Summary
Surprisingly entertaining and insightful, Titletown High not only highlights the importance of football in Valdosta, Georgia, but the docuseries has a lot of character from those involved.
This review of the Netflix reality series Titletown High contains no spoilers.
“It doesn’t matter how you play the game, what matters is what you win,” that’s what we learn in the opening minutes of Titletown High. The reality show from Netflix has a high level of competitiveness as it follows the Valdosta Wildcats in Valdosta, Georgia.
In this small town, football is a way of life, and winning is even more vital, with many feeling what they achieve will be their lasting legacy. Titletown High highlights how ruthless it can get. The first episode explains how football coaches get quickly fired if a team hasn’t won a game in a while.
The current head coach of the Valdosta Wildcats is a highly controversial figure; Rush Propst. His role as head coach gets labeled as “making a deal with a devil”. He has had a lifetime of controversy; he has been accused of altering grades, extramarital affairs, and headbutting players, among many other things. It wouldn’t be a surprise if Netflix were to next focus a series purely on Propst. Especially after the manner in which it concludes for Rush Propst. Trust me, Titletown High is worth watching, even if just to see what scandal follows Rush in the closing moment of the final episodes.
But Propst is not the only feature of Titletown High; the high school team is just as vital to the show. We watch the players and their friends and families as they tackle romance, rivalries, and the struggles of being a teenager. All the time, as they play for a title that could change their life.
Certain players such as Greyson Leavy are desperately chasing a scholarship as a way to leave the small town of Valdosta. But Titletown High also treats us to a love triangle between Greyson, sophomore Lenley, and “girl next door” Zoe. It’s a huge improvement on Netflix’s other reality series, Motel Makeover. The people involved are slightly easier to like, and with a lot more happening. Compared to Motel Makeover, there is plenty more entertainment value.
Netflix’s Titletown High has eight episodes, all around the 30-minute mark, and is a breeze to watch once invested. Whilst it might not appear to be the kind of show that you would normally watch, I suggest giving the series a try. It might surprise you — it certainly did me.
