Welcome to Wrexham season 2 review: Football docu-series still has heart

• 📺 Where to watch Welcome to Wrexham: Launches on Disney+ on Wednesday, 13 September.
  

• ⭐️ Our rating: 4/5
  

• 🍿 Watch it if you liked: Sunderland 'Til I Die, Bend it Like Beckham.
  

• 🎭 Who's in it?: Ryan Reynolds, Rob McElhenney, Paul Mullin, Elliot Lee, Rosie Hughes.
  

• ⏰ How long is it? 15 episodes, between 20 minutes and an hour each.
  

• 📖 What’s it about? Season 2 follows the 2022-2023 season of Wrexham A.F.C. and co-owners Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney's continued bid to get the club promoted.

Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney surprised the world when in November 2020 they announced they had become co-owners of Welsh football club Wrexham, one of the UK's oldest teams that had been relegated to the non-league in 2008.

While some thought the purchase was a cash-grab, the actors showed it was not and explained the thought that went into their decision in the docu-series Welcome to Wrexham last year, which is back for a second season on Disney+.

Read more: How did Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney meet? The Hollywood owners of Wrexham Football Club (Good to Know, 7-min read)

After failing to get promoted during the 2021-2022 season, Wrexham A.F.C take on the challenge again with renewed vigour in the show's new episodes which follows the team during their 2022-2023 season (the result of which is a mere internet search away, but where's the fun in that?).

Welcome to Wrexham was surprisingly poignant in its first season, particularly when it focused less on its Hollywood owners and more on the people of Wrexham and the football team — examining what the club and the game itself means to them, and without shying away from the darker side of the sport either.

Season 2 continues to be poignant, at least it is in the four episodes that were given to press — which were episodes 1, 2, 3 and 6. It begins with King Charles' visit to Wrexham, then charts the beginning of the team's season, and later puts the spotlight on the unsung heroes of the women's football team.

Read more: Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney describe ‘monarchy bootcamp’ before Charles and Camilla’s Wrexham visit (The Independent, 2-min read)

It is a delight to return to the city of Wrexham and the people in it, and it's easy to see how much the Disney+ programme has turned things around for them. Originally viewers got a glimpse of a struggling working class community who were doing their best despite the circumstances, but season 2 sees them thriving in the best possible ways.

The locals who feature on the show are now considered celebrities in their own right, one interview with Wayne Jones — the owner of The Turf pub connected to the stadium — is even gatecrashed by American tourists in an amusing turn of events.

The residents have remained humble despite this newfound global interest in their team and Wrexham, if anything they're just happy to finally have people see what they've seen all along: a great football team worth supporting.

This is a testament to their genuine nature, and really highlights why the docu-series is so compelling: it's the people of Wrexham that make it worth watching.

This is particularly true of episode 6 which, as mentioned, highlights the tireless efforts of Wrexham's women's football team. That Reynolds and McElhenney are shining a spotlight on the team feels right, particularly this year when women's football has had such a historic high.

Players like Rosie Hughes, who is the top goalscorer of the entire Wrexham A.F.C., and teen prodigy Lili Jones are particular highlights of the episode thanks to their touching stories and sheer love of the sport.

Much like season 1, Welcome to Wrexham season 2 stands out because of the community at the centre, it has real heart thanks to them and these new episodes will no doubt continue to show the beauty of the sport and those who support it.

Welcome to Wrexham premieres on Disney+ on Wednesday, 13 September.

Watch the trailer for Welcome to Wrexham season 2: