Looking for something to watch over the long weekend? We’ve got you covered! One of Netflix’s newest additions is “CHEER”, a docu-series about competitive college cheerleading, by the same filmmakers behind the Netflix hit “Last Chance U”. Sound a little dull? You might be in for a surprise. We’re here to spill all the tea about Netflix’s newest sensation!
Cheerleaders are one of the more controversial figures in pop culture, but they’re having a moment -- and we’re here for it. “CHEER” follows the cheer team at Navarro College in Corsicana, TX, as they prepare to compete in the National College Cheerleading Finals in Daytona, FL.
Far away from the stereotypical cheerleaders usually seen on TV, “CHEER” sees its subjects as dedicated, tenacious athletes performing in an extremely high-risk sport. One of the central conflicts of “CHEER” is that, although there are 40 members of the team, only 20 will get to compete “on the mat” at Daytona, creating a fight not just to climb to the top of Nationals, but to climb over each other as well.
The show features several members of the team who become characters all their own, including: Gabi Butler, an Insta-famous “cheerlebrity”; Morgan, a new team member who is scarred by an absent father; and their coach, Monica Aldama.
Aldama becomes something of a mother for the students, as many of them lack caring parents or healthy home structures in their personal lives. Her fierce coaching pushes the students hard, often past their physical limits -- but they do it anyway, because she is their north star.
“CHEER” is intense and gritty from start to finish. Bad falls. Frustrating losses. Spats between teammates. It’s a reminder that team sports are often much darker than what audiences see. Cheerleaders are easy to poke fun at and dismiss, but “CHEER” is proof that they are some hardcore people, to say the very least.
Whether you cheered all through high school and/or college or have never heard of competitive cheerleading in your life, “CHEER” might be the most important thing you watch this year.
“CHEER” is now streaming on Netflix.