TV viewers have watched Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney push Welsh football club Wrexham AFC from failure to success on FX’s Welcome to Wrexham, which is available alongside the best original shows to stream on Hulu. The documentation of the progress of their football team has led to some candid moments from the usually hilarious Reynolds and McElhenney. Of course, one of the best moments came courtesy of a sweet video from Paul Rudd, in which the two friends and business partners react emotionally after the team scored a victory. However, I was shocked to learn the stellar moment came after the duo lost $12 million.
Ryan Reynolds took Paul Rudd’s video and posted it to his X account, using it to remember Wrexham AFC’s well-deserved victory. Check out the memorable and heartfelt moment between the two club owners in the sweet clip below.
Rob and I kinda blacked out during this moment, but somehow we’ll never forget it. 🎥: Paul Ruddcc: @wrexham_afc - @RMcElhenney pic.twitter.com/pVCYOHyKoCApril 23, 2023
After you learn of the then-struggling football team’s story from the FX docuseries, you can understand the wave of relief that came over both men as the crowd swarmed the athletes on the field. I'd like to think the two stars surely felt a huge weight lifted off their shoulders. I loved that the two stars’ care and concern was just so palpable in that moment.
However, the emotional release from both stars was about more than just seeing the plucky team from Wales score a major victory. As mentioned by People, Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney received some shocking news during Welcome to Wrexham’s second-season premiere. The football team’s executive director Humphrey Ker spilled to the co-owners that they had lost lots of money after investing in the football association club. After Ker skirted around the amount of cash, the team’s advisor, Shaun Harvey, revealed the duo posted a loss of £10 million (or $12 million in US currency).
The Free Guy star remarked that he wanted to “throw up” after learning of those figures. He and his business partner were advised to seek “advancement to a higher league” to relieve their financial loss. Shaun Harvey mentioned that the show had raised the football team’s profile for potential “sponsorship revenue.” Thankfully, his advice proved to be invaluable after Wrexham AFC advanced to the English Football League as seen in the viral clip. This revelation blew my mind. I, like most viewers, didn’t know the actors were so far in the financial hole with this venture. They had so much riding on the football team making it to the next level. Now, I look at the exchange between the two friends from a different perspective and really appreciate it.
The FX sports series has won the affection of audiences with high ratings to match despite being called out for a possible A.I.-assisted image that used for a promotional video. Since its debut in 2022, it's also won over TV critics. The beloved docuseries also raked up multiple award nominations and wins, including six Primetime Emmy noms. Right now, the show is currently in the midst of its second season, and there's no word on whether a third will happen. Hopefully, that happens so that fans will get to see more emotional moments between Ryan Reynolds, McElhenney and their collaborators as well as the hurdles (financial or otherwise) they face.
You can watch this saga unfold by streaming Welcome to Wrexham using a Hulu subscription. Want to catch the sports docuseries in real-time? You can catch it every Tuesday at 10 pm EST on FX. And don’t forget to look over our 2023 TV schedule to see what other series are airing weekly.
