them to keep a personal touch, but don't be afraid to make changes to the club. The next day, they meet with Harvey and Parkinson to discuss their approach to the next transfer window and how they should budget for it; they then hold a press conference at the Racecourse for journalists, and visit the team during one of their training sessions. As they finally meet the players, with McElhenney jumping in to join them for a few exercises, both Parkinson and the players express that finally meeting the owners face-to-face and finding how they easy they are to get along with gave them a boost in motivation. As the team prepares to the home game against Torquay, however, Harvey brings bad news: The league reviewed the red card at the Maidenhead game, and concluded that in fact Paul Mullin should have been sent off – Hosannah is exonerated, but Mullin is suspended for two games. McElhenney and Reynolds get to address the crowd before the game against Torquay, but the game disappointingly ends with a 1–1 draw. While the owners ultimately convey their joy of having visited Wrexham and their trust and belief in the club, the episode ends with a number of fans expressing their discontent about the season's results up to that point. | ||||||
| 10 | 10 | "Hooligans" | N/A | September 28, 2022 | 0.206[33] | |
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Police begin an investigation in Wrexham, after a Wrexham fan is assaulted by other Wrexham fans after the game against Torquay. The episode then explores the relationship between football and the so-called ultras and hooligans: A focus of the profile is Jonny Taylor, a Wrexham fan who is currently banned from the club's stadium after an incident in 2019, and his girlfriend Saskia Barkley, who previously applied to be fast-tracked into the Police as a Detective – Barkley disapproves of the way Taylor behaves, and their relationship is eventually cited as a reason why Barkley cannot become a Detective after she fails vetting. | ||||||
| 11 | 11 | "Sack the Gaffer" |
| September 28, 2022 | 0.147[33] | |
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Twelve games into the season, Wrexham's results aren't reassuring fans about the new direction of the club; as the club deals with numerous injuries and the January transfer window nearing, McElhenney and Reynolds are faced with having to defend their long-term hiring decisions – such as coach Phil Parkinson, who is seen by fans as not living up to his promise. The owners, among themselves, wrestle with the situation and the monetary implications of it, and decide on giving Parkinson the next 10 games as a chance to prove the team's worth. McElhenney also visits the Philadelphia Eagles and asks the advice of coach Nick Sirianni and owner Jeffrey Lurie: Lurie reassures McElhenney to think long-term, even if the short-term results aren't satisfying. The team wins seven out of the designated ten games, with two losses and a 0–0 draw against Wealdstone – the latter being a point of humorous contention for McElhenney who invites all his friends to his bar to watch the game, only it to turn out to be "so boring". The series of wins gets Wrexham up from 12th to third place, and the team demonstrates an exceptional fighting spirit against Yeovil by turning a 0–1 game around to 2–1; this reassures the fans and owners alike for the owners to greenlight Parkinson's investment into a new forward: Wimbledon's Ollie Palmer. | ||||||
| 12 | 12 | "Wins and Losses" |
| October 5, 2022 | 0.203[34] | |
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Palmer's signing at £300,000 sets a new signing fee record for the team, and he immediately begins to rack up goals after revealing a great chemistry with Mullin. Wrexham local player Jordan Davies, however, is revealed to be struggling after he and his partner, Kelsey Edwards, receive news that there are serious problems with Edwards' pregnancy; their baby, Arthur, is eventually stillborn, which devastates them; they are, however, comforted by the outpouring of support from the club and fans alike, and they decide to fundraise for Sands, a charity dedicated to help parents who have suffered the same circumstances. | ||||||
| 13 | 13 | "Bad Breaks" / "Worst Team in the League" |
| October 5, 2022 | 0.149[34] | |
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As Wrexham continue to march towards the top spot in the league, peripheral issues begin to arise: defender Cameron Green expresses dissatisfaction with the lack of playtime he's been getting, while goalkeeper Lainton suffers a dislocated wrist during the game against Bromley, which takes him out of the team for at least three months. This puts in Christian Dibble in goal for the remainder of the season; Dibble expresses his struggle with fans' criticism in reaction to mistakes he's made in the past. Things come to a head at the game against last place team Dover, when Wrexham's quick 2–0 lead is suddenly met with Dover scoring five goals in a row, including a hat-trick by Michael Gyasi, with one of them coming after Dibble accidentally punches defender Ben Tozer instead of the ball. Wrexham, unbelievably, comes back into the game and wins it 6–5 due to a Jordan Davies brace in injury time, but fans continue to blame Dibble for the team's struggle. Overall, however, the buzz around the team's potential promotion begins to grow in the city, with fans starting to experience hope again. Green and Parkinson mutually agree to release Green from his contract, and Green goes on to play for St Albans City F.C. | ||||||
| 14 | 14 | "A Hollywood Distraction" |
| October 5, 2022 | 0.095[34] | |
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Reynolds arrives in Wrexham to film a commercial for 1Password with the team, to some minor chagrin of the staff, who feel it's an unnecessary distraction – McElhenney, similarly, provides humorous running commentary throughout the whole episode complaining about Reynolds going to Wrexham without him. The team gears up to the FA Trophy semi-final against Stockport: Dibble's standout performance keeps Wrexham in the game, and after a strenuous 90 minutes, Mullin suddenly wins the game for the team after scoring two goals (one assisted by Dibble) in injury time, putting Wrexham into the FA Trophy final at Wembley Stadium. A visibly emotional Reynolds, having witnessed the game in person, admits that while he initially treated Wrexham as purely as a project of philanthropy, he now finally understands the emotion behind the game of football. | ||||||
| 15 | 15 | "Daggers" |
| October 5, 2022 | 0.101[34] | |
