FX has placed a two-season order for Welcome to Wrexham, a docuseries tracking the dreams and people 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, it was announced today by Nick Grad, President, Original Programming, FX Entertainment.
In 2020, Rob McElhenney (It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia) and Ryan Reynolds (Deadpool) teamed up to purchase the team in the hopes of turning the club into an underdog story the whole world could root for. The worry? Rob and Ryan have no experience in football or working with each other. That said, they are serious about their investment in Wrexham, improving the club, and doing right by the townspeople.
“Rob McElhenney has been an all-star on Team FX for years and now has partnered with the formidable Ryan Reynolds to bring glory to the ‘Red Dragons’ in the docuseries Welcome to Wrexham,” said Grad. “Rob and Ryan will take fans inside the sport as never before, pairing their genuine love for the game with the welcome challenge of building on the heritage of this club.”
Founded in 1864, the “Red Dragons” are one of the oldest football teams in the world and currently compete in the National League, the fifth tier of the English football league system.
From Hollywood to Wales, 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.
Welcome to Wrexham will be executive produced by McElhenney, Reynolds, Nick Frenkel, John Henion, and Boardwalk Pictures’ Andrew Fried, Dane Lillegard, Jordan Wynn, and Sarina Roma. The series is produced by Boardwalk Pictures.
Rob McElhenney is the creator, executive producer and star of FXX’s It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, which was recently renewed by the network for four additional seasons, and upon its season 15 premiere will make history as the longest-running television sitcom of all time. He is also the creator, executive producer, and star of Apple TV+ critically-acclaimed comedy series Mythic Quest, which recently debuted its anticipated second season, and currently has a 100% Certified Fresh score on Rotten Tomatoes.
Ryan Reynolds is a Canadian actor, producer, screenwriter and entrepreneur. He has been nominated for Golden Globe(R) and Grammy(R) awards for his work on the Deadpool film franchise and has been recognized as one of the most creative people in business by both Fast Company and AdWeek. After beginning his acting career in 1991, Ryan rose to prominence in comedy series Two Guys, A Girl, and a Pizza Place and dozens of films including The Proposal, Definitely, Maybe, Mississippi Grind, and Free Guy. He is also an award-winning marketer, creating breakthrough campaigns for Deadpool as well Aviation Gin, Mint Mobile, and the Match Group. He is an owner of Aviation Gin, Mint Mobile, Wrexham Football Club, and a co-founder of Maximum Effort, a production company, and marketing firm.
