Do you have any experience managing a soccer team? No? In fact, neither did Rob McElhenney (It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia) nor Ryan Reynolds (Deadpool), but it didn’t stop them from owning the 5th division Red Dragons (the Wrexham football club, from Wales). And now, Reynolds and McElhenney will feature in a docuseries for FX titled Welcome to Wrexham, which will debut next month. A failing National League team, Wrexham Red Dragons, is the subject of the series, which follows the oldest football club in the world.
In November 2020, Reynolds and McElhenney acquired the team under their RR McReynolds Company LLC banner, and they became the team’s owners in February 2021. When Reynolds and McElhenney agreed to take on the assignment, they didn’t know precisely what they were doing, but they felt a connection to the team’s past, which is shown in the teaser. Trailers suggest that the Wrexham squad has ties to the town of the same name. Wrexham’s football team, according to one resident, is the most important item to the city’s residents.
It will be shown that the team’s history is intimately linked to the town’s residents, and their trajectory represents Wrexham’s persistent battle against terrible odds. You can expect a movie-like experience in Welcome to Wrexham, and not just because of the Hollywood personalities involved: It’s clear from the trailer that Wrexham residents care deeply about the team, and they’re concerned about what two Yankees can do to their darling sports baby.
Meanwhile, the underdog narrative instantly catches the interest of viewers as it reminds them of fantastic films such as Moneyball, The Damned United, and even Ted Lasso – all of which record a passion for athletics that goes beyond championship. FX’s first season premieres. On August 24, we’ll be welcoming you to Wrexham with back-to-back episodes. You’ll be able to watch it on Hulu the following day.
Here is the official synopsis:
It was Rob and Ryan’s dream, back in 2020, to acquire the 5th-tier Red Dragons in order to convert the squad into a global underdog narrative. Concern? Ryan and Rob have never played football before, and neither have they ever worked together before. With a focus on Rob and Ryan’s journey into football club ownership and the intertwined fortunes of a team and a town, Welcome to Wrexham follows the two actors as they make their way from Hollywood to a Welsh town in need of some genuine optimism and change.