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The city and the team prepares to the last two league games of the season – the first against league leader Stockport, and the second against last year's spoilers Dag & Red. A win against Stockport at home will allow Wrexham to be in contention for the league champion title, which would result in automatic promotion into League Two – the team handily delivers the match 3–0 with Mullin scoring and a Palmer double. Leading up to the final match, fans and staff alike are aware that Wrexham doesn't control its own destiny: If, in the game played simultaneously to Wrexham's, Stockport defeats Halifax, no matter how Wrexham's game finishes, they can only place second and will be forced to play in the playoffs for promotion. This nightmare scenario soon becomes reality as fans watching both games soon become aware that Stockport takes an early lead in their game; while a deflated Wrexham finishes the Dag & Red game with a 0–3 loss, the supporters continue to give the team a standing ovation, now fully confident in their team for the remaining matches. | ||||||
| 16 | 16 | "Hello Wembley" | October 12, 2022 | 0.282[35] | ||
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Wrexham arrives to Wembley Stadium for the 2022 FA Trophy final against Bromley; the attendance also sees Will Ferrell, Kit Harington, David Beckham, Jason Sudeikis, as well as McElhenney's and Reynolds' wives Kaitlin Olson and Blake Lively; with the city of Wrexham fully and vehemently behind the team, both McElhenney and Reynolds admit they underestimated the weight of playing at Wembley. The match itself proves difficult, with both teams giving the best they got, with goalkeepers Christian Dibble and Ellery Balcombe instrumental in keeping the game goalless, until Bromley striker Michael Cheek scores in the 64th minute; McElhenney notes that he's not yet seen Wrexham win in person. Desperate to win, Parkinson substitutes in striker Jake Hyde, who in the last minute finds a stray ball and equalizes with a diving header – only to be disallowed due to offside. Bromley goes on to win minutes later, much to the crushing disappointment of fans and staff alike. Beckham suggests to the owners to go down and talk to the deflated team, which they do; fans, while let down, continue to express their support and excitement for the final stretch of the season. | ||||||
| 17 | 17 | "Wromance" | N/A | October 12, 2022 | 0.245[35] | |
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After footage of McElhenney embracing Reynolds – instead of Olson, his wife – at the FA Trophy final goes viral, McElhenney and Reynolds dedicates the episode to explore platonic relationships between men, bringing in author Liz Plank to help explain the dynamics of their "bromance"; Plank contends that societal pressures keep men from being able to express affection towards each other, as it isn't deemed "masculine" enough, and that sports allows a safe space to be able to do that. The episode also explores the paternal relationship lineage, and how sports is used as a conduit for men to spend time with their fathers and sons: Reynolds, McElhenney, Parkinson, Davies, Winter, Halton, Scoot and Wrexham fan and DVD-shop owner Rob Clarke all admit that their interest in sports was always driven by their respective fathers; in a vignette, Racecourse groundskeeper Paul "Chal" Chaloner is shown to act as a father figure to his apprentice Harry Jones. | ||||||
| 18 | 18 | "Do or Die" |
| October 12, 2022 | 0.197[35] | |
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With the season and the FA Trophy final behind them, Wrexham arrives to its biggest challenge yet under the new ownership: the playoff semi-finals against Grimsby – whoever wins gets to play in the playoff finals for promotion. Grimsby chair Jason Stockwood describes Grimsby as a town and club with a similar background to Wrexham, and muses about whether McElhenney and Reynolds will be there for the club when the wins don't come and fans turn against them. The owners and Harvey discuss the financial necessity to win the playoffs: The National League provides no membership residuals to clubs playing, but the EFL does, which means Wrexham loses about a million pounds each year they're not in the EFL. It becomes more apparent than ever: Wrexham must win. The match kicks off – interspersed with interviews with fans and players – and becomes a frenzied game of back-and-forth: Mullin takes the lead for Wrexham with an early penalty, but Grimsby striker John McAtee quickly equalizes, leading into an 1–1 half time. In the second half, former Wrexham defender Luke Waterfall puts Grimsby in the lead, but Tozer puts Wrexham back level again. Then it's Mullin putting Wrexham ahead with 3–2, but Grimsby equalizes after Ryan Taylor's header, and then Emmanuel Dieseruvwe takes the lead for Grismby, with Davies equalizing to a 4–4 full time. In extra time, both teams struggle to overcome the other, until Waterfall is left unmarked in the final minute and heads the ball into the goal for a 5–4 victory for Grimsby – Grimsby eventually goes on to win the playoffs and be promoted to League Two, while Wrexham stays in the National League. While the team is devastated, McElhenney tells them that what they achieved is more important: they gave the entire community of Wrexham hope for the future, and the city is now fully behind the football team – fans admit that despite the defeat, they have hope and optimism about going in to the next season. | ||||||
| No. overall | No. in season | Title [27] | Featured matches | Original air date [27] | |
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| 19 | 1 | "Welcome Back to Wrexham" |
| September 12, 2023 | |
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Following the failure to get promoted out of non-league in the 2021–22 season, Wrexham A.F.C. doubles down on ensuring the best roster to achieve promotion: Mark Howard is brought in as a new goalkeeper to replace an injured Lainton and a departing Dibble, while midfielder Elliot Lee arrives to strengthen the offensive line – Lee immediately turns a match against Eastleigh around, but Howard struggles to get a good start for the season. Fans continue to remain hopeful, and embrace the club's sudden international exposure, which helps the town financially, but the board of directors is worried that the club becomes unsustainable if promotion isn't achieved this year, based on the expenses to build a competitive squad and renovate the stadium. King Charles III arrives to honor Wrexham becoming a city, and visits the Racecourse Ground; Reynolds and McElhenney, after going through a crash course on royal etiquette, hope that the visit helps their bid to the Levelling Up Fund to renovate the Kop stand be viewed more favourable; while the full renovation would require £20 million, running out of time, they fund the initial demolition of the old Kop themselves. McElhenney continues to be frustrated by the British bureaucracy, and their bid is eventually rejected, leaving the Kop renovation in limbo. | |||||
