Last Chance U


Last Chance U is an American documentary television series that is produced by and premiered on Netflix. The six-episode first season explores the football program at East Mississippi Community College, which features several collegiate athletes that have had trouble in their lives and struggled with finding structure. The players are then required to perform at the junior college level, under the stewardship of coach Buddy Stephens, in order to prove themselves and return to Division I.
The series' second season returned to Mississippi, but transitioned to Independence Community College in Kansas for the show's third season, which premiered on July 21, 2018. This was followed by a return to Independence for the fourth season; it debuted on July 19, 2019. The final season took place at Laney College in Oakland, California and premiered on July 28, 2020. In 2020, it was announced that a scripted drama based on the first two seasons would be produced by and star Courteney Cox.
𝕏 LastChanceU

Synopsis

The first two seasons focus on all aspects of the football program at East Mississippi Community College, one of the most successful JUCO programs in the country. Major themes include the academic struggles of the players – some of whom have come from severely disadvantaged backgrounds. This is set against an overall redemption and coming-of-age β€œlast chance” theme for the group of men struggling to find their place. Team academic advisor Brittany Wagner is featured prominently as she is tasked with getting all team members to graduate on time. Head coach Buddy Stephens' struggles with controlling his temper is also a major theme, which is often juxtaposed with his devout Christian faith that he attempts to impart on the team.

Season 1

The crew followed the EMCC Lions during their 2015 season as they attempted to capture their fourth JUCO national title. While the team appeared dominant for much of the year, their season was derailed after a brawl broke out during their game with Mississippi Delta. EMCC was disqualified from the state playoffs and a potential berth to the national championship game.
Ranking: NJCAA released prior to game.

Season 2

Netflix returned to Scooba to follow their 2016 season. Once again holding national championship aspirations, the team faced a major hurdle in that only 32 of their players were eligible for their opening game with Jones County Junior College due to suspensions related to the previous season's brawl. EMCC lost that game, 27–25, their first season-opening loss since 2010. The Lions would go on to win the rest of their games, but were left out of the national championship game when they finished the season ranked No. 3 in the polls.
Ranking: NJCAA released prior to game.

Season 3

Despite being invited back to EMCC for a third season, producers decided to move the show to Independence Community College of Kansas. The new location is different in that ICC has historically had much lower expectations than EMCC; in 2016, it ended the season 5–4, its first winning season in ten years. The ICC Pirates had a very successful recruiting campaign for the 2017 season, landing many acclaimed players who began at NCAA Division I schools.
Ranking: NJCAA released prior to game.

Season 4

The fourth season continues in Independence, where the team fails to live up to high preseason expectations, finishing 2–8. After the season, Coach Brown is forced to resign for insensitive remarks. The season received the 2020 Emmy Award for Outstanding Serialized Sports Documentary.
Ranking: NJCAA released prior to game.

Season 5

The fifth season takes place in Oakland, California at Laney College alongside football head coach John Beam. It premiered in July 2020.

Reception

The series was given a positive review by SB Nations Jason Kirk, who summed it up as a "carefully crafted drama with personalities to care about." Critical aggregator website Metacritic awarded the series a score of 79, indicating "generally favorable reviews".

Featured staff

EMCC

ICC

  • Jason Brown
  • Jason Martin
  • Kiyoshi Harris
  • Frank Diaz
  • Raechal Martin
  • Tammy Geldenhuys
  • Latonya Pinkard
  • Mark Harris
  • Heather Mydosh
  • Daniel Barwick
  • Jeff Carpenter

