Necaxa documentary falls short of Wrexham magic

A critical look at a Disney+ series about Necaxa led by Eva Longoria, which aims to echo Welcome to Wrexham but struggles to connect with locals and fans.

Necaxa documentary falls short of Wrexham magic

Disney+ presents a documentary about Club Necaxa that follows Eva Longoria as part of the investor group that bought the club in 2021. The series positions Longoria as the central figure, nicknaming her La Patrona and guiding viewers through conversations with players and staff. It includes appearances by Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney, who provide light relief via FaceTime and on screen banter, but their role leans more toward branding than coaching. The show frames Longoria as a reformer while acknowledging the club’s history and its move to Aguascalientes in 2003. Necaxa has not won major titles recently, and the league’s decision to end promotion and relegation in 2020 keeps the club’s elite status secure, even as on-field results lag. The documentary suggests ambitions for a brighter future, yet the overall stakes feel modest and the storytelling relies heavily on Longoria’s persona rather than the club’s community in the city of Aguascalientes. Production uses ground-level filming, cinematic match sequences, and crowd shots that resemble a feature film, with slow-motion moments signaling key scores. In the final season sequence, Reynolds and McElhenney step in for light comic relief and to offer remote coaching tips to Longoria, underscoring the celebrity-led frame of the project.

Celebrity-led sports storytelling often trades depth for reach. This Necaxa series demonstrates how a compelling name can pull a global audience, but it risks treating the club as a backdrop for a star’s arc. The town of Aguascalientes appears more as a setting than a living community, and the absence of a strong fan perspective leaves the drama feeling cosmetic rather than cultural. The show succeeds in high-production moments but falters in sustaining a meaningful conflict that would matter to ordinary supporters.

Highlights

Celebrity driven sports projects will keep testing the line between spectacle and substance.