| 20 | 2 | "The Quiet Zone" |
| September 19, 2023 | |
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This episode profiles Millie Tipping who is a teenage Wrexham fan diagnosed with autism at an early age. She uses her Wrexham fandom as an outlet for her condition; her mother notes that after she was cut from the football team, something which gave her stability and socialization, she began to withdraw but being a fan allowed her to be more confident and outgoing. Similarly, Mullin shares his struggles about his young son, Albi, who was also diagnosed with nonverbal autism. When Mullin goes public with the diagnosis, and adorns his boots with his son's name, it encourages Tipping to approach Mullin and bond over their shared situation. She then gives him a goodie bag of things for Albi that help her cope with her condition and her prediction of a 5–0 victory comes true. | |||||
| 21 | 3 | "Nott Yet" |
| September 19, 2023 | |
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Eleven games into the season, Wrexham is top of the league with nearly no contest in sight; supporters of other clubs are ambivalent about the Hollywood injection: while some see it as pay-to-win and an additional motivation to beat Wrexham, others appreciate the positive effects on the communities and non-league football as a whole. Wrexham's perfect season, however, is spoiled by an unexpected rival: Notts County and their star striker Macaulay Langstaff, who have been on Wrexham's heels in the table. As their first head-to-head arrives at Meadow Lane, everyone is keenly aware that the two teams will likely decide the championship among themselves, and that their first clash is critical to the rest of the season. In the match, Langstaff takes the lead for Notts early, and Mullin's response in the second half is called offside, leaving the away game as a 1–0 loss. The episode also profiles Mark Griffiths, the long-time commentator of Wrexham's games; it also shows The Declan Swans record a new song "Mullin 10", which Mullin himself is shown approving of in the studio. | |||||
| 22 | 4 | "Shaun's Vacation" |
| September 26, 2023 | |
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After a year of work, Harvey finally gets to go on holiday to Tenerife with his wife, leaving Ker in charge. Immediately on the first day of Harvey's absence, McElhenney arrives to Wrexham to film a prank for Reynolds' birthday involving a blimp with Reynolds' face – in character as the scarred version of Deadpool – on it, violating Welsh aviation law. The next day, during an away match against Boreham Wood, unaware of the 3pm blackout law, McElhenney suggests putting the private live feed from the documentary cameras up on the televisions in The Turf. In both cases, Ker reluctantly contacts the vacationing Harvey to intervene. Two days later, Mullin posts an Instagram photo of his new boots emblazoned with the phrase "F*** THE TORIES", causing a national uproar, worsened by the photo being taken at the Racecourse and Reynolds putting a like on it, both of which imply a club endorsement. In the resulting public relations chaos, Harvey threatens to cut his vacation short and travel back to Wrexham, but Ker successfully implores Reynolds to get McElhenney to talk Harvey out of it and let the club do damage control. Ultimately, McElhenney witnesses a 3–1 win against Halifax. | |||||
| 23 | 5 | "First Losers" |
| September 26, 2023 | |
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As Wrexham trails Notts County on the league table, fans worry that the team will once again "do a Wrexham" and let victory slip in the last minute, as it has happened many times during the club's history. McElhenney similarly muses on his past year where he has watched Wrexham place second both in the National League and the FA Trophy, Wrexham A.F.C. Women place second in the Adran North, Philadelphia Union place second in both the MLS league and the MLS Cup, the Philadelphia Phillies lose in the World Series, and the Philadelphia Eagles lose Super Bowl LVII – most of which he witnessed in person. The episode interviews people who demonstrated a desire to win despite setbacks: Actress Susan Lucci – known for having 19 Emmy nominations for Lead Actress before winning one – describes using her losses as a motivation to work harder; newcomer Wrexham defender Jacob Mendy talks about being a Gambian immigrant to Spain and the United Kingdom, and working as a cleaner and construction worker while pursuing a football career; and Dorking Wanderers owner/manager Marc White tells the story of creating his club from scratch and going from the Crawley and District Football League (then the 17th tier of English football) to the National League, gaining a record setting 12 promotions in 23 years in the process. | |||||
| 24 | 6 | "Ballers" | October 3, 2023 | ||
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While the Wrexham men's team is chasing promotion, the women's team is aiming to do the same, trying to qualify to the Adran Premier, which would allow the team to go semi-professional, as opposed to their current amateur status: lead goalscorer Rosie Hughes works in HM Prison Berwyn as a guard, while child prodigy midfielder Lili Jones works as a kitchen porter. The players also have deep Wrexham connections: Jones' father, Gareth "Powsy" Jones, was a dedicated Wrexham fan before his suicide in early 2021, while defender[b] Mia Roberts is the daughter of Wrexham legend Neil Roberts, captain of the ill-fated team who were relegated to the National League in 2008. Under the management of Gemma and Gareth Owen, the team is looking to have a perfect season, despite the substantially smaller crowds and destitute conditions they play in; after defeating season rival Connah's Quay, the team clinches the top spot of Adran North in a staggering 1–11 win against Rhyl, and earns the chance to compete in the promotion playoffs against Briton Ferry Llansawel A.F.C.. | |||||
| 25 | 7 | "Giant Killers" |
| October 10, 2023 | |
