Cheer (TV series)

Last updated

Cheer
Cheer-title-screen.png
Genre Docuseries
Created by Greg Whiteley
Starring
Composers
  • Yuri Tománek
  • Joseph Minadeo
Country of origin United States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons2
No. of episodes15
Production
Executive producer Andrew Fried
Running time57–62 minutes
Production companies
  • One Potato Productions
  • Boardwalk Pictures
  • Caviar
Original release
Network Netflix
ReleaseJanuary 8, 2020 (2020-01-08) –
January 12, 2022 (2022-01-12)

Cheer is an American sport television docuseries airing on Netflix starting in January 2020. [1] The six-part series follows the nationally ranked forty-member Navarro College Bulldogs Cheer Team from Corsicana, Texas, under the direction of coach Monica Aldama, as they prepare to compete in the National Cheerleading Championship held annually in Daytona Beach, Florida. [2] [3] The episodes focus especially on five individual Cheer Team members and include elements of the history of cheerleading, including the formation of the National Cheerleaders Association (NCA). [4]

Contents

As the series begins, the Cheer Team has won fourteen NCA National Championships in the junior college division, [lower-alpha 1] as well as five "Grand Nationals" for the highest score of all teams in the competition. [lower-alpha 2] [5] [6] One of their closest competitive rivals, also a junior college, is Trinity Valley Community College in Athens, Texas, roughly forty miles away. The final episode addresses the outsized influence of Varsity Brands—just acquired by Bain Capital—that seems to control most aspects of the billion-dollar competitive cheerleading industry, including broadcast rights of the Daytona finals. [7] The second season premiered on January 12, 2022. [8]

Background

Unidentified all-male team demonstrate how the men below, the 'bases', support other team members aloft, potentially to create an upright 'pyramid', or to do a 'basket' toss. The all-male cheerleader team (5892728931).jpg
Unidentified all-male team demonstrate how the men below, the ‘bases’, support other team members aloft, potentially to create an upright ‘pyramid’, or to do a ‘basket’ toss.

Cheerleading developed from mere boosterism into a sport gradually; as one team would develop pyramids, baskets, jumps, stunts, and creative tumbling skills from cheerleading, circus arts (like balancing), and dancing [7] —other teams would emulate and build on those tricks. Unlike most college sports, cheerleading has no professional league after college, so the National Cheerleading Championship held annually in Daytona Beach, Florida is the highest-level event where cheerleaders can compete. [2] [3] As of 2020, competitive cheerleading is a billion dollar industry. [2]

Director Greg Whiteley came across competitive cheerleading while filming for his football television series Last Chance U . [9] He was struck by the cheerleaders' athleticism and highly competitive drive. [9]

Navarro College, a “9,000-student community college in Corsicana, Texas, about fifty miles south of Dallas,” has a cheer team coached by Monica Aldama who graduated from Corsicana High School, earned a degree in Finance at the University of Texas at Austin, then a Master of Business Administration at the University of Texas at Tyler. She was a cheerleader in college. [2] [10] Because of her devotion to her extended Texan family, and her husband's desire to raise their children near their families, she accepted the position of cheerleading coach at Navarro College. Starting in 2000, she built the program from the ground up, making it into the best in the nation. [1] [11] [3]

Episodes

Series overview

SeasonEpisodesOriginally released
1 6January 8, 2020 (2020-01-08)
2 9January 12, 2022 (2022-01-12)

Season 1 (2020)

No.
overall		No. in
season		TitleOriginal release date
11"God Blessed Texas"January 8, 2020 (2020-01-08)
22"Making Mat"January 8, 2020 (2020-01-08)
33"Blood, Sweat and Cheers"January 8, 2020 (2020-01-08)
44"Hit Zero"January 8, 2020 (2020-01-08)
55"Full Out"January 8, 2020 (2020-01-08)
66"Daytona"January 8, 2020 (2020-01-08)

Season 2 (2022)

No.
overall		No. in
season		TitleOriginal release date  [12]
71"Everybody Hopes"January 12, 2022 (2022-01-12)
82"Here's to We"January 12, 2022 (2022-01-12)
93"Dracut Girl"January 12, 2022 (2022-01-12)
104"Hell Week"January 12, 2022 (2022-01-12)
115"Jerry"January 12, 2022 (2022-01-12)
126"Tumbling"January 12, 2022 (2022-01-12)
137"Mining for Tenths"January 12, 2022 (2022-01-12)
148"Daytona Pt. 1 : Don't Be That Guy"January 12, 2022 (2022-01-12)
159"Daytona Pt. 2 : If the Judges Disagree"January 12, 2022 (2022-01-12)

