The Smithsonian Channel will soon premiere a new documentary series called Fever Pitch: The Rise of the Premier League. While it was previously available overseas, this will be the first time American soccer fans have been able to access the show.
The docuseries essentially tells the story of how the world’s top soccer league was reformed in the early 1990s. Although England’s top flight has been around since the 19th century, the Premier League was formed just 30 years ago.
Football in England suffered during the 1980s due to vandalism and deteriorating stadiums. Five of the biggest clubs in the country decided to make changes and lead a newly formed and lucrative league.
Produced in part by David Beckham’s Studio 99, the docuseries features interviews from some of the biggest soccer stars of the 1990s. Eric Cantona, Alan Shearer, Peter Schmeichel, Paul Merson and Beckham himself star in the show.
Along with the formation of the Premier League, Fever Pitch also tells the story of how the league gained popularity. The infamous rivalry between Manchester United and Arsenal also features heavily in one of the episodes.
Fever Pitch comes to the Smithsonian Channel
This documentary originally aired on BBC Two in the UK. However, this is the first time American viewers have had a chance to watch. Amazon Prime also previously had distribution rights in Australia and New Zealand.
Fever Pitch will air for the first time on the Smithsonian Channel on Sunday, November 6 at 9 pm (ET). The remaining episodes air every following Sunday of the month.
Launched in 2007, the Smithsonian Channel regularly features original non-fiction programming. As of 2015, the Paramount-owned channel was in more than 33 million American homes. The channel is currently available on DirecTV, Dish Network, Spectrum, Xfinity, Hulu + Live TV, YouTubeTV, and more.
Paramount+ subscribers also have access to streaming content on the Smithsonian Channel.
