It has been over a week now since Sunderland Til I Die Season 3 was released, and finally we have a happy, and sad, conclusion to the show. Sunderland will never fail to amaze us, and luckily, Netflix’s latest series of Sunderland ‘Til I Die beautifully captures Sunderland’s play-off promotion push in May 2022. After two series of relegation, emotion and heartache at Wembley, Fulwell 73, the producers for the show, returned for a behind-the-scenes glimpse of Sunderland over the course of the 2021-22 campaign, in what was their fourth successive season in EFL League One.
This time, something about Sunderland’s push for promotion felt different. With a core of highly talented players and backroom staff, including the likes of Jack Clarke, Patrick Roberts, Ross Stewart, Alex Pritchard, Luke O’Nien, Danny Batth and Lynden Gooch to name a few, Netflix and Fulwell 73 were able to tangibly capture a season full of ups and downs, seeing new management and crucial changes at a time when the club needed it most.
A season which certainly did not shy away from typical Sunderland drama, such as a six-nil defeat to Bolton Wanderers in January 2022, to the glory, emotion and relief of the victory over Wycombe in May 2022 which sealed promotion back to the Championship, fans re-lived the rollercoaster which always comes with supporting our beloved club. In typical Sunderland fashion, it wasn’t an easy journey to success. Following the aforementioned six-nil defeat to Bolton Wanderers at the end of January 2022, which subsequently saw the sacking of manager Lee Johnson, Sunderland endured a torrid six-game winless streak, including defeats to Cheltenham, Doncaster and MK Dons. Their search for a manager dragged on, until the eventual appointment of Alex Neil, a head coach with a rich promotion pedigree.
Neil delivered progression for the Black Cats following promotion, which saw key, season-defining moments such as Nathan Broadhead’s last-minute winner against Gillingham in April 2022.
Moments of joy had, up to that point, been very rare across the two previous seasons of Netflix’s Sunderland ‘Til I Die. Season three epitomises everything which is joyful and positive about the club, as a group of young players fight for the team, the city and ultimately its people to bring positivity and a sense of optimism back to Wearside. As with previous seasons, fans were given access to many behind-the-scenes decisions made by the club. Kyril Louis-Dreyfus, Juan Sartori and Kristjaan Speakman were all placed under the spotlight to improve and develop a trusted reputation with fans, unlike their predecessors over years and series gone by. Sunderland’s hierarchy reflected positivity across the latest season. The cameras follow Louis-Dreyfus and Speakman over the months, capturing key moments such as acting on the decision to sack Lee Johnson, appointing Alex Neil and some key player recruitment with that.
Fans and viewers also got a small insight into the man Kyril Louis-Dreyfus is, as well as his history across his short time so far at the club. While still in the early stages, even to this day, of what has largely been a positive step-up in responsibility, leadership and ownership of the club, the Sunderland hierarchy comes across admirably in the latest series. While the cameras are not able to capture every moment of the club behind the scenes, nor every decision or meeting between players or staff, the small snippets and glimpses of the day-to-day running of the club we hold so dear to our hearts are vitally important to fans and, hopefully, trust can continue to be built for seasons and decisive decisions to come.
Emotionally, supporting Sunderland has, and always will, tug on the heartstrings. Fulwell 73 encapsulates this superbly for the latest series. Across three seasons, the cameras followed several fans’ perspectives, with the likes of Peter Farrer, Lynne Willis, Eddie Surgenor and Andrew Cammiss all featuring for the third season of Sunderland ‘Til I Die.
They also beautifully capture the lives of Ian Wake, a key member of the Sunderland cast across the three series, who died in March 2023, and Louise Wanless, who oversaw the club’s media and communications department for 16 years, who also sadly passed away in 2021. The final episode, which covers Sunderland’s promotion back to the Championship, also pays a touching tribute to the lives of Louise and Ian, both prominent figures in the three seasons.
Sunderland ‘Til I Die captures everything good about the club, the city and ultimately, its supporters. Season three brings the curtain down following two tough seasons which saw relegation and Wembley heartache after the League One play-off final defeat to Charlton Athletic in 2019. A happy ending for a club which has endured such turmoil and instability for years gone by is nothing short of deserved, and the spotlight placed on the club over the final season, will ultimately give viewers who are not Sunderland fans, or the casual football supporter, a true indication of a club and a city finally on the up.
A poignant, lasting reflection on a series which has done wonders for the club and the city, beautifully captured in a quote from Father Marc Lyden-Smith: “Football is referred to as a beautiful game, but in Sunderland it is a lot more than a thing of beauty, it is a way of life.” A true definition for a club once again on the up.