Reception

On Rotten Tomatoes the series holds an approval rating of 96% based on 23 reviews, with an average of 7.75/10. The website's critics consensus reads: "With an inspirational troupe of teens and willingness to engage in the tougher trials facing the sport today, Cheer perfectly captures the highs and lows of what it takes to be a cheerleader." [13] On Metacritic, it has a weighted average score of 81 out of 100, based on seven critics, indicating "universal acclaim". [14]

The Washington Post 's Hank Stuever wrote, "Cheer quickly and effortlessly becomes all-consuming for the viewer. Whiteley superbly structures the story through six episodes to heighten the anxiety as the competition nears." [1] Vulture's Jen Chaney stated, "while it depicts plenty of conflicts and disagreements between the cheerleaders at Navarro College in Corsicana, Texas, it's an ultimately more uplifting show that uses cheer as a prism through which to explore overcoming all kinds of obstacles." [15] Rolling Stone wrote, “...it’s Apocalypse Now with pompoms,” and “It’s not tough to see why America is obsessed with Cheer: At a time when our democratic ideals are smashed to pieces, threatening all our illusions of leadership, Cheer offers a fantasy cheer-ocracy, with Monica as a scarily credible cheer-tator. [16]

In January 2020, the Navarro cheer team and coach Monica appeared on The Ellen DeGeneres Show , and performed a full routine; Ellen DeGeneres presented them with $20,000 toward their fundraising goal. [17] The January 25, 2020, episode of Saturday Night Live had a sketch spoofing Cheer with guest host Adam Driver as one of the coaches apparently unconcerned as team members want to make the mat—the twenty chosen for the finals—so bad they want to cheer despite near-catastrophic injuries. [18] In late January 2020, The Late Show with Stephen Colbert featured a spoof commercial about mat talk, the boisterous positivity sideline cheers that teammates do for the performing members—for which Jerry Harris was singled-out during the series as excelling in—for their performance. [19] The conceit was a new booster Mat Talk for Regular People program whereby the Navarro Cheer Team members would praise everyday people for mundane activities, and featured La'Darius Marshall, Harris, and Gabi Butler cheering people on, with coach Monica Aldama available for a Booster Shot. [19]

Awards and nominations

YearAwardCategoryNominee(s)ResultRef.
2020 Primetime Emmy Awards Outstanding Unstructured Reality Program Greg Whiteley, Andrew Fried, Dane Lillegard, Jasper Thomlinson,
Bert Hamelinck, Adam Leibowitz, Arielle Kilker, and Chelsea Yarnell		Won
Outstanding Directing for a Reality Program Greg Whiteley (for "Daytona")Won
Outstanding Cinematography for a Reality Program Melissa Langer and Erynn Patrick (for "Hit Zero")Nominated
Outstanding Picture Editing for an Unstructured Reality Program Arielle Kilker, David Nordstrom, Kate Hackett, Daniel McDonald, Mark Morgan,
Sharon Weaver, and Ted Woerner (for "God Blessed Texas")		Won
Outstanding Sound Editing for a Nonfiction or Reality Program (Single or Multi-Camera) Logan Byers, Kaleb Klinger, and Sean Gray (for "Daytona")Nominated
Outstanding Sound Mixing for a Nonfiction or Reality Program (Single or Multi-Camera) Ryan David Adams (for "Daytona")Nominated
Television Critics Association Awards Outstanding Achievement in Reality Programming CheerWon
2021 American Cinema Editors Awards Best Edited Non-Scripted SeriesArielle Kilker, David Nordstrom, Kate Hackett, Daniel McDonald, Mark Morgan,
Sharon Weaver, and Ted Woerner (for "God Blessed Texas")		Won
2022 Television Critics Association Awards Outstanding Achievement in Reality Programming CheerNominated
Primetime Emmy Awards Outstanding Unstructured Reality Program Greg Whiteley, Andrew Fried, Dane Lillegard, Adam Leibowitz, Mark Cummins,
and Chelsea Yarnell		Nominated [24]
Outstanding Directing for a Reality Program Greg Whiteley (for "Daytona Pt. 2: If The Judges Disagree")Nominated
Outstanding Picture Editing for an Unstructured Reality Program Daniel George McDonald, Daniel J. Clark, Zachary Fuhrer, Stefanie Maridueña,
Dana Martell, Jody McVeigh-Schultz, Sharon Weaver, and David Zucker
(for "Daytona Pt. 2: If The Judges Disagree")		Nominated

