“Welcome to Wrexham” is an American sports documentary series that premiered on August 24 of this year on FX. The series documents the events of Welsh association football club Wrexham AFC as told by the club’s top-tier celebrity owners Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney.

“Welcome to Wrexham” (2022): Superstars as Super Saviors

Item: Welcome to Wrexham
Rating: 8.1
Author: John Smistad

Streaming Series Review

by John Smistad

I grew up in Houston, Texas. I was, am, and will always be a sports fanatic. As such, I loved my hometown pro football team, the Oilers. The club subjected its fans to some grim seasons when I was a kid. Try back-to-back 1 and 13 records, including a spirit-sapping 18 losses in a row.

Earl & Bum hash it out

But then along came a couple of guys named Bum Phillips and Earl Campbell. The easy-going cowboy hat-wearing Head Coach and the Hall of Fame wrecker of a running back helped lead the Oilers to consecutive AFC Championship games in the late 1970s. And though they would lose both title matches to a legendary pack of Pittsburgh Steelers (still arguably the best overall unit in the history of the sport) and we were sorely disappointed to not realize our dreams of Super Bowl glory, the entire city of Houston was Texas-size proud of our crew in Columbia Blue.

They had galvanized a once forlorn fan base. A city. A people.

Enter the new documentary series “Welcome to Wrexham”. This time it’s a Welsh soccer team. And the town is just a wee bit smaller than “Space City”. But the fierce and unwavering devotion of this berg’s futbol club’s fans mirrors that fiery spirit of the “Luv Ya Blue” faithful of yore.

Wrexham has known hard times in recent decades. Damn hard. Busted businesses. Joblessness. Broken dreams.

And a crappy soccer team.

Perhaps it’s that last one that really hurts the most.

Once proud league champions, Wrexham AFC has plunged into a decades-long spiral of obscurity and futility. And the natives are restless. They want a change. A team to root like hell for. And be rewarded.

They want a winner, damn it.

And just like in the movies, it’s Hollywood to the rescue.

Surging onto the scene like knights in tinsel-town armor come feted film idol Ryan Reynolds (“Deadpool” among oodles of other big screen sizzlers) and TV super-duper star Rob McElhenney (“It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia”, the comic actor’s actual hometown). Together this dynamic duo devotes their support, enthusiasm, faith and an unspecified cache of cash to right the sinking ship that has long since been Wrexham soccer and launch the lads into the coveted (and one whole hell of a lot more lucrative) next-level of European pro soccer.

Do Ryan & Rob toast triumphant?

Do Reynolds, McElhenney and an assorted cast of characters committed to culminating a colossal comeback crusade fit for the most unlikely of cinematic storybook endings succeed in their quest?

Getting a BIG kick out of soccer again out Wrexham way

Only Season Two of “Welcome to Wrexham” will reveal the answer (if you don’t spoil the surprise and Google it first, that is). Suffice it to say that it’s an uphill climb.

But don’t count this plucky bunch out. Turns out they’re pretty good at battling up from the bottom.

May this sacred mantra of the sports fanatic rock both heaven and earth now and for time eternal…

“Ya gotta believe!”

Season One of “Welcome to Wrexham” is available in it’s entirety on FX and to rent and purchase now on amazon Prime Video.

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