By Variety | Created at 2024-11-11 18:57:52 | Updated at 2024-11-18 04:33:30
6 days ago
The hit docuseries “America’s Sweethearts: The Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders” has been renewed for a second season at Netflix.
The first season of the docuseries, which captured the unfiltered lives of the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders on and off the field, left audiences thunderstruck — or at least trying to learn the choreography to DCC’s signature pregame routine.
Directed by Emmy winner Greg Whitley (“Cheer,” “Last Chance U”), “America’s Sweethearts” debuted June 20 and launched onto Netflix’s top 10 worldwide chart with 2.3 million views in its first four days on the platform. The series remained on the list of top 10 U.S. TV shows for five weeks straight and reached the top 10 in 27 countries. The “Thunderstruck” number became a viral TikTok dance trend (10K videos have used the sound) with thousands of people shaking their poms — though fewer attempted the high-flying jump split, further proving the squad’s “often imitated, never equaled” status.
Season 1 followed the 2023-24 DCC squad, led by program director Kelli Finglass and choreographer Judy Trammell with “main characters” including veterans Kelcey Wetterberg and Victoria Kalina (who had appeared on the long-running reality series “Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders: Making the Team”) and winsome rookies like Reece Weaver, who is front and center in the announcement teaser. Season 2 will follow the 2024-2025 squad from start to finish — kicking off at auditions and training camp and continuing all the way through the ongoing NFL season.
In an interview with Variety shortly after the series debuted, Whiteley reflected on his crew’s season-long endeavor to capture the “human element” of the cheerleaders’ experiences. His aim was to wipe away some of the façade to reveal the real people underneath the perfection — from the blood, sweat, tears and injuries that the cheerleaders endure to the emotional weight of navigating overzealous fans and stalkers and earning controversially low wages.
“The problem is, they spend so much time concealing how hard it is. They take something that is extremely difficult and make it look graceful and effortless, so you dismiss it,” Whiteley said. “They’re running several hundred yards, in boots, in two-and-a-half minutes, with a smile, and they’re somehow not sweating! … And people think they just wake up and roll out of bed and do it.”
Whiteley was hopeful they’d get to return to Season 2. “Our last two or three weeks of filming, we were just starting to hit our stride,” he said. “I’d love to have more time to see if we can get deeper and deeper with more and more of the team.”
The “America’s Sweethearts” series also continues Netflix’s ongoing relationship with the Dallas Cowboys. There’s another docuseries in the works that explores the history of the football team and their owner Jerry Jones, plus the streamer’s highly-anticipated live boxing match between Jake Paul and Mike Tyson will be held at AT&T Stadium, home of the Cowboys, on Nov. 15.
”America’s Sweethearts” is produced by One Potato Productions and Boardwalk Pictures in association with Campfire Studios. Whiteley executive produces alongside Adam Leibowitz for One Potato Productions; as well as Andrew Fried and Dane Lillegard (of Boardwalk Pictures); and Ross M. Dinerstein and Rebecca Evans (of Campfire Studios).