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Concurrent to the National League, Wrexham competes in the FA Cup, a single-elimination tournament with every English football club from all tiers participating; over the decades, Wrexham has become known for its "giant killings", unexpectedly eliminating much higher tier teams, such as the surprise 1991 victory against Arsenal. The team is drawn together in the third round with Coventry City, an EFL Championship team three tiers above Wrexham, with Coventry playing home. During the match, Wrexham goes into the game with tremendous energy, with Sam Dalby and Elliot Lee taking an early lead, and Tom O'Connor and Mullin rounding it up to a 4–1 by the 60th minute; the match tightens, however, when Coventry closes up to 4–3, and it takes Howard's last moment saves to keep the score as a victory – as both McElhenney and Reynolds are watching from the United States, an unexpected ESPN broadcast disruption adds to their anxiety, but the team eventually prevails. The town is ecstatic about the results, and everyone looks forward to the next opponent in the fourth round: Sheffield United, a team who also plays in the EFL Championship, but is expected to be promoted to the Premier League. The game at the Racecourse starts nightmarish: Oli McBurnie takes the lead for Sheffield in the second minute, and both centre-backs Hayden and Jordan Tunnicliffe have to come off with an injury. With a 0–1 half time, the team comes out aggressively to the second half, and James Jones eventually equalizes. O'Connor takes the lead for Wrexham, but Oliver Norwood brings Sheffield up level; Sheffield's Daniel Jebbison is sent off for kicking Tozer when off the ball. Mullin puts victory and another giant killing in reach with a 86th minute goal, but John Egan equalizes for Sheffield in injury time, sending the two teams to a replay at Bramall Lane; despite the disappointment, a visibly shaken Reynolds, who witnessed the game in person, on the verge of tears tells the players in the locker room that what they have achieved that day is extraordinary. In the replay, Wrexham holds up for most of the game, but loses 3–1 in injury time; both fans and the team agree that they have more than measured up to their opponent, pointing to Sheffield captain Billy Sharp who taunts Wrexham supporters after the final whistle, and gives some incensed remarks to the press, which he is eventually fined for by The FA. Now eliminated from the Cup, the team turns its focus back on getting promoted out of the National League. | |||||
| 26 | 8 | "The Grind" |
| October 17, 2023 | |
|
In the manic race against Notts County, as a result of a number of match postponements due to the FA Cup run, pitch conditions, and the passing of Queen Elizabeth, Wrexham has to face nine matches in the period of a month, with two matches per week; the physical demand gradually increases the number of injuries on the team. Midfielder Anthony Forde eventually goes on hiatus when his brother is diagnosed with leukemia, and his wife is diagnosed with a brain tumor and loses some motor function on her left side of the body. Before the match against Southend, temperature drops to −24 °C (−11 °F) and the entire Racecourse pitch freezes with a thick layer of snow; as the match cannot be postponed, the club calls on everyone on club management, staff and fans to help with the chore of shoveling the snow; around fifty people, including Harvey, Parkinson, Gemma Owen, and women's captain Kim Dutton, take part in the operation and clean the snow off the pitch by noon; the team wins later that day, collecting 23 points from the possible 27 in the nine games, finally taking over Notts at the top of the table by four points with ten games to go. The episode profiles team captain Luke Young, detailing his "workhorse" mentality and immense physical work statistics per game, and returns to profile fan Shaun Winter, who reflects on his appearances in the previous season of the show, how they helped him face his alcoholism, and his current efforts as a coach for his son's football team. | |||||
| 27 | 9 | "Glove Triangle" | October 17, 2023 | ||
|
After a year-long injury, Lainton returns to take back the number one goalkeeper spot from Howard; while Howard has been having an outstanding season, he's supportive of Lainton. At a match against Bromley at Hayes Lane – the same place where Lainton was injured with a concussion in 2020 and a fractured wrist in 2022 – during a seemingly routine kick nearing half time, Lainton feels a pain in his knee: during half time, physio Mulholland immediately diagnoses a torn MCL. Lainton is subbed off for Howard, and is forced to miss the rest of the season. Both fans and staff continue to trust Howard, but the club wants to ensure squad depth in the position, and takes an opportunity to sign retired former England national Ben Foster; Foster credits Wrexham for kickstarting his legendary professional career, having played for the club in 2005, but has been retired for nine months at the age of 40, and has been spending his time running a successful YouTube channel and – like Howard – a podcast. Media and football fans are skeptical of the move, labeling it a "money grab", but Foster makes it clear on his podcast that his financial terms on the contract are modest, and that his main motivation is to get the club promoted. Howard openly supports Foster becoming the number one, also arguing that promotion is the main goal, and the two discuss the situation on Howard's podcast. In Foster's first match against York City, he keeps a clean sheet contributing to a 3–0 win; both him and fans speculate that the team may be good enough not just for League Two but League One. For that to happen though, the team first has to win the next two games against Halifax, and, more critically, against their season nemesis: Notts County. | |||||
| 28 | 10 | "Gresford" |
| October 24, 2023 | |
|
The episode explores the relationship of the football club and the memory of the tragedy of the Gresford Colliery: on 22 September 1934, a gas explosion in the Gresford coal mine causes the mine to cave in, trapping and killing 266 men – men who traded their shifts to be able to witness a Wrexham football match the next day. McElhenney and his father visits the memorial and learns about the event; McElhenney's father explains that his great-grandfather was also a miner in Donegal, but also draws a parallel with the working class lives that have been lost in the Vietnam War. They learn that while one of the colliery wheels from the mine have been restored as a memorial, the other is currently abandoned; McElhenney explains his plans to restore the wheel and place it behind the renovated Kop, to connect the memory of the tragedy closer to the club. On the match played on the anniversary of the disaster, Wrexham beats Torquay 6–0, as the crowd sings along to "Yma o Hyd". | |||||
| 29 | 11 | "Yn Codi"[c] | October 24, 2023 | ||
|
As the women's team prepares for their final league game to set a historic 100% win record, another record is in sight: The club arranges for the game to be played at the Racecourse, allowing the team to set an attendance record for a women's football game in Wales. The players all express anxiety about the chance to play in front of such a large home crowd, and the stadium eventually is filled with 9,511 ticket holders – near double the previous record. At the game, T.J. Dickens chips Connah's Quay keeper Grace Murphy in the fifth minute to get Wrexham the lead, but Ella Harvey equalizes soon after; Wrexham eventually wins the game by a half-pitch solo run by Hughes, setting the win record, and preparing the team for the eventual Adran playoff final against Briton Ferry Llansawel A.F.C.. The playoff game, taking place at Latham Park, proves to be the toughest challenge the team faced, and Wrexham – for the first time in the season – is forced to defend, with some goalkeeping heroics by Delyth Morgan. In the second half, Hughes locks on a stray ball and her cross is deflected into the goal by Rebecca Pritchard; Briton Ferry applies tremendous pressure in the remainder of the game, but Morgan keeps a clean sheet, and the team eventually finishes with a 1–0 win, earning promotion to the top Welsh women's football league, the Adran Premier. | |||||