Laney

Players

PlayerPositionTransfer inTransfer outNotes
DeAndre JohnsonQBFlorida StateFlorida AtlanticAfter sitting out the 2017 season due to blood clots in his arm, Johnson competed with Oklahoma transfer Chris Robison for the starting quarterback position. After not starting for FAU, Johnson transferred to Texas Southern in 2019.
Isaiah WrightRBβ€”West GeorgiaWright participated in spring football at WGU but left the school before the season began. He was arrested for criminal homicide in September 2017. On November 8, 2017, the charges were dismissed against his brother Camion, also featured on Last Chance U. On August 8, 2018, Wright plead guilty to facilitation of aggravated robbery in exchange for having his criminal homicide charge dropped. He received credit for time served and was sentenced to five years of supervised probation. During 2019, Wright joined the Alcoa Alloys of the Independent American Football League. Wright was able to get another chance to play college football at Union College of the NAIA for the 2021 season.
Chauncey RiversDLGeorgiaMississippi StateRivers was redshirted for the 2017 season due to academic ineligibility. During the 2018 season, Rivers had 2.5 sacks and 24 tackles for the Bulldogs. After the 2019 season where he had 5.0 sacks and 40 tackles, Rivers was named to the 2019 All-SEC football team. In April 2020, the Baltimore Ravens signed Rivers as an undrafted free agent.
Dakota AllenLBTexas TechTexas TechHad a breakout junior season in 2017, with 92 tackles, 12 tackles for loss, and six forced turnovers. Named All-Big 12 by Pro Football Focus and second-team All-Big 12 by coaches and media. Allen was officially invited for the NFL Scouting Combine in 2019. He was selected by the Los Angeles Rams in the seventh round of the 2019 NFL draft and became the first player of the show to be picked in the NFL Draft. He signed a contract with the Rams on June 7, 2019. He was signed off the Rams' practice squad by the Oakland Raiders in September, and made his NFL debut the following month. However, he was waived by the end of the month, and returned to the Rams' practice squad again in November, leaving a second time to sign with the Jacksonville Jaguars in December.
Kamonte "Kam" CarterDLPenn StatePittsburghPlayed sparingly at Pitt and in January 2018, announced he was transferring. Ultimately transferred to Duquesne for the 2018 and 2019 season, where he made the All-NEC First Team both seasons.
Tim BonnerDLLouisvilleFlorida AtlanticJoined the BC Lions of the Canadian Football League.
Ezekiel RoseDLβ€”West Virginia
Vijay MillerQBβ€”β€”Also played baseball at EMCC as a pitcher and was drafted in the 14th round of the 2017 MLB draft by the San Diego Padres. After pitching for the Arizona League Padres for the summer, Miller returned to EMCC for the 2018 season.

PlayerPositionTransfer inTransfer outNotes
Malik HenryQBFlorida StateNevadaHenry failed to receive an offer from a Power Five conferences school, and was listed on the 2018 ICC football roster. He announced in January 2019 that he would be walking-on at Nevada. He started two games and then left the school. He later joined the Frisco Fighters in the Indoor Football League.
Rakeem BoydRBTexas A&MArkansasRushed for 2,176 yards and 13 touchdowns during his career at Arkansas.
Kerry BuckmasterOLVentura CollegeLindenwoodLater transferred to West Texas A&M. Quit football in March 2019.
Kingston DavisRBMichiganUABCut from the team following an arrest. Later transferred to Lane College.
Carlos ThompsonWRTexas TechMissouri WesternDecided to forgo his senior season and declared for the 2019 NFL draft. He was not drafted.
Emmit GoodenDLβ€”TennesseeDismissed from the team following a domestic assault arrest
Calvin JacksonWRβ€”Washington State
Keith WilliamsOLβ€”Colorado State
Delrick AbramsDBβ€”Colorado

PlayerPositionTransfer inTransfer outNotes
Jay JonesQBGeorgia Tech
Chase HildrethQBβ€”Texas State
Markiese KingWRβ€”LamarKing signed a National Letter of Intent to play at Lamar, but he withdrew from Independence before graduation, making him ineligible to play Division I college football. Later enrolled at Central Oklahoma
Jermaine Johnson IIDLβ€”GeorgiaBy far the biggest success from the show. Played two seasons before transferring to Florida State. As a fifth-year senior with the Seminoles, Johnson led the ACC in tackles for loss and sacks, was named 1st Team All-Conference, ACC Defensive Player of the Year, was a finalist for the Ted Hendricks Award for college football's best defensive end, and was included in several All-America teams. He was drafted 26th overall in the 2022 NFL draft by the New York Jets and named as an alternate to the 2024 Pro Bowl Games roster.
Bobby BruceSβ€”Manatee NeptunesA student reported $250 stolen from his dorm room. Bruce was seen on video entering the room with two other people and leaving with a full bag in his hand that he hadn't had with him when entering the room. Bruce was cut from the football team. Subsequently, he signed to play arena football for the A-League's Manatee Neptunes. In February 2020, he was arrested for cocaine possession.
Kailon DavisDLβ€”Arkansas StateMedically retired from football in 2021, later joined the Arkansas–Pine Bluff Golden Lions. Davis went unselected in the 2022 NFL draft, and signed with the Saskatchewan Roughriders of the CFL before being released during the offseason.
Chance MainDLβ€”Incarnate WordPlayed 2 years at Incarnate Word, and took the 2021 season off for rehab. Later signed with the Colorado Buffaloes for the 2022 season.