See also

Notes

  1. ↑ As of January 2020, the Navarro College Cheer Team has won fourteen National Championships since 2000: 2000, 2003-2004, 2006-2007, 2009-2015, 2018-2019.
  2. ↑ The Navarro College Cheer Team has won five NCA Grand National Championships since 2012: 2013-2015, 2018-2019; they currently hold the record for the highest score in history at the NCA College Nationals.

C. The track playing in season 1 episode 2 at TC 13:45 - 15:03 and in episode 6 at TC 32:27 - 34:30 was originally composed for the short film Renovation (2018).

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cheerleading</span> Athletic activity based on cheering for a team

Cheerleading is an activity in which the participants cheer for their team as a form of encouragement. It can range from chanting slogans to intense physical activity. It can be performed to motivate sports teams, to entertain the audience, or for competition. Cheerleading routines typically range anywhere from one to three minutes, and contain components of tumbling, dance, jumps, cheers, and stunting. Cheerleading originated in the United States, where it has become a tradition. It is less prevalent in the rest of the world, except via its association with American sports or organized cheerleading contests.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Corsicana, Texas</span> City in Texas, United States

Corsicana is a city in Navarro County, Texas, United States. It is located on Interstate 45, 56 miles northeast of Waco. Its population was 25,109 at the 2020 census. It is the county seat of Navarro County, and an important agribusiness center.

Corsicana Independent School District is a public school district based in Corsicana, Texas, United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Navarro College</span> Community college in Corsicana, Texas, U.S.

Navarro College is a public community college in Texas with its main campus in Corsicana and branches in Mexia, Midlothian, and Waxahachie. The college has an annual student enrollment of more than 9,000 students.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Columbia High School (Illinois)</span> Public secondary school in Columbia, Illinois, United States

Columbia High School is a public high school in Columbia, Illinois. It is part of Columbia Community Unit School District 4.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cheer Athletics</span> American all-star cheerleading program

Cheer Athletics is one of the largest All-Star cheerleading programs in the United States, with thousands of athletes competing on 80+ teams from Austin, Texas; Charlotte, North Carolina; Columbus, Ohio; Dallas, Texas; Denver, Colorado; Frisco, Texas; Omaha, Nebraska; Pensacola, Florida; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; Plano, Texas; Rochester, New York; Rockwall, Texas; St. Louis, Missouri; and Telford, England. Cheer Athletics has won 24 World Championships at The Cheerleading Worlds sponsored by the USASF.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">U.S. All Star Federation</span> American cheerleading organization

The U.S. All Star Federation (USASF) is one of the four main governing bodies for all star cheerleading and dance in the United States. The USASF was founded in December 2003 by cheerleading competition sponsors National Cheerleaders Association, Universal Cheerleaders Association, Cheersport, and America's Best to develop a standard set of safety rules and competition regulations and conduct the Cheerleading Worlds.

The University of Minnesota Golden Gophers Spirit Squads comprise the cheerleading organization at the Twin Cities campus of the University of Minnesota. Being the first program ever to form worldwide, the University of Minnesota is consequently considered the "Birthplace of Cheerleading". Today, the Gopher Spirit Squads consist of four separate squads: a cheer squad, a dance team, a hockey cheer squad, and the school's mascot, Goldy Gopher. The squads consistently perform well at national competitions including 21 national championships in dance since 2003, a 2nd-place finish for All-Girl in 2013, a fifth-place finish in 2017, and four-time national champion Goldy Gopher in 2011, 2013, 2017, and 2018. The current head coach is Sam Owens.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Andrew Fried</span> American film director

Andrew Fried is an American documentary filmmaker, producer and director, and the president of Boardwalk Pictures. Fried is known for producing documentary films and television series, such as Chef's Table, The Black Godfather, Last Chance U, 7 Days Out, My Love, Men in Kilts, Booktube, Street Food, Cheer, Val and The Goop Lab with Gwyneth Paltrow. He directed the 2020 documentary film We Are Freestyle Love Supreme.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sammy Bearkat</span>