| 30 | 12 | "Hand of Foz" |
| October 31, 2023 | |
|
With five rounds remaining in the season, both Wrexham and Notts County are both on track to break the 103-point record set by Fleetwood in 2012, but everyone is aware that whoever wins the head-to-head encounter is likely to earn automatic promotion; Wrexham's confidence is shaken when three days before the Notts game, the seemingly routine away match against Halifax turns out to be a shocking 1–3 loss. McElhenney and Reynolds arrive in Wales for the match, and are awarded Freedom of the Borough for Wrexham, but both them, the players, and the fans admit they can only ever focus on the upcoming title race; management reiterates that promotion at this point is necessary to keep the club financially sustainable. In the match on Easter Monday, the first half brings a tense battle, with Wrexham disputing many of referee Scott Tallis' calls; just as the half is about to end, John Bostock scores for Notts from a free kick. Wrexham comes out full swing in the second half, with Mullin equalizing and Mendy taking the lead, but Kyle Cameron brings County level. Lee takes the lead for Wrexham again, but six minutes into added time, the referee awards Notts County a penalty after Eoghan O'Connell's handball. Fans and staff watch in horror as Cedwyn Scott steps up to take the penalty, but Foster dives the right way and saves the shot, winning the game for Wrexham, and putting promotion now in direct reach. | |||||
| 31 | 13 | "Family Business" | N/A | November 7, 2023 | |
|
The episode focuses on some of the family relationships of the people around the club: Reynolds's mother Tamara admits being the emotional support for her children, acknowledging that their father Jim had difficulties being emotionally connected; CEO Robinson talks about her heritage at Burton Albion where her father Ben is chairman; Lee talks about his father 21-time English international Rob Lee. Ollie Palmer admits to similarities in the difficulties of his current life – commuting between London and Wrexham, and having less time with his family as a result – to his growing up where his father Andy Palmer, a Protection Officer to the British royal family, had often had to sacrifice his family time to his job. Andy eventually divorced Ollie's mum Sue, after admitting to himself that he was a closeted homosexual; after the initial shock, all three maintain a good relationship today, and Ollie talks about feeling a kinship to McElhenney, whose mother also came out of the closet. | |||||
| 32 | 14 | "Worst Case Scenario" | November 7, 2023 | ||
|
After a scoreless draw against Barnet, Wrexham must win at least two games of the upcoming three for promotion; management reiterates that they effectively gambled their financial plan on getting promoted, and bring in sponsors to offset the cost. McElhenney develops a stye under his eye from the stress. Forde returns to the team after his six-week sabbatical; he highlights that Reynolds helped him and his partner get a second opinion on her tumor, and that the results were reassuring. The team prepares for the game against 22nd place Yeovil, an easy win in theory, with It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia cast members Olson, Glenn Howerton and Charlie Day in attendance for the match. The team keeps the pressure up in the match, but half-time still ends scoreless after many missed chances. Forde finally breaks the deadlock in the 60th minute, with Jones and Mullin rounding up the score to a 3–0 home win, putting Wrexham just one win away from the coveted promotion. | |||||
| 33 | 15 | "Up the Town?" |
| November 14, 2023 | |
|
With only three points remaining to promotion, Wrexham faces Boreham Wood at the Racecourse – Boreham Wood is widely believed to have the league's best defense and best goalkeeper, Nathan Ashmore. Notts County players Langstaff, Bostock, Scott and head coach Luke Williams talk about the risk of the playoffs; Williams also talks about consoling Scott about his missed penalty against Wrexham. The decisive match against Boreham Wood begins with an immediate shock as Lee Ndlovu lobs Foster and takes the lead for the visitors with less than a minute played. Wrexham begins to apply pressure against a tenacious Boreham Wood defense, and Lee equalizes in the 15th minute, leading to an 1–1 half-time. In the second half, the pressure eventually breaks through as Mullin scores twice, putting Wrexham minutes away from the coveted promotion. When referee Scott Jackson blows the final whistle at 3–1, emotions run high as the euphoric supporters invade the pitch, carrying the players on their shoulders, with the 15-year curse ending with Wrexham's promotion back to the football league. In the epilogue, 40,000 people show up for the celebratory open top bus parade for both the men's and women's teams' promotions – in attendance is Davies, with his newborn daughter, who was born on the morning of the parade – and Notts also achieves promotion in Wembley against Chesterfield after Scott scores the winning penalty in the shootout. | |||||
| No. overall | No. in season | Title [36] | Featured matches | Original air date [27] | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 34 | 1 | "Welcome to the EFL" |
| May 2, 2024 | |
|
Triumphant from winning the 2022–23 National League season and finally getting promoted to EFL League Two, the players are afforded a celebratory vacation to Las Vegas; McElhenney and Reynolds convince Foster to play for the club for another year. The team then embarks on a preseason tour around the United States, playing to sold out crowds against Premier League clubs Chelsea and Manchester United – tragedy strikes, however, when during the Man Utd game at Snapdragon Stadium, Mullin suffers an unfortunate collision against goalkeeper Nathan Bishop, suffering four rib fractures and a punctured lung as a result. While his condition is eventually stabilized in the hospital, he is prohibited from immediately flying back to the UK, and is forced to stay in California for two weeks, missing the start of the season. Despite the setback, the team and town are eager to head into the team's first EFL game in fifteen years against Milton Keynes Dons F.C., a team that just got relegated to League Two from EFL League One. The enthusiasm is quickly quelled, however, when an own goal from O'Connell opens the scoring line, with Mohamed Eisa doubling the Dons' lead in just ten minutes into the game; Mendy brings Wrexham one back just before half-time, but the second half escalates even further with Jonathan Leko scoring twice for the Dons; goals from Davies, Daniel Harvie and Forde bring the game to a disheartening final loss of 3–5. | |||||