PlayerPositionTransfer inTransfer outNotes
Dior Walker-ScottWRβ€”Hawai'iPreferred walk-on in 2020. Earned a full scholarship in 2021.
RJ SternWRβ€”Decommitted from Tusculum
Day'Marr JohnsonWRβ€”Merritt
Nu’u TaugavauOLβ€”Murray StateOne of his uncles played at Murray State
Ryan MackeyQBβ€”Returned to Laney College for the 2020–21 season
Kentrell PierceDBβ€”Lincoln (PA)
Rejzohn WrightDBβ€”Oregon StateCurrently plays for the New Orleans Saints
Keyshawn AshfordRBβ€”Foothill
Alex GonsalvesRBβ€”β€”

Crew

  • Benjamin Cotner – executive producer
  • Edgar Doumerc – sound department
  • Joe Labracio – executive producer
  • Adam Leibowitz – producer
  • Lisa Nishimura – executive producer
  • Dawn Ostroff – executive producer
  • Adam Ridley – producer, director, editor
  • Jihan Robinson – executive producer
  • James D. Stern – executive producer
  • Lucas Smith – executive producer
  • Greg Whiteley – director, executive producer
  • Sam Young – sound department
  • Yuri TomΓ‘nek – original music
  • Joseph Minadeo – original music

''Last Chance U: Basketball'' (spin-off series)

On March 10, 2021, a spin-off series Last Chance U: Basketball premiered on Netflix, introducing a new sport for the award-winning documentary series to follow. The eight-episode first season explores the basketball program at East Los Angeles College, which features a once faltering junior college team that has become a title contender under head coach John Mosley. Through his strong convictions, Coach Mosley leads young men who hope to fulfill their major college potential. On September 10, 2021, the series was renewed for a second season. The second season premiered on December 13, 2022.

Synopsis

Mosley's Huskies enjoyed their best season in ELAC history during the 2019–20 season. The team had their eyes on the CCCAA State Title, entering the Championship Tournament with a program-best 29–1 record while being ranked the second-best team in the state. Their season was cancelled, however, due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
DateOpponentNotesSiteResult
November 1OxnardCOC Tournament Event from 11/1-11/2OxnardW 120–68
November 2CuyamacaCOC Tournament Event from 11/1-11/2Oxnard CollegeW 71–40
November 9Arizona MesaArizona MesaW 78–72
November 15GrossmontHunter Classic Event from 11/15-11/17San BernardinoW 98–63
November 16Copper MountainSan Bernardino Tournament Event from 11/15-11/17San BernardinoL 78–76
November 17Antelope ValleySBVC Tournament Event from 11/15-11/17San BernardinoW 89–85
November 27Santa MonicaSanta MonicaW 87–82
December 4Mt. San JacintoRCC Holiday TournamentWheelock Gym, Riverside City CollegeW 70–61
December 5RiversideAHF Riverside ClassicRiversideW 79–73
December 7Copper MountainRiverside ClassicWheelock Gym, Riverside City CollegeW 86–69
December 14CerritosELACW 57–51
December 18CitrusELACW 77–69
December 28San Diego MiramarCuyamaca ClassicCuyamaca CollegeW 73–62
December 29CuyamacaCuyamaca ClassicCuyamacaW 69–42
December 30SouthwesternCuyamaca ClassicCuyamaca CollegeW 93–74
January 3El CaminoEl CaminoW 126–81
January 8LA SouthwestELACW 85–72
January 10LA HarborLA HarborW 82–68
January 15ComptonComptonW 93–82
January 17Long BeachELACW 83–68
January 22LA Trade TechELACW 98–77
January 29Pasadena CitySCC NorthELACW 102–72
January 31Mt. San AntonioMt. San AntonioW 90–80
February 5Rio HondoELACW 107–79
February 7LA Trade TechLA Trade TechW 94–59
February 14Pasadena CitySCC NorthPasadena CityW 86–78
February 19Mt. San AntonioELACW 97–69
February 21Rio HondoRio HondoW 109–86
February 29SaddlebackSouthern California Regional, Round 2ELACW 69–53
March 7Allan HancockSouthern California Regional FinalELACW 68–65
March 13Santa RosaCCCAA Championship, QuarterfinalsWest Hills Lemoore CollegeCancelled

Featured staff

ELAC

  • John Mosley
  • Kenneth Hunter
  • Frankie Aguilar
  • Robert Robinson
  • Eric Guzman
  • Bianca Lopez