Netflix producing 10-part docu-series on Cowboys, Jerry Jones

The partnership between the Dallas Cowboys and streaming giant Netflix is strong this year with multiple projects underway. On top of a behind-the-scenes series on the Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders debuting this summer and the Cowboys hosting Netflix at AT&T Stadium for the Mike Tyson-Jake Paul fight, the on-demand platform is also producing a 10-part documentary on the team and owner Jerry Jones.

The docu-series will focus on Jerry Jones and the peak of the Cowboys franchise in the 1990s. According to Puck reporter Matthew Belloni, Netflix purchased the project “just under” $50 million after winning the bid over ESPN and Amazon. Netflix is working on the docu-series with Skydance Sports and NFL Films.

The untitled project will spotlight the “stars and partners” in Jerry Jones’ journey. Those include Troy Aikman, Michael Irvin, Emmitt Smith, Deion Sanders, Head Coaches Jimmy Johnson and Barry Switzer, Rupert Murdoch, and Phil Knight.

Netflix has recently had major success with Full Swing, Drive to Survive and other sports-centered shows. The company secured exclusive streaming rights to two Christmas Day NFL games in a deal that will extend through the 2026 season.

The streaming giant dove head-first into its relationship with the league with the hit series Quarterback last year. Now, this summer, they’ll also stream another series called Receiver. The show will feature Davante Adams of the Raiders, Justin Jefferson from the Vikings, George Kittle and Deebo Samuel with the 49ers, and Amon-Ra St. Brown of the Lions. 

Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders series coming to Netflix

Two and a half years after the conclusion of Making the Team, which ran for 16 seasons on CMT, Netflix is reviving America’s love for the DCC with a new series titled, America’s Sweethearts: Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders. The streaming giant released their first trailer last month for the new series, which will premiere this summer.

While Making the Team was more of a competition-based series, America’s Sweethearts will be a behind-the-scenes look at the world’s most famous group of cheerleaders. The show will chronicle the 2023-24 season for the cheerleaders and will “document the personal stories behind the uniforms,” according to Netflix’s description.

Cheer and Last Chance U’s Greg Whiteley is among the executive producers of the new series, and he’s also directing. Other producers include Adam Leibowitz for One Potato Productions; Andrew Fried and Dane Lillegard for Boardwalk Pictures; and Ross M. Dinerstein and Rebecca Evans for Campfire Studios.

“We’re thrilled to see the results of a season spent with Greg Whiteley and a remarkable crew following every step of the way. The storytelling through this open access will captivate viewers episode after episode and Netflix’s global stage is the perfect platform to showcase it,” Charlotte Jones, executive vp and chief brand officer for the Cowboys and Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders president, said, via Hollywood Reporter. “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.”

“The kind of access and creative freedom we need to make the kind of work we want to make is not easy to come by — especially when dealing with a brand as large as the Dallas Cowboys,” Whiteley said in a statement. “To their infinite credit, the Cowboys offered unfettered access for the year we filmed the DCC and left us alone. The result is an authentic portrait of one of the most storied and beloved institutions we have in American pop culture.”