First Impressions: Welcome to Wrexham
Credit: FX
“Do you love Deadpool? Do you love It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia? What if I told you Rob McElhenney (It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia) and Ryan Reynolds (Deadpool (2016)) purchased a 150 year old football club in England? And what if I told you FX was going to give us a show about their first season together? You’d probably say, ‘Matt, this is a ridiculous idea. No way FX funds something so ludicrous.’ ”
Welcome to Wrexham!
Welcome to Wrexham follows McElhenney and Reynolds’ journey from discovering the club, to buying the club, and Wrexham AFC’s 2021-22 season. The pair have to navigate becoming owners of an “underdog” team and doing their best to build a relationship with both the team as well as their supporters in the town of Wrexham. Welcome to Wrexham is set to premier August 24th on FX, and will be available to stream via Hulu.
RR McReynolds Company LLC purchased Wrexham AFC in November of 2020. This came a huge surprise to fans of the actors, as well as the Wrexham AFC supporters back home in Wales. Despite many writing off McReynolds’ purchase of the club as neither has any previous experience owning a football club, let alone any connection to Wrexham at all, the team surprised many throughout English football, as Wrexham finished its 2021-22 season in 2nd place, narrowly missing out on promotion to the English League Two following a tough loss to Grimbsy Town in a playoff for promotion.
Credit: FX
Initial Thoughts
I have followed the purchase of Wrexham AFC by McReynolds for a while now. It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia is easily my favorite show, so anything Rob McElhenney touches I immediately become a fan of. But from the purchase’s inception, it appeared a bit far-fetched. And given that the club currently sits at the second rung from the bottom of the English football ladder, it was a move that didn't seem all that consequential. Just a couple of rich Hollywood-types buying a new toy.
But then the team started winning, and I started paying more attention. Although the games aren't easily available to watch (due both to time zone and lack of streaming over seas) I would follow the results. Wrexham climbed the ranks of the National League and by the end of the season, Wrexham was in a playoff for promotion. Unfortunately, the National League only has two of spots available for promotion. They weren't promoted, but I'll be damned if Wrexham didn't give the football world (in that part of the United Kingdom anyway) something to get excited about. And that's what I believe will capture audiences' attention back home in the states when they watch Welcome to Wrexham.
Rumblings of Ted Lasso (starring Jason Sudeikis) come to mind when we think of an American and a Canadian both known for their comedic prowess coming into possession of a centuries old football club in England. And that's okay! Because as critics (and myself) will tell you, Ted Lasso is an excellent show. Why has Ted Lasso faired so well over the last two seasons? Because the show has heart.
People love sports in general, especially when sports are combined with movies and TV shows because there's a lot of heart involved in players, coaches, and sometimes even the front office being forced to come together as a team to build something great. You have to love the game and you have to work hard to obtain a result in any sport, and people love to see that in film. People love the ups and downs, the wins and losses, and the tension that builds from close contests. If the trailer for Welcome to Wrexham is any indicator, that's exactly what McReynolds will deliver.
I'm personally looking forward to the journey over the first season for McReynolds because it is very easy to write-off the whole experience as, "two rich Hollywood dudes buy a soccer team because they can." In fact, they're not the only ones. But this case feels different because there's a level of genuineness to the purchase. It's not just a toy, it's an investment. And the response from Wrexham's fans, as well as the team's results from this last season are going to give us plenty of reason to keep watching.
Credit: Planet Football
Needless to say…
First Impressions: Hyped.