Sammy Bearkat is the mascot of Sam Houston State University (SHSU), located in Huntsville, Texas. He is a popular attraction at many athletic events such as football, basketball, and volleyball. He also appears for various campus and community functions. Sammy's two-minute routine earned him a national championship of the mascots division at the 2005 United Spirit Association Collegiate National Championship. Sammy was also named the 2010 and 2011 National Cheerleading Association (NCA) Mascot National Champion. In the 2012 nationals season, Sammy competed with the SHSU Co-Ed Cheer Team at the National Cheerleading Association (NCA) collegiate cheer competition. Together they won first place and earned the title of NCA Division I Cheer National Collegiate Champions. In 2013 Sammy also competed with the SHSU Co-Ed Cheer Team who won their second straight national championship title for NCA. Sammy returned to the Band Shell in Daytona Beach to compete alongside the SHSU All-Girl cheer team who won the NCA All-Girl Division I National Championship Title in 2014. In 2015 Sammy was able to wrap his paws around another NCA Division I title as he competed alongside the Co-Ed Cheer Team. In 2016, Sammy competed alongside the SHSU Division I Co-Ed Cheer Team to win another 1st place NCA National Championship. Sammy was also chosen as the 2016 NCA Mascot National Champion after showcasing a great routine in Daytona Beach, Florida. Sammy has now brought home 1st place in various different flavors in 2005, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015 & 2016, 2017, 2018.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Varsity Spirit</span> American company

Varsity Spirit, LLC, also known as Varsity, is an American cheerleading company owned by Varsity Brands. Founded in 1974 as the Universal Cheerleaders Association, the company is a manufacturer of apparel for cheerleading and dance teams, organizer of cheerleading competitions, and operator of training camps and sanctioning bodies.

The US National Cheerleaders Association (NCA) was established as a way to bring cheerleaders together to learn new skills. Since 1951, the NCA has held summer camps, and is credited with the invention of the herkie jump, the pom pom, the spirit stick and being the first uniform manufacturer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jeff Webb (entrepreneur)</span> American businessman

Jeff Webb is an American entrepreneur and business executive primarily focused on the development of cheerleading. He is the founder of the Universal Cheerleading Association (UCA) and Varsity Spirit. He is the founder and current president of the International Cheer Union, the world governing body of the sport of cheerleading, as well as founder and chairman of The New American Populist.

Monica Aldama is an American cheerleading coach. She was the coach of the co-ed cheerleading team at Navarro College in Corsicana, Texas.

Gabriella "Gabi" Butler is an American cheerleader, YouTuber, television personality, and professional wrestler that is currently signed to WWE. She received national recognition after appearing in the Netflix docuseries Cheer and had been on many teams before her appearance in the Netflix show, such as the California All Stars Smoed, Top Gun TGLC, Cheer Athletics Wildcats, and Gymtyme Blink. She is most recently a member of the Weber State University and the Navarro College cheer teams.

Jeremiah Harris is a convicted sex offender and a former American cheerleader who received national recognition after appearing in the 2020 Netflix docuseries Cheer. In September and December 2020, he was charged by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) with production of child pornography and other child-related sex crimes: "sexual exploitation of children, receiving child pornography, traveling with the attempt to engage in sexual conduct with a minor, enticement and other charges. On February 10, 2022, Harris pled guilty as charged to two of the seven indictments against him. On July 6, 2022, Harris was sentenced to 12 years in prison, and 8 years of court supervised probation to commence after his release from prison.

Morgan Simianer is an American cheerleader and television personality. She received international recognition after appearing in the Netflix docuseries Cheer. She became a fan favorite due to her sweet personality and her troubled past.

Lexis “Lexi” Marie Brumback is an American cheerleader and television personality. She received national recognition after appearing in the Netflix docuseries Cheer. She is known for being a tumbler with elite tumbling skills.

