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Prime Video’s new soccer show rivals ‘Welcome to Wrexham’ — and it subs Ryan Reynolds and Rob Mac for Tom Brady
Hulu’s “Welcome to Wrexham” series has turned a small city in Wales into one of the biggest soccer teams around.
Thanks to the charisma of co-owners Ryan Reynolds and Rob Mac (formerly Rob McElhenney), and the enduring popularity of an underdog story, Wrexham is the talk of not just soccer but the entire sporting world.
Tom Brady, NFL legend and arguably the greatest quarterback to ever play the game, is looking to follow in Reynolds and Mac’s footsteps by turning perennial underperformers Birmingham City FC into a household name in the U.S and beyond.
Naturally, part of this plan involves a rival documentary series that chronicles the club’s results on the pitch and its story off the field.
Brady has teamed up with Prime Video for this effort, and the docuseries’ first season has just started streaming this month. It’s called “Built in Birmingham: Brady & the Blues,” and it’s a must-watch for anybody who found a love of soccer (or football to the rest of the world) thanks to “Welcome to Wrexham.”
It’s probably not going to convert any American viewers who have already taken Wrexham into their hearts — switching clubs is a huge no-no in European football — but it’s a slickly produced documentary that captures the highs (and lows) of the world’s most popular sport.
‘Built in Birmingham’ is perfect for ‘Welcome to Wrexham’ fans
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“Built in Birmingham” doesn’t try to hide the fact that it’s copying the formula that has brought so much success to Wrexham, and has turned the club into a sporting force with a global platform far beyond its current level in English football’s second-tier, the Championship.
The five-part documentary opens with a brief history of Birmingham City FC and explores how the club has spent the majority of its 150-year existence as a “nearly” team. Some locals even believe their stadium is cursed after travelers were removed from the land to start construction.
In steps billionaire Tom Wagner and his close personal friend Tom Brady, to save the club after years of disastrous ownership, with a singular mission to take Birmingham City FC to the top.
Their first season in charge, which is covered in the first episode, was a disaster and saw the club relegated from the Championship down to League One. Yes, British league names are confusing; League One is actually the third tier, two steps below the top-tier Premier League.
After this setback, the rest of the first season chronicles the 2024/25 season, which concluded in May, as Birmingham City seek promotion back to the Championship.
So, much like “Welcome to Wrexham,” it’s an underdog story focusing on a soccer team that has historically underachieved, but is hoping for brighter days under American ownership. And that’s a compelling enough hook.
Bringing Tom Brady to Birmingham City
The Tom Brady factor is something that always comes up when Birmingham City are discussed these days. Much like Wrexham has leaned into the starpower of Ryan Reynolds and Rob Mac, Birmingham City is more than happy to mine the Brady connection for all its worth.
This has resulted in the rather clunky subtitle, “Brady & the Blues,” when simply “Built in Birmingham” would have been a lot cleaner. It also means that Brady is pretty much the main character of the documentary — despite his lack of soccer experience, or seemingly all that much interest in the sport before teaming up with Wagner to co-own Birmingham City.
I’ve seen quite a few early viewers suggest that Brady comes across as unlikeable and a little clueless, especially in the early episodes of “Built in Birmingham,” but I’ve found his driven mindset and his understanding of what it takes to be an elite athlete surprisingly fascinating.
Unlike Reynolds and Mac, who are both actors by trade, Brady has spent almost his entire life competing on some of the biggest stages in professional sports. And even if he barely understands the offside rule, he knows what it takes to become a champion and maintain that level.
A scene in the first episode where Tom Brady casts doubts on the work ethic of Birmingham City’s new head coach, Wayne Rooney, shows that his natural instincts are sharp, even if soccer isn’t his game. Rooney would eventually be fired after a horror run of just two wins in 15 matches.
The one thing ‘Built in Birmingham’ is missing
One of “Welcome to Wrexham’s” biggest strengths is that it focuses on the people behind the scenes at the club and even the local residents of the town, just as much as the action on the pitch.
For example, the documentary has turned The Turf pub into a tourist hotspot and its owner, Wayne Jones, into a minor celebrity. Unfortunately, “Built in Birmingham” doesn’t quite have the same heart.
Yes, there are talking head interviews that aim to promote Birmingham’s hardworking population and the city’s critical role in the Industrial Revolution, but these come across as a bit hollow.
Even the inclusion of “Peaky Blinders” creator and lifelong Birmingham City fan, Steven Knight, feels more like an effort in corporate synergy and branding than born out of true authenticity.
Overall, “Built in Birmingham” feels less scrappy than “Welcome to Wrexham.” Perhaps that’s because Birmingham City starts in a comparatively stronger position. When Rob and Ryan took over at Wrexham, the club was playing in non-league, whereas when Birmingham City’s new owners arrive, they’re just one step below the Premier League.
“Welcome to Wrexham” also chronicles Rob and Ryan’s journey as they completely fall in love with not just Wrexham, but the sport of soccer as a whole (Rob Mac even enjoys a goalless draw!). Brady and Wagner never seem to get to the same point, and make no secret that their ultimate aim with Birmingham City is to make a lot of money from this venture.
The documentary series is probably closer in vibe to Amazon’s ongoing “All or Nothing” series, which has covered some of the biggest names in English football, including Arsenal and Manchester City. Nevertheless, Wrexham fans, or just soccer lovers in general, will still enjoy it.
At this stage, I’m not sure “Built in Birmingham” is going to turn the club into the global phenomenon that Wrexham has become, but it’s a well-produced sports documentary that offers an insightful look into what it takes to turn a failing club into one well-built for future success.
Watch “Built in Birmingham: Brady & the Blues” on Prime Video now
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