REVIEW: ‘Sunderland ‘Til I Die Season 3’ Checks In On A Community

Sunderland ‘Til I Die Season 3 is a Netflix sports documentary on the English football club Sunderland. The show is produced by Fulwell 73, with Leo Pearlman and Ben Turner as executive producers. After many years away, the show returns to try and see Sunderland break out of the third tier of English football, League One. This is the final season of the documentary.

Sunderland ‘Til I Die Season 3 is exciting due to the chosen year and the timing of the release. The final season takes place in the 2021-22 season due to its importance. A vital and desperate season was portrayed. League One is far below the level that Sunderland supporters would place it, and staying in that league would have been ruinous for their financial status and reputation. But unlike other football documentaries, the show does not start at the beginning of the season to follow the players through the entirety of the season. It latches on to the final drive, especially the arrival of new manager Alex Neil, as the team races for the playoffs.

There are only three episodes of this final season, which is disappointing. Instead of an in-depth exploration, it gives the show the feeling of checking in to see how things are. That being said, a lot is crammed into those three episodes. The biggest scandals, especially the situation with the owner, are investigated with honesty and scrutiny. The new man in charge is Kyril Louis-Dreyfus, a very young but wealthy heir of a powerful dynasty. It shows that there are stories to tell about the Northeast football team. The drama of the matches is captured superbly, and the show becomes very emotional in its final moments.

The show returns to its characters, both in the club itself and the community of Sunderland. A distinct decision is made to stay with those who had contributed to interviews in the previous seasons so familiar faces reappear. That sense of community is essential to the producers and the club, which is constantly made clear throughout the three episodes. Their relationship with the club and how it affects mental health, the economy, and general morale within the city is fascinating. The series makes you care about regular people by including you in their lives at an intimate level. It shows why the ending works so well; it uses the community to drive the emotions of football home.

Inside the club, much has changed at Sunderland. The previous owners who would make David Brent seem normal are no longer there, with the youthful Louis-Dreyfus in their place. Many other staff were either made redundant in the relegation or have moved on in some other way. As for the playing staff, much of the squad has been completely overturned. A few remain from the earlier seasons, and they are who the cameras and producers latch on to. Luke O’Nein was a youngster coming into the first team when the series started and is now a mainstay and firm favourite among the fanbase.

Meanwhile, Patrick Roberts provides an insight into the mindset of a journeyman footballer. He’s constantly sent out on loan and feeling homeless within the sport. The show is a constant reminder of the humanity of the players. They are just young men striving to make a living. And at the level they play at, they are not as well paid as might be assumed.

Regarding the editing and the production, Sunderland ‘Til I Die has continued its high quality. It was one of the best of its kind when it first appeared and has not dropped in the slightest. The balance between what happens on the pitch and the crowd’s reaction is perfect. It is easy to tell that there are separate cameras from the broadcast angles that capture moments that aren’t seen when the actual match was played live. The music is unobtrusive, paving the way for the crowd chants and the noise from within the Stadium of Light.

Sunderland ‘Til I Die Season 3 provides closure and hope. This documentary series was revolutionary and deserves credit for that. It has been stated several times that it inspired Rob McElhenney to start his journey into buying Wrexham with Ryan Reynolds and the subsequent documentary. And other clubs are looking into a similar idea. Sunderland was one of the first. But the documentary was a sad and melancholy affair in those first two seasons. The community was suffering, and their nastiness was showing. But their love, support, and strength are just as crucial for this final foray.

Just three episodes are highly disappointing, and the idea of covering a season two years after it already happened makes this final chapter feel dated. Sunderland has notably progressed even further, and the squad will also evolve. But it was essential to revisit the community. The final scene alone makes this last season worth it, even if it is devastating.

Sunderland ‘Til I Die Season 3 is streamibg now on Netflix.