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Sports documentaries are a personal favourite, but Last Chance U is a rare example of a sport's true colours shown through big budget filmmaking. Set in the collegiate American football setting of small town America, this show highlights everything inherently wrong with the system and the mindset that goes as standard with the sport. Being premier recruitment colleges for those denied a chance in the major leagues (sometimes through bad luck, sometimes through bad choices), they are breeding grounds for dangerous mentalities in children who genuinely know no better.

It starts with the coaches; men who have lived with the sport their entire lives, but who don't always understand the way teenagers think. On top of this, their academic teachers toil to get them almost unattainable grades to give them that slim chance of success, constantly fighting against a tide of setbacks and resistance. Finally, the students - arrogant, boisterous and over-pressured athletes thrown into stardom from the minute they discovered their talent, now deluded into thinking they are untouchable future stars.

The stupidity is that the cameras only enable these kids to act like superstars. Suddenly they have their inner belief of stardom reinforced by a full film crew following their every move - regardless of whether they win or lose. It's even made clear on the show: every single one believes they are going to make it to the NFL, but only the luckiest ever even get close. The teachers know it and try to make it clear, but nothing will dissuade these students of their dreams. You watch it with mixed feelings of pity and anger; they genuinely know no better, but they act so poorly they must know they deserve nothing from these people who give everything to help them in ways they don't appreciate. The few students who do eventually cross the line and are kicked from school all pretend to repent when the cameras are pointed at them, but the follow-up interviews make it clear some of them are just genuinely bad people.

Whilst this makes entertaining television with its various twists, it also presents the damage this society perpetuates. Whole communities suffer: these isolated towns devote their funds entirely to sportsmen they've never met, sacrificing all other academic students and their pursuits. Moreover, these students then push themselves through potentially life-threatening injuries, convinced they can handle "only another concussion" or a "small loss of feeling in their legs" from being hit repeatedly.

By the close of each season, you wonder if any of those you have seen grow throughout the show will be around for many more years. Some of them cannot resist the vicious cycles of crime and delinquency they have grown up in; others simply can't get the grades needed to take the next step. At the end of the day, the schools only care about the score after 60 minutes.

"Last Chance U" is a fantastic program in many aspects, but shines the most at a human level. The vast majority of these young men have gone through many hardships in their life, and see EMCC as their golden ticket to a potential future to the NFL. Director Greg Whitely did a fantastic job at capturing the highs and lows, both on and off the field of this band of brothers. You quickly get very invested in the different players as you cheer them on at each touchdown. The show also makes you feel like a disappointed sibling, when some of the players miss class, or fall short from some of their training.

Some might argue that Coach Stephens is the centerpiece to this large and complex puzzle, but in my opinion Brittany Wagner, the school's academic adviser, absolutely steals the show. She is the loving and caring mother figure that many of the players desperately need and pours her heart and soul to make sure all of them keep on track for success.

Another absolute must watch from Netflix, which will keep you engaged from beginning to end.

As a French woman, living in France I do not get ANYTHING about American football. But I really loved the show and enjoyed the games; even though everything went a little over my head This is a really good show and it made me love American football!

This series is more of a documentary than a 'netflix-series', and that's the way you should look at this. If you're just looking for a TV-series to lighten you're mood, then this clearly isn't for you. If you are, however interested in the subject of the importance of education, if you want to have a good look at how the American college system works ( especially if you're not from the US this is interesting), than this series might be exactly what you're looking for.

What sets Last Chance U apart from other 'reality-series' is the different angles where it is coming from. From the grad student, to the renominated coach Buddy Stephens, to the concerned tutor of the college athletes who is desperately trying to get them graduated at the end of the year. You really understand the importance of the situation, the legacy that these young athletes are trying to maintain. It also doesn't really feel like a real documentary-series, although you keep getting reminded that this in fact has really happened before.

However Last Chance has a hard time trying to keep my focus, maybe it was just me but I found myself numerous times being distracted while watching the series. and while this is no doubt a real documentary, I couldn't help myself but finding it all a bit by the books. It almost sounds like a classic football story which you have seen so many times before. I couldn't help myself wondering if some things were really scripted.

Still if you can get yourself invested in the stories of these coaches, students and their surroundings, you do really get a real reward out of it, because it does leave a mark. It really gave me satisfaction to get to know the stories of so many lives in this little Mecca of American football. So if this subject is your niche... you should definitely check it out.