La'Darius Marshall is an American cheerleader and television personality. He received national recognition after appearing in the Netflix docuseries Cheer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Trevor Denbow</span> American football player

Trevor Denbow is an American football safety for the Indianapolis Colts of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Navarro and SMU and was signed by the Colts as an undrafted free agent in 2022.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Newby, John (January 12, 2020). "'Cheer' Season 1: Reviews for the Netflix Docuseries Are In". Pop Culture . Retrieved January 13, 2020.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Stuever, Hank (January 10, 2020). "Hard-working cheerleaders have long deserved 'Cheer'". The Washington Post . Archived from the original on January 15, 2020. Retrieved January 15, 2020.
  3. 1 2 3 Lawler, Kelly (January 9, 2020). "Review: How Netflix's superb 'Cheer' dispels your assumptions about cheerleading". USA Today . Retrieved January 15, 2020.
  4. ↑ Carbone, Gina (January 12, 2020). "Netflix's Cheer: How Gabi Butler, Lexi, Morgan And Cast Feel About The Cheerleading Series". CinemaBlend. Retrieved January 14, 2020.
  5. ↑ "New Netflix series profiles just how hardcore this Texas school's cheerleading squad can get". Dallas News. January 8, 2020. Retrieved January 14, 2020.
  6. ↑ Williams, Janice (January 8, 2020). "Who is Monica Aldama, the champion coach in Netflix's new docuseries 'Cheer'?". Newsweek . Retrieved January 14, 2020.
  7. 1 2 Holmes, Linda (January 8, 2020). "'Cheer' Is An Incisive Look At Injury, Coaching And Competition". NPR . Retrieved January 15, 2020.
  8. ↑ Petski, Denise (December 28, 2021). "'Cheer': Netflix Docuseries Gets Season 2 Premiere Date, Trailer, Will Address Jerry Harris Charges". Deadline Hollywood . Retrieved December 29, 2021.
  9. 1 2 Cacich, Allison (January 8, 2020). "Meet Monica, the Coaching Legend on Netflix's New Docuseries 'Cheer'". Distractify. Retrieved January 15, 2020.
  10. ↑ Burog, Vianne (January 10, 2020). "Monica Aldama: 5 Things About The Coach In Netflix's 'Cheer'". Latin Times . Retrieved January 15, 2020.
  11. ↑ Larry, Lucky (January 10, 2020). "Navarro College Cheer Team On Netflix In Episode Of 'Cheer'". KNUE . Retrieved January 14, 2020.
  12. ↑ "Shows A-Z – Cheer on Netflix". The Futon Critic . Retrieved January 10, 2021.
  13. ↑ "Cheer (2020)", Rotten Tomatoes, retrieved September 17, 2020
  14. ↑ "Cheer: Season 1 reviews". Metacritic . Retrieved September 17, 2020.
  15. ↑ Chaney, Jen (January 8, 2020). "Welcome to TV's Cheer-ocracy". Vulture . Retrieved January 15, 2020.
  16. ↑ Sheffield, Rob (March 3, 2020). "Three Cheers for Netflix's 'Cheer'!". Rolling Stone.
  17. ↑ Rackham, Casey (January 24, 2020). "The Navarro Team From "Cheer" Performed On "Ellen" And They Were So Good". BuzzFeed. Retrieved January 26, 2020.
  18. ↑ McKenna, Henry (January 26, 2020). "SNL spoofs Netflix's 'Cheer,' and the director responded with jokes on Twitter". For The Win . Retrieved January 27, 2020.
  19. 1 2 "Edie Falco, Fortune Feimster, Algiers, the cast of 'Cheer'". The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. Season 5. Episode S5 E81. January 31, 2020. CBS.
  20. ↑ "2020 Primetime Emmy" (PDF) (Press release). Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. July 28, 2020. Retrieved July 28, 2020.
  21. ↑ Mitovich, Matt Webb (July 9, 2020). "TCA Awards: Watchmen, Unbelievable and Schitt's Creek Lead Nominations". TVLine. Archived from the original on July 10, 2020. Retrieved July 10, 2020.
  22. ↑ Giardina, Carolyn (March 11, 2021). "'Minari,' 'Trial of the Chicago 7' Among American Cinema Editors' Eddie Awards Nominees". The Hollywood Reporter . Retrieved March 11, 2021.
  23. ↑ Hailu, Selome (August 6, 2022). "'Abbott Elementary' Tops 2022 TCA Awards". Variety . Retrieved August 6, 2022.
  24. ↑ Moreau, Jordan (July 12, 2022). "Emmys 2022: Complete Nominations List". Variety . Retrieved July 12, 2022.
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