In November 2020, Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney bought the Welsh football club Wrexham A.F.C. When I first heard the news, I thought, "What a random thing for them to do." This past Labor Day weekend, I finally sat down and watched the series that came out of this purchase: "Welcome to Wrexham."

It would be easy to say this is like "Ted Lasso," but real. That would also be wrong. I would say that this is closer to "Friday Night Lights" than anything. Sure, this is an unscripted reality, but what the two shows have in common is that both shows are as much about the people as the sport. The residents/fans of Wrexham get as much (if not more) screen time as the players. These people have been fans for decades and have seen the city suffer as the team got demoted to the National League, had terrible owners who only wanted to make a profit, and even planned to level the stadium (the oldest international football stadium in the world).

They were weary of these two Hollywood actors coming in to buy their team. It seemed like a publicity stunt, and they would sell the club to someone else if things got bad. Early in the season (of the television show), Rob McElhenny talks about his roots growing up in Philadelphia. He compares Eagles fans to Wrexham fans because both fandoms are full of working-class, passionate people. He says it was one of the reasons he was drawn to Wrexham. Reynolds and McElhenny had to earn the trust of the city.

The show is entertaining to watch, and if you do not know if Wrexham got promoted, those final episodes are exciting to watch. During the last episode, I was out of my seat and pacing just like I was watching a Bills game on Sunday. The new season starts on September 12, and I cannot wait.

“Welcome to Wrexham” airs Tuesdays at 9 on FX and the next day on Hulu.