America’s Sweethearts
What’s it rated? TV-14
When? 2024-26
Where’s it showing? Netflix
Emmy Award-winning director Greg Whiteley (Last Chance U, Cheer, Mitt) directs and produces this multiple-Emmy-nominated docuseries on the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders. We watch as rookies, veteran performers, and the coaches go through the audition process, training camp, and the NFL season.
I’m someone who watches a lot of sports documentaries, and America’s Sweethearts continually popped up in my “Top Picks For You” tab. I avoided it, believing it might be vapid and stereotypical. Boy was I wrong. The documentary series is gripping.
It covers the cheerleaders as the athletes they are and deserve to be portrayed as. It’s emotional and full of personal moments that highlight the difficulty of performing at the height of the game and the pressure of working for a global sports brand that expects you to be a top-performing athlete and a brand ambassador with a certain look, all while being a sweetheart.
While focusing on a handful of the team’s 36 athletes, Whiteley gives us a storyline in each of the three seasons. Season 2, for instance, follows the team’s attempt to get the Cowboys to pay them what they’re worth—an unfortunately all-too-common conundrum for female athletes of any persuasion. In Season 3, he tackles the pitfalls of social media and how the team’s newfound fame has impacted team dynamics, personal lives, and the way the outside world interacts with the cheerleaders.
I loved it. America’s Sweethearts will return with Season 4 in 2027, which will follow the 2026-27 Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders team. (three seasons, 40-to-80 min. episodes)
—Camillia Lanham
This article appears in October 29 – November 5, 2026.
