While Showtime Sports is shutting down as of the end of 2023, they have at least one more notable docuseries coming before then. On Monday, they announced a five-part docuseries with Religion of Sports covering soccer. That would be The World According To Football, with Trevor Noah as executive producer and narrator, which will have its first episode debut on Showtime on Dec. 1. Here’s more on that from a release:
SHOWTIME SPORTS announces THE WORLD ACCORDING TO FOOTBALL, a five-part documentary series narrated and executive produced by Trevor Noah. The series focuses on a different country in each episode — Brazil, US, UK, France, and Qatar — and how soccer teams and fans in that country face global issues through the sport. The series tackles women’s rights, income inequality, labor rights, mental health, racism, nationalism and LGBTQ+ rights.
THE WORLD ACCORDING TO FOOTBALL episode one will premiere December 1 on SHOWTIME at 8pm ET/PT, with episodes debuting weekly for five weeks. The entire series will be available on streaming for Paramount+ with SHOWTIME subscribers on the day of premiere. The series is produced by Gotham Chopra’s Religion of Sports in association with Day Zero Productions and Mainstay Entertainment.
“This may be the most important project we’ve ever produced,” Chopra said. “Not just because we got to collaborate with Trevor Noah and a team of brilliant creatives, but also because this show is so on brand for us. Sports – and in this case specifically football/soccer – is a language through which we get to explore some of the most critical issues of our time. That’s what we do at Religion of Sports. Also – in case you missed it – we got to work with Trevor Noah!!”
There have been plenty of Religion of Sports forays into soccer before, including with the “Fútbol is Religion” in-person event in New York during the men’s FIFA World Cup last fall. And the connections here between sports and wider societal issues are something Religion of Sports has long looked to explore since its 2016 founding by Chopra, Michael Strahan, and Tom Brady. And it’s certainly notable to see Chopra’s comment of “This may be the most important project we’ve ever produced,” considering the high-profile projects they’ve done on Brady, Steph Curry, Simone Biles, and more.
It’s also worth noting that a soccer-focused project definitely fits with the larger Paramount Global/CBS/Paramount+ strategy, and follows some other soccer documentaries they’ve done. While Showtime Sports doesn’t have much time left before its official closure, they’re doing at least one more notable project here. And it’s interesting to see them partnering with someone as notable as Noah, the host of The Daily Show from 2015-2022 and a famed news and comedy figure. We’ll see how this project works out, but there are some intriguing elements here.