Over the past year, Netflix has been in Tupelo filming a limited docuseries aimed at hashing out a bizarre, crime tale that’s since taken viewers around the globe on a winding journey into the underbelly of local conspiracy theories. Now, we’ve gotten confirmation that the streaming giant decided to stick around for the sake of chronicling the 2024 season on the gridiron.
Netflix announced Wednesday the production of a new series that follows college football’s Southeastern Conference (SEC) during the 2024 season. According to a release, the docuseries will drop sometime next summer and bring viewers everywhere from the field and the locker rooms to the team buses, barber shops, and more.
“This behind-the-scenes docuseries will bring all the drama and pageantry of Southeastern Conference football to a worldwide audience,” SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey said, per the release.
While initial information released by Netflix was more of a tease than anything, the platform did note that viewers will be afforded eight 45-minute episodes in what could be a multi-season show. It also said the series is produced by Box To Box Films, the production company behind other sports docs such as Sprint, Full Swing, Formula 1: Drive to Survive, and Break Point.
“Whether you’re a die-hard college football fan or haven’t paid attention to it since you were in college yourself, an upcoming show will immerse you in the glories of the game. On Dec. 18, Netflix announced production of a season-long series that follows the sport’s most dominant conference,” a portion of the release reads. “…viewers will gain unprecedented access to the players and coaches that make their favorite (and rival) teams forces to be reckoned with.”
As it often does with these kinds of stories, The Athletic did have some reliable information leaked to it regarding which teams will be featured in the inaugural season of the docuseries.
Reporter Seth Emerson received confirmation that 10 of 16 SEC schools opted into the behind-the-scenes tagalong, including Mississippi State in year one under head coach Jeff Lebby. Other schools featured, according to Emerson, are Arkansas, Auburn, Florida, Kentucky, LSU, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas A&M, and Vanderbilt.
So, where’s Ole Miss? Where’s Alabama? Where’s Georgia? And where’s Texas? According to Emerson, all 16 SEC schools were given the option to participate but some were concerned about an outside network having too much access, among other reasons. The other two opt-outs would be Oklahoma and Missouri if true.
But even with the reported concerns, Emerson said that Sankey and company were adamant on getting enough schools to participate as word was Netflix would hop to a different conference if the SEC didn’t oblige.
“There was initially some reluctance from SEC teams, concerned about giving an outside network too much access, sources around the conference have said,” Emerson wrote. “But there was also some worry that if the SEC balked, Netflix would go to the Big Ten, and ultimately the conference and majority of schools were attracted to the chance to advertise their programs in a different way.”
While some Mississippi viewers might be disappointed in the absence of Lane Kiffin and Ole Miss in the upcoming series, an array of drama, personality, and behind-the-scenes storylines otherwise not known to college football lovers promises to be unveiled. Particularly, the backdrop of a winding 2-10 campaign for Mississippi State in 2024 will offer a glimpse into Jeff Lebby’s rebuild in Starkville, the Magnolia State characters involved, and the hills and valleys the Bulldogs traversed across the challenging season.
A wealth of other intriguing storylines will take center stage in the series, including Tennessee’s appearance in the inaugural 12-team College Football Playoff, upstart Vanderbilt’s shocking upset win over then-No. 1 ranked Alabama, Shane Beamer’s redemption at South Carolina, the struggles of Hugh Freeze’s Auburn Tigers, and plenty more.
Whether you claim an SEC team or are just a casual sports fan, an inside look at the twists and turns of college football’s top conference promises a gripping television experience.
