There’s a lot to love about FX’s Welcome to Wrexham docuseries, and non-football fans will certainly tune in just to see what Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney were thinking when they bought the struggling Red Dragons. Reynolds and McElhenney are indeed entertaining, but what’s guaranteed to grab viewers is the sheer joy of victory mixed with the utter agony of defeat experienced by the fine citizens of Wrexham as they cheer on their struggling hometown football team.
Anyone who’s ever rooted for a losing team knows what it feels like to continue to hang onto hope that one day things will turn around. (As a life-long Chargers fan, I know this feeling deep in my soul.) One day a miracle will occur, and all those losing seasons will become distant memories. In 2020, Wrexham fans were asked to consider if Hollywood stars Ryan Reynolds (Deadpool) and Rob McElhenney’s (It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia) interest in purchasing the third oldest football team in the world was the miracle they’d been waiting for.
The small blue-collar town of Wrexham (located in North Wales) is populated by diehard fans who live and die with their football team. The town’s been through a lot, and it’s obvious with the proliferation of empty storefronts that Wrexham could use an infusion of cash. But when it was announced Ryan and Rob wanted to buy the Red Dragons, of course, some Wrexham fans were skeptical of their motivations. Was this a publicity stunt? Would they desert the team after the spotlight faded away or the newness of the adventure wore off? These are justifiable concerns that Ryan and Rob – and, in turn – the docuseries address.
Obviously, given that this is based on real events, Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney managed to assure Wrexham fans that they were in it for the long run. The duo, who only knew each other through social media and hadn’t met in person before deciding to take on owning a football team, understood the passion of Wrexham fans and committed to taking this underdog team from the bottom of the barrel back to being competitive with upper-tier teams. Why? Maybe the answer’s as simple as everyone loves a good underdog story.
FX’s docuseries explores the inner workings of the Red Dragons and the impact Reynolds and McElhenney’s ownership has had not just on the team but the entire town. It’s a Cinderella story told with love and laughter. It’s also a very effective publicity tool for the Wrexham Red Dragons. But, you’d have to be very cynical to believe this is all just a ploy to help Reynolds and McElhenney recoup their monetary investment in the club.
Beginning with the first episode, Welcome to Wrexham builds up goodwill toward the town and its club. Reynolds and McElhenney are refreshingly candid about this strange trip they’re on as team owners. And the episodes (five of which were made available to critics) spotlight a colorful collection of Wrexham fans who don’t shy away from sharing their opinions of the team and its owners.
There’s something incredibly compelling about this weird story of the Red Dragons. McElhenney began this journey by deciding he needed someone with movie star money as a partner. He landed on the perfect partner in Reynolds, and the two do not fail to entertain.
