Welcome to Wrexham (Disney+) tells the story of how Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney, internet friends and Hollywood stars with seemingly little knowledge of football – but a clear enthusiasm for sport in general – bought Wrexham AFC in early 2021. With their goal of getting Wrexham – the oldest club in Wales and the third-oldest continually operating professional team in the world – promoted from the fifth tier of English football, the series has the hallmarks of a fish-out-of-water documentary, a Ted Lasso in real life, but it turns out to be a more soulful series than that, once it gets over its bumpy landing.
Based on the opener of the 18 zippy episodes (five of which were available for preview), I had low hopes. It places much of its early focus on McElhenney and his English colleague Humphrey Ker, a comedian, screenwriter and actor turned “Rob and Ryan’s guy” at the club. There is only a smattering of Reynolds, who is more camera-shy than might be expected. McElhenney, who admits he needed “superhero-movie-star money” to buy the club, appears to be the driving force behind the deal.
