Common Sense Media Review
By Joyce Slaton
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Feel-good sports reality show has lots of salty language.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 14+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Watch
Videos and Photos
Welcome to Wrexham
What's the Story?
In Wrexham, Wales, the Wrexham Association Football Club is one of the world's oldest professional football teams, but it's seen better days. Relegated to the lowest rung of professional play, the team has seemingly been deserted by history and fans alike. Then in 2020, a lifeline of sorts was offered by an unlikely source: Actors Ryan Reynolds (Deadpool) and Rob McElhenney (It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia) bought the club, bringing both attention and better funding to the team and the town. In Welcome to Wrexham, we see the story as it unfolds, from the first tentative meetings with club supporters to the team and season as it emerged under the new owners.
Is It Any Good?
There's a strong whiff of Ted Lasso in this series, and that's all to the good, even though this sports underdog drama is real and not a created-for-TV fiction. The charm of Welcome to Wrexham (and, for that matter, Lasso) is that sports are really just a medium, and what's actually getting an airing is something that's very easy to root for, whether you're a sports fan or not: underrated people going shoulder-to-shoulder to work on a common goal. It's joyful and exhilarating to watch, and McElhenney in particular gives it extra emotional depth by describing the ways in which he relates to downtrodden Wrexham, Wales, in general, and the Wrexham Association Football Club.
"Wrexham reminds me of Philadelphia," says this famous Philadelphian. "It's a working-class town, it's a blue-collar town." Such a town, says McElhenney, has had its ups and downs, and the people living there haven't had the opportunities others have enjoyed. For their part, Wrexham locals and players are thrilled with the infusion of cash and flash these Hollywood types bring to an economically depressed town with a football team in the lowest rung of the English football league system (which the show takes care to explain to the uninitiated). Reynolds and McElhenney are fish out of water, but they're also determined to do right by the town and the team; watching them struggle to do so is nothing short of lovely.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about why stories about struggling teams are such an enduring theme in movies and television. What are the dramatic (or comedic) possibilities of the setup?
What are some of the cultural differences Reynolds and McElhenney encounter in Wales? How do they adapt to the new milieu? How do the people of Wrexham adapt to them in turn?
How do the participants in Welcome to Wrexham demonstrate communication and teamwork? Why are these important character strengths?
TV Details
- Premiere date : August 25, 2022
- Cast : Ryan Reynolds , Rob McElhenney
- Network : FX
- Genre : Reality TV
- Character Strengths : Perseverance , Teamwork
- TV rating :
- Award : Common Sense Selection
- Last updated : January 10, 2025
Did we miss something on diversity?
Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by
Suggest an Update
Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.
See how we rate