| 35 | 2 | "Goals" |
| May 2, 2024 | |
|
Reeling from the opening defeat, the club finishes the transfer window bringing in a handful of new players, among them tenured veterans Ireland international James McClean and Scottish international Steven Fletcher. A match against Swindon at the Racecourse begins disastrous, with the team down 1–4 at half-time; both Lee and Parkinson are incensed at the team's lackluster performance. Coming out to the second half, the team manages to salvage the game in injury time to a 5–5 draw; fans applaud the fighting spirit the team displays, but major concerns are raised about the team's defense, and Foster announces his re-retirement after conceding 14 goals in just four games, which comes as a shock to the team and fans alike, leaving Howard in goal. Mullin returns to Wrexham and continues slow rehabilitation for his injury, and finally returns to the starting eleven for the grudge match against Grimsby, the team that knocked out Wrexham from the National League playoffs two seasons ago: While Mullin can't score, the team handily wins the match 3–0 with goals from Palmer, Will Boyle and Lee. The episode also profiles photographer Oliver Stephen: a quiet, reclusive presence, Stephen details his mental health struggles, and how the football club has given him an outlet for his artistic side – even though he's never been to an actual match due to his anxiety. | |||||
| 36 | 3 | "Notts Again" |
| May 9, 2024 | |
|
Continuing in the EFL, Wrexham visits former National League rivals Stockport – after the last two games two seasons ago ending in a resounding victory, Wrexham is debilitated by a shocking 0–5 defeat; looking to replace the departed Foster, the team brings in Arsenal goalkeeper Arthur Okonkwo on a loan; Howard, once again, shows understanding. The team steadily improves with Okonkwo in goal, and the visit to last year's rival Notts County results in a solid 0–2 victory, cementing the team's place in the top 3 of League Two. Meanwhile, the women's team begins the 2023–24 Adran Premier season, with major changes: the team moves stadiums to The Rock, Rhosymedre, players are given a semi-professional status, and new staff is brought in to help with the team's physical conditioning. Five players, however, are released at the start of the season, including Mia Roberts; Roberts admits disappointment, but is hopeful about her eventual return. The team kicks off the season with a tight 3–3 draw against Swansea and a 3–0 loss against Cardiff, but a string of wins stabilizes them also in the top 3 of their league. The episode also puts an overarching emphasis on mental health: it profiles Dan Rowe, a consultant for the Wrexham branch of Andy's Man Club, a support group for men, and the men's team's sports psychologist Sam Kotadia. | |||||
| 37 | 4 | "Risky Business" | May 16, 2024 | ||
|
As the club continues to claw its way towards the top of League Two, the town begins to feel the effects as the new found focus on the town allows residents to open businesses: McElhenney, as part of his "birthday war" with Reynolds, announces to renovate an iconic part of the town as a park, Zimbabwean immigrant Valerie Creusailor talks about her local condiment business, Neil Roberts explains his upcoming phase in life after football as a bar owner, and Ollie Palmer talks about his new clothing line; both Roberts and Palmer emphasize that football players have a relatively short career, and that entrepreneurship has become a necessity in the modern footballing world to allow for a living post-retirement. On the pitch, Wrexham handily wins a match against Morecambe, but bad luck strikes again when during a match against Harrogate Town, at a 2–0 Wrexham lead, Okonkwo has an unfortunate knock to the head: he insists to continue playing, but appears woozy and continues to spit blood, and is subbed off for Howard at half-time; the match ends with a 2–2 draw, and Okonkwo is diagnosed with a fractured jaw. | |||||
| 38 | 5 | "Temporary" |
| May 23, 2024 | |
|
The management of the team continues to struggle with the lack of The Kop stand, which cannot be built for various bureaucratic reasons; McElhenney proposes a temporary stand, which both Harvey and Ker protest against, as it would be a heavy financial loss, and potentially a safety hazard – the temporary stand eventually is raised, increasing the stadium capacity to above 10,000 seats for the first time since 2007. Howard keeps the team winning, and Okonkwo eventually returns wearing a protective face mask. Midfielder James Jones recollects a period last season during which his wife pregnant with their child has to go through a Caesarean section to give birth, and both of the child's and her lives remained in danger for months; Jones eventually becomes the first person to score in front of the "new" Kop against Newport. The win keeps Wrexham in the Top 3 for automatic promotion; previous season's rival Notts County, however, loses momentum and languishes lower-mid-table after a series of injuries, and the departure of head coach Luke Williams – it becomes apparent that the biggest opponent Wrexham faces this season will be Stockport. Elderly fan Arthur Massey becomes a centenarian, and the club honours him with a hundred seconds of applause, as he reflects on his time having seen the club change; the final shot of the episode is him sitting in the new, temporary stand. | |||||
| 39 | 6 | "Far Away, So Close" |
| May 30, 2024 | |
|
Despite having one of the best home record in the league, at the turn of the season, Wrexham continues to struggle with its away performances, slowly sliding out of the Top 3 to the playoff places; fans begin to feel uneasy and question Parkinson's match decisions and Mullin's fitness; while Arsenal decides not to recall Okonkwo who can then fill out the rest of the season at Wrexham, Mendy is called up to the Gambia national football team to represent his home country at the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations. After a disastrous eight-game stretch of only two wins and four losses, McElhenney returns to Wales to support the team and to meet with Prince William visiting Wrexham for Saint David's Day; the team eventually turns their luck around with a resounding 4–0 victory against Accrington Stanley, with Mullin scoring his second hat-trick of the season. The episode also chronicles the team's popularity in Welsh Patagonia; a community established by Welsh settlers in Patagonia, Argentina in the 1800s – members of the community, while born in Argentina, speak Welsh, identify as Welsh, and keep long distance friendships with the people of Wrexham. McElhenney and Reynolds offer to travel a number of Patagonian fans to the game, where they take part in the Saint David's Day parade and witness the victorious match. | |||||
