Netflix’s hit series ‘Last Chance U’ has announced that it will return for a fifth season next summer. The series will head west for the first time in its history for the 2019 football season, following Laney College in Oakland, California.
Ready for another season? Last Chance U will return to @netflix in 2020. This time, at Laney College in Oakland, CA. pic.twitter.com/YfqPWbhsSX
— Last Chance U: Basketball (@LastChanceU) August 9, 2019
Since it first debuted in 2016, ‘Last Chance U’ has been a smash hit. The television show follows a junior college team that includes at least a few players that held FBS scholarships coming out of high school, but for one reason or another they are now in junior college.
East Mississippi Community College was the first team showcased in the series, and cameras followed around the 2015 and 2016 teams. In 2015, the school went 8-1 and would have qualified for the playoffs, but a massive fight between EMCC and Mississippi Delta led to both schools being held out of the postseason.
The 2016 season was derailed by suspensions as a result of the brawl, and EMCC lost its season opener before winning 11 straight and claiming the state title. That one loss kept the school out of the national championship game though.
‘Last Chance U’ followed Independence Community College in Kansas during the 2017 and 2018 seasons, and the announcement that ICC would be the site of the series led to numerous talented players coming to the program. The team finished 2-8 last year, and Jason Brown was fired for some insensitive remarks in the offseason.
It will be interesting to see if the pitch for the show changes in Oakland. Laney College head coach John Beam has rejected the premise of junior college being the last possible chance for down on their luck players, and he said as much to the San Jose Mercury News:
“I told them we’re not ‘Last Chance U,’ ” Beam said. “We’re your first chance. We’re your Best Chance U.
“I said you’re not (rejects). All those kids from the other shows either left school, got kicked out from a four-year school or something. Well, that’s not us. You’re the kids who came here for a reason. To better your grades or better you football outlook. We’re your best chance.”
Laney College will begin their season at home on September 6 when they host Modesto Junior College.
