The fairytale documentary “Welcome to Wrexham” appears to have plenty of stories yet to be told.
That’s according to the club owners Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney, who believe the Hollywood finish we saw at the end of seasons two and three, respectively, is just the tip of the iceberg.
Where we left off in the Wrexham series?
If Wrexham’s story were a major motion picture, it’d be fair to assume no more tales left to tell. We had the story of the oldest Welsh football club rising from the ashes with significant investments and a demanding manager in Phil Parkinson. The first three seasons had everything you’d expect from a Hollywood sports movie. There’s been plenty of heartbreak, frustration, conflict, and, fittingly, ends on a winning note at the end of seasons two and three with the team winning the National League and being promoted out of League Two.
In 2023, the series won five Creative Arts Emmy Awards. The Wrexham owners, however, have bigger expectations in mind for the series in the future.
What are the future goals of “Welcome to Wrexham”?
Knowing there is more to come, in the “Welcome to Wrexham” series will be music to the ears of its legion of football fans and fans of the show.
Speaking to The Wrap, McElhenney said, “Our goal, ultimately, is to document the rise of the club and the town for as long as we possibly can because it is just a wellspring of story.”
“When I hear people say, ‘Well, eventually you’re going to run out of stories,’ I’m like, ‘Really? Because we haven’t for thousands of years,“ he adds.
Reynolds agreed noting that the stories they heard in their first visit to Wrexham were “falling off the tree”.
What makes the series so captivating?
Underdog sports movies are not a new concept, but “Welcome to Wrexham” is unique to popular sports movie franchises like “Rocky” and “The Mighty Ducks.”
The authenticity of “Welcome to Wrexham” is extraordinary, as its tone shifts from one episode to the next. From comical infomercials about Welsh history to a deeply empathetic episode about what the club means to a loyal fan with autism, the show brings us through a wide array of emotions. It makes us laugh, cry, and sometimes angers us, but at the end of it all, it’s inspiring.
Reynolds says it’s “more interesting to look at their football club without rose-coloured glasses."
“The town of Wrexham has inspired so many people globally because (a version of) that town exists all over the world with people who feel like they’ve been left out or nothing good will ever happen to them, or that prosperity is never going to find them in the system,” Reynolds adds.
How long will the series last?
There’s no word on when a fourth season might air, though the co-owners noted one fantastic moment we haven’t seen yet. There was a visit to an “incredible” and “ancient church”. “So, Season 5, we might just do a whole season on exorcisms. I don’t know,“ McElhenney said.
When it came to the length of the series, McElhenney had this to say: “Our goal, ultimately, is to document the rise of the club and the town for as long as we possibly can because it is just a wellspring of story.”
The Wrexham men begin a series of pre-season friendly matches in July against Premier League sides Bournemouth and Chelsea before travelling to Reynolds’ hometown in Vancouver for a friendly against the Whitecaps, a Major League Soccer side.