| 40 | 7 | "Proper Trouble" |
| June 6, 2024 | |
|
As the season careens towards its ending, Wrexham is trying to keep its precarious position in the automatic promotion spots; McClean is suspended for the derby against Tranmere after collecting too many yellow cards; the match, with heightened police presence, ends with a disappointing 0–1 loss, and concludes with a minor brawl on pitch. The team turns their form around with a 2–0 home win against promotion contender Mansfield, but the away form curse returns with a shocking 1–0 defeat against Doncaster, a team fighting relegation. Simultaneously, the women's team continues to establish their place in the Adran Premier, and secures a place in the top half of the league before it splits[d], after newcomer Carra Jones wins the game for the team against Aberystwyth. Behind the scenes, management brings aboard Ally Financial to sponsor the women's team a pre-season tour in the United States as well. McClean also talks about his illustrious career marred by controversy: as an Irishman from Derry – the scene of the "Bloody Sunday" massacre in 1972 – he holds historic animus against the English, and his defiance of tradition has made him a target of criticism and abuse. | |||||
| 41 | 8 | "Down to the Wire" |
| June 13, 2024 | |
|
As the season closes, the women's team finishes third in the Adran Premier – a much better final placement than expected – but as a final challenge, they take on Cardiff in the FAW Women's Cup Final: Despite a close game, Cardiff eventually prevails 2–0; team and management alike vow to take the title from them next season. The men's team – aware that they have no room to drop points anymore to secure automatic promotion – win their final away game against Colchester, and for the next match at the Racecourse against Forest Green, Wrexham has the opportunity to secure automatic promotion provided they win, while in two matches played simultaneously, Mansfield wins against MK Dons, and Gillingham wins against Barrow; chances seem slim, so both McElhenney and Reynolds decide to skip the match and stay in North America. While Wrexham confidently begins to rack up goals against FGR, the other two matches initially don't turn their way, but as the crowd begins to receive news that both Gillingham and Mansfield are winning, the enthusiasm begin to alert players, who are otherwise unaware of the results. Eventually all three matches end in Wrexham's favour, and the team secures back-to-back promotions to EFL League One, as supporters once again invade the pitch in celebration. The final game of the season against league winners Stockport is both jubilant and bittersweet, as the club is aware that many of the players will have to be released from the club, among them captains Young and Tozer, and as such they might be playing their last games that day. Wrexham wins the game 2–1, and photographer Stephen marks a personal victory by overcoming his anxiety and attending his first ever Wrexham game. | |||||
The series is produced by Boardwalk Pictures, the company also behind Last Chance U and Chef's Table.[19] Maximum Effort, a film company founded by Reynolds is also co-producing and marketing the series.[37] FX commissioned the first two seasons of the show.[9][20] McElhenney confirmed plans for a second season, following the full release of the first, on October 13, 2022.[38] The executive producers of the series were stated to be Rob McElhenney, Ryan Reynolds, Nick Frenkel, John Henion, Andrew Fried, Dane Lillegard, George Dewey and Sarina Roma.[8][20][39] Henion was also the showrunner for season 1,[39] with Bryan Rowland and Josh Drisko running season 2.[40]
Alex Webb of Bloomberg News estimated that the first season of the show would bring Reynolds and McElhenney a revenue of £600,000, which would have contributed considerably to the club's budget that year.[41]
Filming for the docuseries began December 2020,[12] with the film crew appearing alongside the owners' first visit to the team at the Wrexham v. Maidenhead United F.C. match in October 2021.[42][43] In an interview with Variety, Reynolds admitted that he was initially uncomfortable with the all-access documentary setting.[44] Discussions about dismissals of players were recorded on camera, but were ultimately cut, to keep focus on the effect of the decisions on the players, rather than on the executives making the decisions.[44]
For Season 1, sound recordings for the matches were done with single mono microphones, which were then mixed in post to sound wider and represent the larger crowds better; Season 2 featured full surround sound recordings.[45] Editors found the first episode of the show challenging to plan, and ended up leaving most of the footage from the 2020–2021 season on the cutting room floor.[46] The editors room had a mix of football fans and non-fans, which helped with balancing the match highlights with the human stories.[47]
The all-access "fly on the wall" docuseries was first announced by McElhenney and Reynolds on May 18, 2021.[48][49][50] Later that month, an announcement trailer for the series was released onto Reynolds' YouTube channel, titled "Welcome to Wrexham". The roughly two-minute parody sketch comedy involves McElhenney and Reynolds announcing the docuseries, as well as former BBC News and S4C journalist Maxine Hughes, who acts as a "pretty disgruntled" Welsh language translator for the pair, but adds some "creative" translations to the pair's words.[51][52][53][54][55]
In December 2021, FX released a video promo for the series, titled "It's Never Sunny in Wrexham".[56] The short 30-second clip involved lookalikes of the It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia cast, including a Danny DeVito lookalike, set inside the Turf Hotel located next to Wrexham A.F.C's Racecourse Ground.[8][57] In the clip, the lookalike cast looks confusingly at a television screen showing the true cast of the American series starring McElhenney, staring back from their Philadelphia Irish bar. The clip also includes the two owners. The scenes involving the lookalike cast and the two owners were filmed in October 2021 as the two owners visited Wrexham.[8][57] When the lookalike of Danny DeVito visited Wrexham, he was confused for the real actor.[56][58] Describing the series, Nick Grad, FX Entertainment's original programming president said "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".[20][59]
