Under Netflix's harsh spotlight, a 'devastated' cheerleading squad tries to regroup
When "Cheer" was released in January 2020, the Netflix docuseries about elite cheerleaders at a Texas community college became an instant cultural sensation. Within weeks, it turned tough-as-nails coach Monica Aldama and her gritty athletes into overnight celebrities who got spoofed on "Saturday Night Live," appeared on "Ellen" and interviewed Brad Pitt on the Oscars red carpet.
As inspiring as it was unflinching, "Cheer" resonated well beyond the cheerleading community because it told a story about young people overcoming unthinkable adversity — including poverty, sexual abuse and parental neglect — to compete in a physically and emotionally punishing sport often dismissed as a sideline spectacle.
But the hardships of Season 1 are nothing compared to
