Welcome to Wrexham, a docuseries about a Welsh soccer team taken over by two Hollywood standouts, starts on FX August 24.
Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney acquired the struggling Wrexham club in 2020. Dating back to 1864, Wrexham is one of the oldest professional football clubs in the world, according to FX. The series tracks “the dreams and worries of Wrexham, a working-class town in North Wales, UK, as two Hollywood stars take ownership of the town’s historic yet struggling football club.”
McElhenney created and stars in It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, and holds those same titles at Mythic Quest on Apple TV Plus. Reynolds is best known for his work in the Deadpool franchise, as well as Free Guy and The Adam Project.
The pilot sees the pair attempt to acquire the team. With a nod to Ted Lasso, Reynolds and McElhenney have no soccer experience and have not worked together. “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,” said FX.
FX has signed on for two seasons. Jon Landgraf, FX chairman, called Wrexham “quite an unusual docuseries” during the TCA’s summer press tour. “It definitely does follow the fate of the team and the players and many of the games that were played on the field, but it also follows the story of Rob and Ryan and the management that they brought into the team,” he said. “It also follows the town of Wrexham and many of the stories of the fans. It's about fandom in general, and also tells some of the history of Wrexham and Wales and that particular team.”
Welcome to Wrexham is produced by Boardwalk Pictures. Episodes are on Hulu the day after their linear premiere. ■
