Breaking Features Reporter
Nov. 11, 2024
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Updated 12:52 p.m. CST
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Directed by Greg Whiteley, who was also behind Cheer and Last Chance U, the show follows team hopefuls and returning squad members from auditions to the end of the NFL season.
America’s Sweethearts became a major success after its debut in June, remaining in Netflix’s weekly global top 10 English TV list for four weeks and the top 10 U.S. TV shows list for five weeks, according to Monday’s announcement. It ultimately reached the top 10 list in 27 countries.
The cheer squad, which originated over 60 years ago, was previously the focus of another TV series, CMT’s Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders: Making the Team, which ended in 2021 after 16 seasons.
“Our previous show was much more about the competition,” longtime director Kelli Finglass told Entertainment Tonight in June. “The new tone is that people already love the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders, now they get to meet the individuals in a very intimate way.”
The dancers got vulnerable in season 1, with veteran team member Victoria Kalina divulging struggles with her body image and an eating disorder. Critics of the show have taken fault with the scrutiny placed on the women’s appearances, saying selection for the team is centered around problematic beauty standards.
The cheerleaders’ pay has also been a subject of debate. In the docuseries, the dancers share the myriad second jobs they hold to sustain themselves. Former team member Kat Puryear compared her wages to those of a full-time Chick-fil-A employee.
Salary information for the cheerleaders was not disclosed in the show, and a spokesperson for the Dallas Cowboys previously declined to provide that information to The Dallas Morning News, saying the organization does not make its salaries public. But he did say the franchise pays cheerleaders for games, practices and appearances and covers the cost of uniforms, some meals, health club memberships and salon services.
America’s Sweethearts isn’t the only Netflix project tied to the Cowboys. The streamer is also working on an untitled docuseries exploring the history of the team and its owner/general manager, Jerry Jones.
On Friday, Netflix will stream a boxing match between Jake Paul and Mike Tyson at AT&T Stadium, where the Cowboys play.
Dallas Morning News staff writer Sarah Bahari contributed to this report.
Uwa is the breaking features reporter at The Dallas Morning News. She previously reported for NBC News Digital and wrote for Slate. She also has work published in Vulture and Time Out.