Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney Are Creating an IRL 'Ted Lasso' Called 'Welcome to Wrexham'

Of all the good news stories of 2020, which we’ll admit were few and far between, one of the standouts was when Deadpool star Ryan Reynolds and It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia co-creator Rob McElhenney teamed up to take over Wrexham AFC. As part of the comedic duo’s new ownership, they’re also creating a two-season docuseries on FX titled Welcome to Wrexham.

As we eagerly await Welcome to Wrexham, many of us have questions about what exactly will go down. How will Ryan and Rob fare as football club owners? Do they know anything about owning a Welsh football team?

And how do the people of Wrexham, Wales, feel about this Hollywood intrusion? Plus, we take a look at the potential cast of Welcome to Wrexham — specifically Rob and Ryan’s hilarious translator, Maxine Hughes.

FX dropped the official trailer for Welcome to Wrexham on July 20 and announced the release date of August 24 along with it. Set to the tune of Elvis Presley's "Can't Help Falling in Love," the trailer features some comedic quips and heartfelt moments, showing just how important football is in Wrexham, Wales.

What started out as a funny text exchange between text-friends (Ryan and Rob had never met IRL when they started discussing their Wrexham takeover) became reality.

It began as an NDA with the Wrexham AFC director, but when the fan-owners voted on if Ryan and Rob should take over ownership, the cat was out of the bag. Wrexham AFC was fan-owned since 2011, but voted 98 percent in favor of Ryan and Rob taking over.

Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney decided to put £2 million into the Wrexham AFC to bring them back up to par. Currently in the National League, the fifth tier of UK football leagues, they don’t even qualify for the English Football League. Ryan and Rob, a.k.a. “McReynolds,” aim to renovate the home field, get Wrexham AFC back into the English Football League, and make Wrexham “a global force.”

In making their documentary, which is sure to bring in even more money, McReynolds will show us how they try to bring a team from worst to first. They also chose Wrexham because of its deep-rooted history — it’s the third oldest football club on the planet, and was only booted from the Football League in 2008 after spending 87 successive seasons there. 

Fans of football, as well as Welsh citizens, that were all involved in the McReynolds takeover have remarked how down-to-earth Ryan and Rob are. Some have even noted that Rob seems to be a genuine fan, which Rob McElhenney fans have corroborated with the appearance of a Wrexham shield in his Apple TV Plus show, Mythic Quest.

Although the cast doesn’t always seem to be the main part of a documentary, in this case, the cast will be essential. Not only will Ryan and Rob be at the heart of Welcome to Wrexham, but they’ll hopefully surround themselves with both entertaining and knowledgeable people.

They’ve recruited Les Reed, who is a former technical director of the English Football Association, as an adviser to the team, as well as three people from Wrexham’s Supporter’s Trust as vice presidents. Wrexham Football Club fans Daryl Bradford, Manjo Anand, and Kevin Hamlet will also appear.

However, one person who probably won’t be making an appearance is Wrexham’s now former head coach Dean Keates. He failed to get the team to the playoffs this season, and McReynolds saw his expiring contract as an opportunity for a new team leader. It seems like Rob and Ryan want the best for Wrexham and its fans.

One breakout star from the Welcome to Wrexham promo, though, is Maxine Hughes. She plays the Welsh translator that Rob and Ryan hire to better connect with Wrexham’s fans — however, she ends up getting to tease the comedic duo with funny quips in Welsh, such as, “The tall skinny one does movies, the muscular one sells cream cheese from Philadelphia, or something.”

Maxine told BBC that in real life, Ryan and Rob are “really lovely people [and] very funny” and that they are “100 percent genuine” in their commitment to Wrexham. Rob was apparently even learning Welsh to prepare for Welcome to Wrexham.

Be sure to tune in to Welcome to Wrexham on FX on Hulu on August 24 to watch McReynolds take on the team.