AMERICA’S SWEETHEARTS: DALLAS COWBOYS CHEERLEADERS: Episode 2.1: “Promise Yourself Part 1”

Here is the decision. Netflix's second season opens with the 2024 Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders tryouts, and it's genuinely good television — quick, absorbing, and warm toward the values Christian families care about. The young women encourage one another instead of tearing each other down. One is late to rehearsal because she was at a church event. Another prays before her audition. A wedding scene has a couple saying their vows before a large wooden cross.

The costs are modest but real. The women wear revealing cheerleading uniforms, dance costumes, and workout gear throughout, showing midriffs and cleavage. There are three light obscenities, and one contestant's wedding date becomes a marijuana joke she says she didn't even understand at the time.

So: if you're a teen or adult who likes a strong competition series, this one rewards you — and honors friendship and faith while it's at it. For younger children, we'd hold off, mostly because of the outfits. Watch with older kids and you'll have plenty to talk about.

Young women from around the world travel to Texas to compete for just 36 spots on the iconic Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders squad. Some are auditioning for the first time. Others are "comeback girls," trying again after being cut. And the returning veterans have to earn their spots all over again.

Dayton arrives with her whole life pointed at this dream — her mother is an associate choreographer for the team. Charly returns more determined than ever after a health scare shook her focus. As the first round of final tryouts begins, the judges start deciding who moves forward and who goes home.

Four stars, and here's what they mean for a reality series: it does its job exceptionally well. The premiere moves quickly, giving you a concise, intriguing overview of how the famous squad is actually built — the solo routines, the group cheer, the judges' deliberations — while introducing every featured woman without ever feeling rushed or crowded.

What lifts it above the usual competition fare is the tone. These are driven, hardworking, compassionate women, and the show lets their mutual encouragement carry real weight. The stories land: Dayton's inherited dream, Charly's return after a pulmonary embolism. It's a strong, well-paced opener that leaves you wanting the next episode.

This premiere carries a strong moral worldview with pro-capitalist elements, and it wears real Christian content on its sleeve. It exalts things Scripture also honors: friendship, diligence, and generosity of spirit. The contestants compliment and encourage one another rather than sabotage. Effort and perseverance are treated as good and rewarded — the dream is worth working for.

The faith is not merely background, either. One cheerleader misses rehearsal because she was at a church event. Another prays before she auditions. And a wedding scene sets the couple's vows before a large wooden cross — marriage framed as something sacred rather than casual.

The quibbles are on the surface, not the soul. The revealing uniforms, dance costumes, and workout gear are constant, and modesty-minded families should know that going in. A stray marijuana joke and three light obscenities are the extent of the rough edges.

Underneath the competition runs a familiar longing — to be chosen, to belong, to have one's labor count for something. Scripture speaks to exactly that ache: "Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men" (Colossians 3:23). The dream of making the squad is real, but the deeper security these women want is one no tryout can grant.

This is a rare thing: a fast, well-made competition series that quietly honors faith, friendship, and hard work. The costs are small — a few light obscenities, a marijuana joke, and revealing outfits throughout — but enough to hold off for younger kids. For teens and adults, it's worth watching, and worth talking about afterward.