7,5/10 Verdict: A very interesting and touching look at the life of student athletes

Although I routinely read the user reviews for shows and movies, I have never written one. After reading some of the reviews of this sports documentary I felt compelled to make a comment. :Last Chance U" provides great insight to how life is at Community College and the athletes in the sports programs.

As a life long football love the series didn't catch my interest right away and I really regret that fact, because its an awesome show. The student athlete stories are told with great detail and the directors add just the right amount of game action for balance.

My concern with the comments about the players seem stereotypical. Seems some people really do not understand these players circumstances even after watching the show. A lazy student is not the same as one that is ill equipped as a product of a poor educational system. Some have no idea how to study and have not ever learned study skills. Many students simply are not prepared for college after graduating from high school. Brittany Waggoner makes the same assessment after leaving the show that this problem is prevalent and not confined to Mississippi.

I also noticed that she didnt understand why some of the players would basically give up and leave. The feeling of being overwhelmed and behind with trying to catch up is stressful. Many students leave college but their experiences are based on harsh realities that must be dealt with in a caring manner. She does come across and genuinely caring for the students but fails to identify what life is really like for them. I love the show and look forward to watching more seasons !!

Great to see the ups and downs with the sport, but man season 4 is depressing.

The director made sure there was never too long without some game action, or at least some conflict. That was key to keeping our attention.

This film of course did not reflect well on football players in general. They come across as lazy, self-absorbed, irresponsible, and feeling entitled. Football is not supposed to simply produce or nurture great athletes. It is supposed to build solid men.

The counselor woman had a tough choice. Because the guys were already getting the tough cop routine from their coaches. So she probably didn't want to be too tough on them. She either chose the mom/buddy approach, or it just came naturally, or perhaps we didn't see the tougher side of her off camera. At times I felt frustrated that she wasn't tougher on the players.

One thing this show made me realize, is that pro football should have a minor league. Why should guys who have no interest in school, be forced to attend, just so they can continue playing? It's absurd. Just create a minor league, like baseball has.

A person could have a career in the minor league, or play in the Arena League, or Canada, etc. There are plenty of options. Why do you need college?

Needless to say, this piece of work does not reflect well on African Americans, rednecks, or the South. The coach is a beast, the players seem almost lobotomized, and the culture looks bland and hopeless. The physical geography looked very inviting however.

Lesson to be learned: You can't just swear, fight, lie, and screw, and then say an "Our Father," and wash it all away. You have to try not to do those things in the first place.

But what made the whole thing worth it, and what I never came close to predicting, was how a bizarre chain of events redeemed and jettisoned the career of one player, who seemed to be almost out of the picture.

So far I've seen seasons 1, 2 and 5.

The documentary is really interesting and surprisingly well done. It's really disheartening though. Talk about a horrible system that these kids come up in. Also, all the preaching done by the coaches is despicable. They should be disciplined for that, and fired if they don't stop. Lastly, the head coach in season 5 says a lot of terribly chauvinistic things that perpetuates rape culture. He often compares winning a game to having their way with a woman..."go out there and get that a**!!!" and something like "shove your dick up there and don't ask permission!" are a couple of the many things he says, and, of course, the players repeat and mimick that type of talk every time. Those quotes aren't verbatim, but that's the gist of it. That coach should be fired, it's terrible that he's been allowed to coach for 40 years.

The coach for East Mississippi (S01 &S02) is so verbally abusive ,it's unreal.

Good docuseries that highlights a lot of negative aspects of college sports, and there are MANY to highlight.

A bunch of street thugs who wont take responsibility for their life and decisions, what could go wrong there. The last chance they had to make it to a college, and by default, the possibility of a Pro football career AND an education...all of them are a bunch of entitled cry babies.

The layout of most episodes follows like this:

• Players train up for a match and you get to follow their lives and the backstory of a bunch of players that the documentary focuses on. Especially the coach.
• You get an insight in what their studies is like and what hardships they face.
• The episode finishes with a football match that is edited with suspensefulness like a movie.

There is much to like about this series as you see the team spirit throughout and beyond the team to the town folks.

Season 1-2-3 were great! Season 4 was good. But season 5 was just boring for me. Didn't seem like i was watching Last Chance U.

