‘Welcome to Wrexham’ Season 1 Recap: What to Remember Ahead of Season 2:

During the Covid-19 pandemic, It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia actor and showrunner Rob McElhenney decided to purchase a Welsh association football well beyond its heyday. Having not qualified for the English Football League (EFL) for quite some time, Wrexham A.F.C. was in an ideal position to be bought for a relatively reasonable amount and made the focus of a rags-to-riches story. That story would be told over 18 episodes of a docuseries for Hulu called Welcome to Wrexham, putting a small Welsh town on the map and controlling the narrative of McElhenney’s crazy business endeavor. In order to do so, however, McElhenney needed to form his own team; firstly Rob’s football-savvy British friend Humphrey Ker (writer on McElhenney’s Mythic Quest and husband to The Always Sunny Podcast’s Megan Ganz). Then, in order to afford such a major payment, McElhenney needed a business partner of a high caliber and business ambition. Having owned non-entertainment businesses from Aviation Gin to Mint Mobile, only Deadpool’s Ryan Reynolds would do.

Wrexham Fans Worried History Would Repeat Itself
When the idea of Rob and Ryan’s acquisition came to light, many worried history would repeat itself. In 2004, Wrexham was sold to Alex Hamilton and Mark Guterman, who saw the business potential of the club rather than its potential as the community’s team. Their plans to asset-strip the club soon became clear when it was revealed they intended to turn the iconic Racecourse Ground stadium into real estate. In protest, the town banded together, proving Wrexham A.F.C.’s importance as more than just a hobby, but as a communal linchpin. The Wrexham Supporters Trust was formed, pressuring Hamilton and Guterman to resign, and leaving the club completely fan-owned. Fans continued to support Wrexham, raising £127,000 in just one day to save it, but with its “Kop” stand no longer safe to host audiences, the Trust was forced to admit it could no longer afford to forward Wrexham.

Excited by the idea of reviving the club, Ryan and Rob extended their offer to the Wrexham Supporters Trust. After some media backlash and confusion, their offer was voted on and accepted with over 90% approval. Ker became the executive director and introduced himself to the team as admittedly out of his depth. Former EFL CEO Shaun Harvey was brought on as the board’s advisor. Wrexham finished the season in 8th place, remaining in the fifth tier for the 14th consecutive year, resulting in manager Dean Keates and his staff being dismissed. In an attempt to rebuild quickly, Burton Albion F.C.’s Fleur Robinson was hired as CEO with the fourth tier’s top-scorer Paul Mullin signing for the club. After a lengthy personal phone call, McElhenney also convinced Phil Parkinson to rethink his rejection of their offer and sign on as the team’s new manager.

Rob McElhenney and Ryan Reynolds Faced Major Costs, Both Financial and Emotional

Mullin’s addition to the team proved fruitful immediately, equalizing for a 1-1 draw against Notts County in the 2021-22 season’s first match. Intimidated, the longer-term Wrexham players speculated whether Mullin’s signing fee was extortionate, but the Scouse striker insisted the move was in order to be closer to his family. After three expensive hires, however, it became clear to the owners that the £100,000 pitch needed to be relaid for double the cost, and the bills racked up again. They were also still yet to reacquire the stadium itself and renovate the “Kop” stand. To tackle this, Rob and Ryan did what they do best, and started a media campaign to attract global attention to the team, resulting in TikTok and Expedia sponsorships and merchandising sales. No amount of media attention could compare to when the owners finally visited Wrexham in person, though.

Having watched games from their Hollywood homes until then, Rob and Ryan arrived in Wales for the Wrexham-Maidenhead match. Locals were excited, as was the international media, but when Wrexham lost, nothing could prepare Rob and Ryan for how emotionally taxing attending the game would be. After the league reviewed the red card, Mullin was suspended for two games, resulting in a disappointing 1-1 draw against Torquay soon after. Despite the star-studded excitement of Rob and Ryan’s visit, ultimately Wrexham fans were left worried about the state of the club’s future and Parkinson’s talents as manager in particular. Parkinson was not a cheap choice for Rob and Ryan, but they gave him a 10-match window to prove his worth to the club.

