Welcome to Wrexham wraps up its fourth season this week on FX in the US and Disney+ in the UK. While I’ve enjoyed seeing The Red Dragons’ domination of League One, a key personal element has been missing from 2025’s edition of the football documentary.
When the show started, Wrexham AFC was truly in its scrappy days. Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney took control of the club and signed key players, such as Paul Mullin, Ollie Palmer and Jordan Davies (to name a few), who became heroes of the local community.
FX/Disney+
But it wasn’t just because of the goals they were scoring. The audience experienced the highs and lows of their personal lives, with players inviting the audience in to see how they balanced their demanding sporting careers with their growing families, home life and mental health.
It gave me a connection to a team that I never thought I’d have – I was invested in these men’s journeys, both on and off the pitch.
As Wrexham begins to climb the ranks and get one step closer to its dream of playing Premier League football, new players have come into the fold, which is only natural. Opposing teams with bigger budgets will need to be met head-on – that’s just the nature of the game.
However, aside from their footballing abilities, I’d argue that I barely know many of these new faces.
Three key additions to the team who have played pivotal roles in Wrexham’s success are Sam Smith (not the singer), Ollie Rathbone and Jay Rodriguez. But for all three, we’ve only seen brief talking heads about their professional careers and a very short briefing on their backgrounds.
Aside from their footballing abilities, I’d argue that I barely know many of these new faces
Now, of course, these footballers aren’t obligated to share their ups and downs with a camera crew. At the end of the day, they’re at the club as players, not TV stars.
But there’s no doubting that the documentary feels more sterile than past seasons, especially when compared to some of the stories explored earlier, which had a positive impact on not just the show’s narrative but the wider world.
In season 2, episode 2, Paul Mullin shared the story of his autistic son Albi, who struggles with communication. This instalment also introduced the fan Millie Tapping, who shared her own experience of autism and admired Mullin for sharing his story.
She put a spotlight on the ‘quiet zone’ in the stadium – an area where fans can avoid busy and noisy crowds and enjoy a match without becoming overstimulated. It showed a direct relationship between a fan and a player that was special, and probably not the sort of thing you’d find in elite football teams.
Meanwhile, Ollie Palmer reflected on rekindling his relationship with his father, who divorced Ollie’s mum after realising he was gay. This was such an important story for the world of football, which still struggles to accept and welcome members of the LGBTQ+ community.
Local lad Jordan Davies discussed his life growing up in Wrexham, and very bravely opened up about a stillborn birth that impacted him and his partner Kelsey, which resulted in a huge charity drive to the non-profit Sands.
Granted, season 4 has maintained the importance of the community. In particular, a segment on the club’s oldest supporter, Arthur Massey, passing away aged 100, has stuck with me. But that’s only one part of what makes Welcome to Wrexham as magical as it once was.
If Welcome to Wrexham season 5 wants to succeed, it must put the focus back on the personal hero aspect of the club’s players
As regular viewers will know, the future of players such as Mullin and Palmer remains uncertain in the documentary as things stand (though you can find out the results by a quick Google, as well as the news on whether the team got promoted).
The possibility of saying goodbye to faces who have so graciously opened up to us viewers on a global stage is rather heartbreaking, and even more so when it seems that we don’t have many players stepping in to fill that role again. Some newer faces to the show have opened up, such as goalkeeper Arthur Okonkwo, who joined in season 3. But still, it’s nowhere near the level of what it used to be.
If Welcome to Wrexham season 5 wants to succeed, it must put the focus back on the personal hero aspect of the club’s players. Otherwise, this show is at risk of losing what made it stand out in the first place.
Welcome to Wrexham airs its eighth and final episode of season 4 on Thursday 26 June on FX in the US, and Friday 27 June on Disney+ in the UK. The show will then return for season 5, which if it follows the same pattern as this year, may return as early as spring 2026.
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