I'm in love with this show. It has so many amazing things in it. Talented kids with big dreams in need of a lifeline. I love being able to see these kids develop in front of the cameras and some of the teachers shown are truly amazing to be able to get the best out of them. You don't even need to understand football to be able to watch it, but that part makes it even better.

I enjoyed this show right from episode one. I enjoyed Scooba the most of the three programs that were highlighted. Coach Brown was a roller coaster at Independent, and you really jump from being on board with him, to hoping he gets sent on his way. I believe he most likely let the excitement of the cameras dictate his actions and do things that maybe would have been too far prior. Season 5 overall didn't live up to the others for me, although there were some really good stories and characters to cheer for. And so happy that the coaches wife was able to get out of San Diego cos there "were too many white people and people of privilege". I'm sure they were happy to get rid of that attitude to be honest.

First of all, I never understood why people played or even liked football. Personally, it's just comes across as violent. So, I watched Last Chance U to try to gain some insight. Well, I gained that and so much more. Besides Game of Thrones, I have never watched something so intensely. I really gained a true understanding of why players play and why people watch. I caught myself riding the highs of winning and feeling the lows of loosing. For someone who doesn't really watch sports, I found it extremely entertaining. I couldn't stop watching! Now, will I start watching football on a regular basis? Probably not, but this documentary made me understand the passion behind the sport and I gained an appreciation that I didn't have before. A great documentary!!!

I have a love hate relationship with this show. I love football and I love documentaries, but I don't like this coach (season one and two coach) and I don't even like some of these players. As for those that I do like, I want to see them succeed. But that's not always the goal of a documentary anyway--to get you to like someone or something. A documentary brings the viewer information about a subject they didn't know before or were never even aware of.

I consider this show a documentary and not a "reality show" because it's not about false narratives or fake drama with a soft script. It's just documenting these young men as they try to make something of themselves in the wasteland of junior college. And junior college is a wasteland.

High school is where you get started. That's where you learn, grow, and display your skills for recruiters. A four-year university (preferably a D1 school) is where you're at the next best thing to the NFL and it's your best chance to get noticed by the NFL. JUCO is where you go when you've screwed up. Either you've screwed up in high school or you've screwed up at your four-year university. So, to see this no-man's-land of education and football on screen is fascinating.

This one was way better than the other two seasons. That's because the coach had heart and made some interesting and thoughtful statements. He swears just as much as the guy from the other seasons, but he has a sympathetic personal back story, he's younger, and he's quite intelligent. One thing that strikes me as odd is how locals take pride in the team, when none of the players or the coach are from the town, or even from the state. Essentially they are just a bunch of guys renting the field in town, with little or no interest in the town or the school or classes. Yet the locals refer to them as "we." That's the irony of college and pro sports fan culture. The lady English teacher seems nice, but she doesn't have anything interesting to say, and seems kind of obsessed with ethnic pride. I'm not sure what being the English teacher has to do with counseling these knuckleheads anyways, and surely teaching them ethnic pride is not in her job description. But she tries. Look, she did say one good thing, if not grammatically correct. Which is ironic since she is the English teacher. "Everybody does not make it to the NFL." It would have been better to day, "Not everyone makes it." Anyways, these kids are lazy and stupid. Some of it is the fault of circumstance and some of it is their own fault. But I don't think many will make it to the big league. Some may play in Canada or Europe. But they are entitled dopes either way and that's a darn shame.

Love this show but they should not have left EMCC. ICC is boring, Coach Brown was not entertaining, the whole 4th season was a depressing train wreck.

Although I'm baffled how and why EMCC chooses to focus so much on religion instead actual education, the young men, their families and coaches are all coming from their own unique backgrounds, with their own struggles, gifts, goals and abilities - and the uniquely middle-American obsession with football connects them all. It's a slice of Hoop Dreams served up on a plate of Friday Night Lights.

Young men being mentored by lame Peter Pan Syndrome Coach Brown; behavioral contradiction surely cannot be an acceptable leadership style. These young men need an example if anything. Most of the players presented will unlikely play for a paycheck; what they are receiving is how to lose control at every losing moment. Just sad to see this as entertainment.

But I love this show!! I watch this with my husband and it makes him so happy. This is truly a well done and personal show and I get really into it. It's very real and it draws you in. I like getting to know the players and it makes me root for them.