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‘Always Sunny’s’ Rob McElhenney bought a Welsh soccer team. Now FX is making a series about it.

It sounds like something the Gang on FXX’s "It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia" might do, if the Gang had money.

Rob McElhenney in a 2018 file photo. He and actor Ryan Reynolds recently bought a Welsh football team, and will be making a docu-series about it.
Rob McElhenney in a 2018 file photo. He and actor Ryan Reynolds recently bought a Welsh football team, and will be making a docu-series about it.Read moreRichard Shotwell/Invision/AP
    by Ellen Gray
    Published 

It sounds like something the Gang on FXX’s It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia might do, if the Gang had money: Buy a football team in a place where “football” means soccer, and set out to turn things around for the local heroes in a working-class town in North Wales.

The Gang might not have money, but Sunny’s Philly-raised creator and star Rob McElhenney apparently has enough that he and actor Ryan Reynolds went in together recently to purchase the Red Dragons of Wrexham, Wales.

And now McElhenney, who also cocreated and stars in Apple TV+’s Mythic Quest, will add a third TV show.

» READ MORE: Rob McElhenney talks about "Mythic Quest," and why he tries not to think about "It's Always Sunny" between seasons

FX, which also owns FXX, announced this week that it had ordered two seasons of Welcome to Wrexham, a docuseries about the acquisition of Wrexham A.F.C. that McElhenney and Reynolds will produce.

“Rob McElhenney has been an all-star on Team FX for years and now has partnered with the formidable Ryan Reynolds to bring glory to the Red Dragons,” said FX programming chief Nick Grad in a statement released by the network. “Rob and Ryan will take fans inside the sport as never before, pairing their genuine love for the game with the welcome challenge of building on the heritage of this club.”

Both owners shared a video promoting the show on social media, accompanied by a recalcitrant Welsh interpreter, who put her own spin on the announcement.

“The tall skinny one does movies,” she said of Reynolds, according to the subtitles. “The muscular one sells cream cheese from Philadelphia or something.”

The Red Dragons, founded in 1864, is one of the oldest football clubs in the world, according to FX. The team’s website lists its owners as R.R. McReynolds Company, LLC.

It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia is expected to return for its 15th season later this year, when it will pass The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet as television’s longest-running live-action comedy.