After a short hiatus, the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders are returning to the small screen this summer.
In 2022, the 16-year run of the very popular ‘Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders: Making the Team’ ended on CMT. On Thursday, the Dallas Cowboys and Netflix announced the cheerleaders' return to episodic TV with "America’s Sweethearts: Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders."
The Netflix series follows the 2023-24 squad from start to finish over seven 45-minute episodes directed and produced by Emmy Award-winning director Greg Whiteley and the team behind Cheer and Last Chance U.
“To their infinite credit, the Cowboys offered unfettered access for the year we filmed the DCC and left us alone," said Whiteley. "The result is an authentic portrait of one of the most storied and beloved institutions we have in American pop culture.”
Get top local stories in DFW delivered to you every morning. >Sign up for NBC DFW's News Headlines newsletter.
The show will air this summer beginning with last season's auditions. A launch date has not been announced.
The Netflix show will differ from its CMT predecessor by continuing to follow the cheerleaders through training camp and the 2023-24 NFL season.
"Led by longtime director Kelli Finglass, the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders opens their doors to document the personal stories behind the uniforms – revealing the drive, hustle, and drama among the cheerleaders and coaches. For many, it’s a dream to make the team - but that’s only just the beginning," the team said in a statement.
Charlotte Jones, Dallas Cowboys executive vice president/chief brand officer and Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders president said they were thrilled to see the results of the yearlong production.
"The storytelling through this open access will captivate viewers episode after episode and Netflix’s global stage is the perfect platform to showcase it,” Jones said. “We went into this understanding that the opportunity to transparently share the journey of our season, and the emotions, challenges and joy experienced along the way, is exactly what our fans and viewers would want."
"It’s also part of the reason that, for decades, the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders have earned their place as being ‘often imitated, but never equaled’" Jones said.
Is anyone else looking forward to the episode featuring Dolly Parton?
