Netflix preps first sports doc

Netflix has greenlit Last Chance U, marking the streaming service’s first move into sports docs.

The six-part doc series will launch on the US-based SVOD service at the end of July. It will go behind the scenes in the world of college American football, following a group of players being groomed as future NFL stars.

The players are all part of the Eastern Mississippi Community College’s championship winning Lions team, which has forged a reputation for attracting elite athletes who have been held back by poor academic performance or behavioural issues.

Greg Whiteley (Mitt) will direct the series. Netflix has moved heavily into docs, but never had an original focussed on sport before.

“Following the groundbreaking Mitt, we jumped at the opportunity to work again with director Greg Whiteley,” said Lisa Nishimura, Netflix vice president of original documentary programming.

“He brings an honest and intimate lens to all his subjects, immediately creating a connection between the viewer and these young, complex subjects. You are invited into their world and feel immediately invested in the high stakes of their lives.”

“Considering the school’s recent success, and after meeting some of the people from Scooba, Mississippi, we felt that chances were high that we would be filming one of those special seasons,” added Whiteley. “What we ended up capturing was something none of us could’ve ever predicted.”

The series will go out on Netflix in the US and internationally.