Cheer (2020)

Cheer Season 2 is, like the first season, an addictive triumph. It expands the narrative to include a rival cheer team worth (begrudgingly) rooting for and a new cast of characters to love. But the most impressive thing Cheer Season 2 does is honestly examine the fallout of Season 1. The documentarians capture the good, the bad, and the ugly. ... Cheer Season 2 is The Empire Strikes Back of contemporary sports docs.

"Cheer" depicts the turmoil of high competition and the double-edged sword of fame. And it lays out what makes the world of cheerleading so addictive, both for its participants and for viewers.

At first, the shift feels like a betrayal, but as we get to know the fiery squad of TVCC – particularly bolshy and talented tumbler Jada Wooten – and their coach Vontae Johnson, who is the cheese to Monica’s chalk, their inclusion in the show starts to feel fresh, giving a broader overview of how the sport plays out in the Texan community. And it injects back the underdog charm with which Navarro won us over.

The result is a season missing much of the youthful heart that distinguished its predecessor, but it’s still a well-crafted sports drama and an enthralling showcase of this particular blend of acrobatics and flair.

Although it registers friendships and fallings-out, it does not make them into soapy storylines. It prefers, equally refreshingly, to dig deep into the many qualities that must combine to make a single performer, and then how they must coalesce into one team.

“Cheer” isn’t so much a new take on an old story as it is proof there’s drama wherever two or more gather. It’s an addicting reality show that will make you think twice the next time you see someone accomplish something amazing.

Covering an expanded amount of time and an expanded number of issues, even with an expanded (nine now) number of episodes, doesn’t come smoothly. There are provocative and entertaining things in the season of Cheer, but it is a messier piece of work and, perhaps somewhat by design, a less satisfying one.