Drama Unfurled Within the Wrexham A.F.C. Team Itself

After winning 7 of the 10 games, Parkinson managed to claw Wrexham from their 12th-place position into 3rd place, validating his own position and greenlighting his investment in a new striker. AFC Wimbledon’s Ollie Palmer was signed to Wrexham for a record-breaking £300,000. The winning streak continued, with Palmer more than earning his keep. When goalkeeper Rob Lainton suffered an injury from the Bromley game, Christian Dibble was placed in goal for the rest of the season, a decision that worried fans who blamed Dibble for a string of past failures. Despite the climb, Wrexham was later faced with last-place team Dover, who were looking at a 5-2 win until Wrexham miraculously won it 6-5. Surprisingly, fans still blamed Dibble for the struggle. This bittersweet reaction to the team’s success proved fans’ apprehension towards becoming too hopeful, given their disappointing recent history.

The team also found its success as a brand threatening its success as a football team, when Ryan Reynolds visited Wrexham to film a 1Password commercial with the players. The staff almost unanimously agreed this was an unnecessary distraction during such a vital stage of the season. In the FA Trophy semi-final against Stockport, Dibble proved his critics wrong, even assisting Mullin in one of his two injury-time goals which won them a spot in the final at Wembley Stadium. Flying high, they refocused on their National League final against Dag & Red. Wrexham’s opportunity for promotion did not rely entirely on their performance, however, as a simultaneous Stockport-Halifax match dictated that they’d need to earn their promotion in playoffs against Grimsby. Despite this, and a 0-3 loss, Wrexham supporters gave a standing ovation, having reignited their belief in their local team.

The Series Explored the Wrexham Fans, Not Just the Hollywood Owners

When the Hollywood takeover of this small Welsh team was announced, many locals worried its home-grown personality would be buried. A welcome surprise for such worried fans was the docuseries’ focus on Wrexham’s residents as well as its players and famous owners. In taking the time to explore the bigger picture, Welcome to Wrexham also features profiles on fans like Shaun Winter, the club’s disability liaison Kerry Evans, and widowed volunteer Annette Gardner, without whom Wrexham would be nothing. It also features local band The Declan Swans whose singer Michael “Scoot” Kett details his ongoing journey through cancer treatment and chemotherapy, before finally announcing his remission. The series also refuses to shy away from football’s darker side, exploring the pitfalls of hooligan culture, such as Saskia Barkley who was refused a promotion within the police service due to her association with her hooligan boyfriend.

An episode focused on the specific history and culture of Wales was also praised, as its underrepresentation in American media often leaves the nation of Wales in obscurity. Philadelphia’s Rob McElhenney and Canadian Ryan Reynolds hosted parodies of SportsCenter and other shows within this episode as they broke down important details, such as Wales’ inclusion in the United Kingdom while being different from the nation of England. Welsh native also Maxine Hughes hosted a class in making Welsh cakes and singer Charlotte Church performed a cultural anthem of Wales, “Men of Harlech”. By including these profiles and segments, the Wrexham owners have proven their willingness to elevate the town, not just the business, featuring regular people like the team bus driver Mark Vaughn on the same platform as movie stars like Will Ferrell and Jason Sudeikis, who were in attendance at Wrexham’s FA Trophy final game against Bromley.

Two Climactic Matches End ‘Welcome to Wrexham’s First Season
With David Beckham and the aforementioned Hollywood stars in attendance, the pressure was on for Wrexham who had made it to the iconic Wembley Stadium. Christian Dibble’s goalkeeping prevented Bromley from scoring for 63 minutes, but eventually Wrexham were 1-0 down. Parkinson made the decision to sub in striker Jake Hyde whose last-minute equalizer excited Wrexham fans until the goal was deemed offside and disallowed.

Returning their focus to the playoff semi-finals against Grimsby, Rob and Ryan were faced with the realization that since The National League doesn’t pay membership residuals to participating clubs, they are effectively losing about £1 million each year that they’re not in the EFL. Winning against Grimsby and being promoted was therefore of the utmost importance to the club. It was an exciting match with Mullin taking the lead for Wrexham and Grimsby’s John McAtee equalizing before half-time. Ex-Wrexham defender Luke Waterfall then scored for Grimsby with Wrexham’s Ben Tozer equalizing again. This excitement continued until they reached 4-4 at full-time. It was only made more frustrating, though, when Grimsby won 5-4 in extra time. Wrexham remained in the National League for another year, but the sense of faith in the club had grown exponentially throughout the season — especially among the Wrexham community itself.

View this article at Collider.