On July 20, 2022, the official trailer for the program was released.[60][61] The series' official synopsis read "From Hollywood to Wales, from the pitch to the locker room, the front office to the pub, Welcome to Wrexham will track Rob and Ryan's crash course in football club ownership and the inextricably connected fates of a team and a town counting on two actors to bring some serious hope and change to a community that could use it".[62]
The Walt Disney Company, which owns FX as well as the sports network ESPN, moved three FA Cup matches involving Wrexham to networks ESPN2 and ESPNews to help promote the series.[63]
The first teaser trailer for the second season was aired during the half time of Wrexham's pre-season game against Chelsea on July 19, 2023.[64] On July 22, it was officially announced that the season would begin airing on September 12.[65]
In May 2022, it was announced that the first two episodes of the series would premiere on August 24, 2022, in the US on FX.[66] All episodes would become available on FX on Hulu in the US and Disney+ in the UK on August 25, 2022.[7][67][68] The series would be composed of 30-minute episodes.[68] The series would also be released in Ireland on the same day and on Disney+ as the UK. Dates for other international releases have yet to be announced but are expected to be on Star+ in Latin America and Disney+ (under the Star banner) in various other territories.[69][70] It is set to be released as a Star Original outside the United States.[61]
A week after the premiere of the first season's final episode, McElhenney and Reynolds confirmed on Twitter that a second season of the series is in the works.[71] It was officially confirmed by Disney in April 2023 after Wrexham secured promotion to EFL League Two.[72] The second season premiered on September 12, 2023, in the US, and the following day on Hulu and internationally on Disney+.[73]
A third season of the show was announced on November 14, 2023.[74] In a change, season 3 will air in the spring, rather than autumn as the first two seasons, to be closer to the contemporary events happening to the club.[75]
According to the streaming aggregator Reelgood, Welcome to Wrexham was the 7th most watched program across all platforms, during the week of September 2, 2022.[76][77]
For the first season, the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reported a 91% approval rating with an average rating of 7.0/10, based on 33 critic reviews. The website's critics' consensus reads, "Plunking two famous funnymen into the unpredictable journey of a sports documentary, Welcome to Wrexham is a calculated gamble that pays off."[78] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned a score of 75 out of 100 based on 16 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[79]
For the second season, Rotten Tomatoes reported a 91% approval rating with an average rating of 7.3/10, based on 22 critic reviews. The website's critics consensus reads, "While its marquee stars are plenty welcoming all their own, Wrexham smartly spends its sophomore season focused on the community itself to inspiring effect."[80] Metacritic assigned a score of 79 out of 100 based on 11 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[81]
For the third season, Rotten Tomatoes reported a 100% approval rating with an average rating of 7.7/10, based on 4 critic reviews.[82]
| Award | Year | Category | Nominee(s) | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cinema Audio Society Awards | 2023 | Outstanding Achievement in Sound Mixing for Television – Non-Fiction, Variety, or Music/Series or Specials | Mark Jensen (for "Ballers") | Nominated | [83] |
| Critics' Choice Documentary Awards | 2022 | Best Sports Documentary | Welcome to Wrexham | Won | [84][85] |
| Best Ongoing Documentary Series | Nominated | ||||
| 2023 | Best Sports Documentary | Welcome to Wrexham | Nominated | [86] | |
| Best Ongoing Documentary Series | Nominated | ||||
| Critics' Choice Real TV Awards | 2023 | Best Sports Show | Welcome to Wrexham | Won | [87][88] |
| Guild of Music Supervisors Awards | 2023 | Best Music Supervision for a Docuseries | Andrea von Foerster | Nominated | [89][90] |
| Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards | 2023 | Outstanding Unstructured Reality Program | John Henion, Andrew Fried, Sarina Roma, Dane Lillegard, Nicholas Frenkel, George Dewey, Rob McElhenney, Ryan Reynolds, and Humphrey Ker | Won | [91][92] |
| Outstanding Cinematography for a Reality Program | Alastair McKevitt, Craig Hastings, Leighton Cox and Jason Bulley (for "Do or Die") | Won | |||
| Outstanding Directing for a Reality Program | Bryan Rowland (for "Wide World of Wales") | Won | |||
| Outstanding Picture Editing for an Unstructured Reality Program | Mohamed El Manasterly, Curtis McConnell, Michael Brown, Charles Little, and Bryan Rowland (for "Do or Die") | Won | |||
| Outstanding Sound Mixing for a Reality Program (Single or Multi-Camera) | Mark Jensen (for "Do or Die") | Won | |||
| Outstanding Sound Editing for a Nonfiction or Reality Program (Single or Multi-Camera) | Will Harp, Jon Schell, and Shaun Cromwell (for "Do or Die") | Nominated | |||
| Television Critics Association Awards | 2023 | Outstanding Achievement in Reality Programming | Welcome to Wrexham | Nominated | [93] |
| 2024 | Nominated | [94] | |||
| Producers Guild of America Awards | 2024 | Outstanding Producer of Non-Fiction Television | Welcome to Wrexham | Won | [95] |
| Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards | 2024 | Outstanding Unstructured Reality Program | Won | [96] | |
| Outstanding Cinematography for a Reality Program | Craig Hastings, Ed Edwards, James Melrose, Craig Murdoch, Verdy Oliver, Esther Vardy, Leighton Cox, Tom Reece, Gareth Roberts, Joe Clifford, Joby Newson, Mike Staniforth, and Dillon Scheps | Nominated | |||
| Outstanding Directing for a Reality Program | Bryan Rowland (for "Shaun's Vacation") | Nominated | |||
| Outstanding Picture Editing for an Unstructured Reality Program | Michael Brown, Josh Drisko, Michael Oliver, Bryan Rowland, and Steve Welch (for "Up the Town?") | Won | |||
| Outstanding Sound Mixing for a Reality Program (Single or Multi-Camera) | Mark Jensen (for "Giant Killers") | Won | |||
| Outstanding Sound Editing for a Nonfiction or Reality Program (Single or Multi-Camera) | Shaun Cromwell, William Harp, Jon Schell, and Sean Gray (for "Goals") | Nominated | |||
Necaxa’s backers purchased 5% of Wrexham AFC in April 2024 and its owners Rob McElhenney and Ryan Reynolds, in turn, purchased a minority stake in Necaxa.[97]
On July 9th a TV series was ordered with filming beginning on the same day. The series will be similar to Welcome to Wrexham.[98]
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